For all fans of music, the Grammys is one of the most important events of the year. We celebrate our favorite artists’ nominations and wins, and rage about those who were snubbed. What’s especially important about the award show is the performances. Musicians put in their all as millions watch, and the show has given us some of the most iconic pop culture moments in history.
People obsess over finally seeing the list of nominees and the setlist, and every year when those lists drop, the internet raves for hours. There are even some people who create their dream lineups for the award show, and I’m one of them.
Though I won’t be able to be as descriptive as my dreams allow me, here’s my dream lineup for my own Grammy performance.
- Doja Cat
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Doja Cat is one of the biggest new artists so far this decade. TikTok obsesses over a new song of hers every week, from “Cyber Sex” to “Streets.” She symbolizes the new era of music we’ve entered, so it’s only right for her to start the Grammys off.
With her performance being rich with the theme of new beginnings, Doja Cat would start her stage off with her song “Streets,” the most recent track of her sophomore album, Hot Pink, to blow up. She’d follow this with another track from Hot Pink, “Shine.” This song isn’t as popular as her others, but based on how things are looking, it’s only a matter of time until it starts to top the charts. Finally, she’d end her performance by bringing fellow rapper Saweetie to the stage, for the two to perform their collaboration, “Best Friend.”
- Miley Cyrus
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After a moment of speeches, the next performance is Miley Cyrus. Her performance is heavy with the aesthetics of her album Plastic Hearts — ‘80s glam rock, electro and synth-pop. She’ll start off this stage with her title track “Plastic Hearts.” She’ll transition to her next song with a short rendition of “Bad Karma” on her own. This will smoothly lead to the first single of the album, “Midnight Sky.” Her solo stage may be short, but that’s because it ends with “Prisoner,” a collaboration with Dua Lipa.
- Dua Lipa
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After the first two performances, Miley Cyrus exits the stage and leaves Dua Lipa on her own. There’s no pause — the second that song ends and the beginning of Dua Lipa’s song “Physical” plays. The performance resembles the single’s music video, with a full stage of dancers in a Broadway-esque choreography filling the show with the energy and vibrancy that is Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia album. Afterward, she does a mashup of her two recently-popular songs, “Don’t Start Now” and “Levitating.” With 2020 already over and new projects coming, many artists are putting an end to their musical eras. Dua Lipa would end hers where it all began: the first song and title track of the album, “Future Nostalgia.”
- Ariana Grande
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The next artist to perform would be Ariana Grande — without a doubt the present-day pop queen. Ariana and her all-female dancers are styled as retro bombshells. Voluminous hair, chunky white boots, shapeless pastel dresses and the iconic white graphic liner. Her first song is “my hair,” which plays as a sultry introduction to her performance. Her second song is her well-known title track, “positions.” As per usual with Ms. Grande, her set design is intricate and stylistic. She ends her set by performing “34+35.” Doja Cat and Megan thee Stallion join her for their remix of the song.
- Chloe x Halle
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Following Ariana come the princesses of R&B, Chloe x Halle. Their album Ungodly Hour is not only sonically gorgeous, but the visuals that they’ve brought with the album aesthetics have been gorgeous as well. Their Grammy stage reflects that. The sisters blend afro-futurism with glamour for their renditions of “Forgive Me” and “Hazy.” Their performance for these first two songs is diverse and powerful, with backup dancers and complex choreography. But, for the final song of their stage, “Wonder What She Thinks of Me,” there’s none of that. There are only the two sisters, who rely on their emotional voices and bond to end their set with a bang.
- MAX
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Just as his album Colour Vision suggests, MAX’s performance would be vibrant and the set design would be simple. The stage lights bring a rainbow of color to the stage for his first song, “Colour Vision.” It’s a powerful introduction to his strong performance. “Love Me Less” would follow, switching the tone of his set to become much more upbeat and energetic. This energy remains as he continues with “New Life,” a brilliant finale to his stage that ends with a bang.
- Harry Styles
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Harry Styles is a man testing society’s idea of the masculine aesthetic. As the next performer, his stage is floral with hints of bohemian flair. He doesn’t have any backup dancers or an elaborate dance. There’s only him on stage with a microphone, a band, his voice, and his passion. His first song would be the popular “Watermelon Sugar,” the theme song of his current era. After, he performs “Lights Up,” a softer performance compared to the song before. It gives him time to transition to the fiery energy of “Adore You.” His stage ends with “Fine Line,” which starts off soft and calming. But, by the end of it, “Fine Line” is powerful and raw, which is what Harry’s music is at its core.
- Rina Sawayama
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Rina has a versatile discography, and her own stage at the Grammys will highlight this trait about her. She begins with a short version of “STFU!” with a live band. It serves as her introduction and is as in-your-face as the song can be. Rina has faced racism by award shows before, and as she performs at the Grammys, she’s going to make sure her name leaves a mark in the show’s history. The hard rock sound is consistent throughout her set. She performs “Dynasty” next and it’s just as fierce as her previous song. She ends her stage with “XS” and brings another female British artist, Bree Runway, to the stage by teaming up with the rapper to Bree’s remixed version of the song.
- Megan Thee Stallion
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Since she first blew up, Megan Thee Stallion has been the subject of constant misogynoir. She’s been constantly insulted and misgendered, and was even the victim of a shooting. Despite it seeming like the world was against her, Megan still rose against the odds and became the biggest new artist — most of it was because of the black women who supported her through thick and thin. Her stage is a tribute to Black girl unity. Her dancers and band will consist of Black women. She begins with “Body” and continues to “Circles,” both songs that blast the show with energy. She continues with “Girls in the Hood,” another song of hers that grew popularity through TikTok. She ends her show by performing the iconic “Savage Remix,” with Beyoncé joining her.
- Taylor Swift
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To bring the Grammys to an end is Taylor Swift. Her performance starts with HAIM joining her to perform “no body, no crime.” The next two songs are “champagne problems” and “willow.” True to the visuals of her evermore album, and similar to her performance for the 63rd Grammys, Taylor is surrounded by nature. The stage is dim through it all, mimicking a night sky. Save for her band, she is alone, emotional and vulnerable. Her voice feels like a hum and viewers feel the need to hold their breath in anticipation. Then, to bring her stage — and the entire show — to an end, she brings us back in time and performs “Love Story (Taylor’s Version).”
Though the chances of me ever seeing this lineup happen in real life is slim to none, the list still holds a very special place in my heart. And if I’ll never get to see these performances in real life, I was at least able to share my dreams with others.
If you enjoyed my ideas for this lineup, I’ve made a Spotify playlist that you can check out here so you can daydream about this as I do!