- Dua Lipa – “Levitating” ft. DaBaby / “Don’t Start Now”
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Stepping onstage with a pink robe, Dua Lipa stunned with several outfit changes, backup dancers, and fabulous vocals. She proved that she could learn choreography well (take that, haters) and command the stage, even with a limited in-person audience. She transitioned from one song to another smoothly, with set changes and the feature with DaBaby (who is not on the original recording) was well done. I liked that she featured him in her performance because he was at the Grammys anyway. Her album Future Nostalgia is a love letter to ‘80s dance pop, and she pulls it off well in the recording studio and on screen, so I’m looking forward to what she does next.
- Mickey Guyton – “Black Like Me”
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Before this year’s Grammys, I’d never heard of Mickey Guyton, but while watching her perform, I was captivated. Her voice is beautiful, and the song that she performed, “Black Like Me” is a glimpse into her life as a Black person and the experiences that come with that. As a Black country singer trying to break into a predominantly white industry, it was heartbreaking to hear her sing about discrimination and other difficulties she has faced. As the first Black female country artist who has ever sung or been nominated at the Grammys, her choice of song was definitely apt. I’m excited for her debut album, and can’t wait to see what else she has up her sleeve.
- Taylor Swift – “cardigan” / “august” / “willow”
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Rounding out my top three Grammys performances is Taylor Swift, who performed a medley of three songs on folklore: “cardigan,” “august,” and “willow.” Taylor’s performance was definitely the most creative, as she performed remotely, but definitely made it visually interesting. She embraced the cottagecore vibes of folklore with a moss-covered cabin in the woods, singing on top of it at first before moving inside, where her collaborators, Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff were playing instruments. It was a magical experience, one that was reminiscent of her Disney+ documentary, folklore: the long pond studio sessions, where she breaks down the album and her experiences writing it. She looked positively angelic on camera, and transported viewers into another world.