Taylor Swift makes history and performs ‘folklore’ medley at 2021 Grammys
Taylor Swift returned to the Grammys stage to perform a witchy mashup of tracks from her two latest albums.
Swift started out with a rendition of Grammy-nominated “cardigan,” laying in some grass and singing directly into the camera.
Read more: Billie Eilish and FINNEAS play haunting “everything i wanted” at Grammys
She then joined folklore collaborators Aaron Dessner (The National) and Jack Antonoff for a whimsical rendition of “august” where Swift channeled her roots by playing acoustic guitar.
The trio finished by playing “willow” from her latest album evermore, and Swift literally looked like a real-life woodland fairy. And we weren’t the only ones who thought so—fans on Twitter could not get over Swift’s chill witchy vibe during the set.
IM 100% ONBOARD WITH BEING A WOODLAND WITCH FAIRY NOW. THAT SET WAS AMAZING AND HER DRESS AND HAIR WERE AMAZING. @taylorswift13 @taylornation13 #FolklorianGrammys #taylorswift #GRAMMYs
— Michelle (@likearainbow13) March 15, 2021
Taylor Swift is fully turning into a wood witch and I love that for her. #GRAMMYs
— Salopette ✌️ (@salopette_c) March 15, 2021
taylor swift is a beautiful magical fairy witch angel princess btw ???☘️?????????
— jess ?? (@jesshakeitoff) March 15, 2021
You can check out video of the epic performance below.
https://twitter.com/AustinKellerman/status/1371270017065566215
Swift revealed prior to the performance that she, Antonoff and Dessner were quarantining together prior to the show.
“[It’s] really exciting, because this has been an adventure that the three of us have gone on since the very beginning of quarantine and lockdown,” Swift said of her collaborators.
Read more: Harry Styles opens the 2021 Grammy Awards with “Watermelon Sugar”—watch
While 2020 was a mess for almost everyone, Taylor Swift used the time to release two genre-bending albums, folklore and evermore. With more of an alternative sound, the releases were a total switch up for the country-turned-pop star, and the Grammys are recognizing it.
Swift is up for a number of awards this year, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for folklore. She’s also nominated for Song of the Year for “cardigan,” which was also up for Best Solo Performance but lost to Harry Styles. The nominations makes sense, considering folklore was one of the highest-selling albums of 2020.
She was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “exile” alongside Bon Iver but the pair lost to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande‘s “Rain On Me.”
Oh, and remember the internet-breaking Cats movie? Swift was also up for Best Song Written for A Visual Media for “Beautiful Ghosts” from the film. However, Billie Eilish’s “No Time To Die” took home the award instead, from the delayed James Bond film that’s still not released.
You can check out the full list of Grammy winners here.
UPDATE: March 14, 2021, 11:40 p.m. ET
Taylor Swift made history at the Grammys when she won Album of the Year for her first-ever alternative album folklore.
Swift is the first woman to win the award three times in her career, and she did it with albums that represented three different genres. She won in 2010 for country album Fearless, in 2016 for pop venture 1989 and now with her alternative/folk feat.
She accepted the award with her squad including collaborators Aaron Dessner (The National) and Jack Antonoff. You can check out a video of that below.
Taylor Swift winning Album Of The Year at the 2021 #Grammys! pic.twitter.com/RkXzF8OTah
— Jonathan (@jonathanoutsold) March 15, 2021
More on Taylor Swift
Swift’s Grammys history is extensive and record-breaking. She’s been nominated more than 40 times and won 10 of those since 2008. She was one of two female artists to win Album of the Year twice alongside Adele. She was also the youngest winner of Album of the Year in 2010 until Billie Eilish took the record last year. And according to Google, her 2016 Grammys speech is the second-most searched speech since 2010.
Her first-ever Grammys performance was in 2009 with Miley Cyrus where they sang “Fifteen.” She also performed in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014, performing a mix of emotional, stripped-down ballads on piano to over-the-top pop hits filled with stage theatrics.
But this year is a bit different. folklore is the first album Swift has put out that is classified as an alternative record. Swift hasn’t performed since 2016 when she sang “Out Of The Woods,” and has had a bit of a revamp, both personally and musically, since then. She’s become an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, has gotten politically active and experimented with her songwriting more than ever before.
Swift is also a scene kid at heart, so it isn’t that surprising that she’s gone more alt. She’s tight with Paramore‘s Hayley Williams, is a die-hard Dashboard Confessional fan and collabed with Brendon Urie.
And who could forget when Swift credited Fall Out Boy as one of her biggest influences. The pop star credited the band as one of her biggest inspirations and quoted lyrics from “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” as well.
“I love Fall Out Boy so much,” Swift told Rolling Stone. “Their songwriting really influenced me, lyrically, maybe more than anyone else. They take a phrase, and they twist it. ‘Loaded God complex/Cock it and pull it’? When I heard that, I was like, ‘I’m dreaming.’”
Swift decided to not only perform at the Grammys this year but also give back to those in need.
The nonprofit Grammy Museum is hosting an online auction to benefit the museum and its music education initiatives. They’re auctioning off dozens of items including a signed Billie Eilish ukulele, handwritten lyrics that are autographed and personalized by Phoebe Bridgers and more.
Swift’s contribution is a special edition folklore autographed guitar that is valued at $5,000 and features the iconic moody album cover. The Grammys auction extends through March 23, so you can place bids on any items even after the show.
What did you think of Taylor Swift’s Grammys performance? Sound off in the comments below!
