Best Live Collaboration Performances at the Grammy Awards

From powerful performances to historic wins, the Grammy Awards offer a plethora of memorable moments annually. This year, the 65th Annual Grammy Awards will see Trevor Noah return to hosting duties at the ceremony from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. As we approach the biggest night in music, we look back at some live collaborations on the Grammy stage featuring the most prominent artists of our time!

Prince and Beyoncé

Prince and Queen Bey wowed the audience at the 2004 Grammys with a wonderful medley. Prince opened the ceremony by appearing on stage donning a purple suit with his guitar, performing his most notable song, ‘Purple Rain.’ Soon, Beyoncé joined him in a sparkling pink dress, and the two sang on the same mic while Prince played his guitar beautifully.

Then they both danced while performing ‘Baby I’m a Star’ before Bey’s backup dancers joined the vocalist for Prince’s ‘Crazy in Love.’ The duo ended the electrifying performance with ‘Let’s Go Crazy.’ Beyoncé took home five Grammys that night.

Kesha, Camila Cabello, Cyndi Lauper, Bebe Rexha

Cyndi Lauper, Bebe Rexha, Camila Cabello, Andra Day, and Julia Michaels joined Kesha at the 2018 Grammy awards to perform her powerful ballad ‘Praying.’ This performance brought tears to everyone’s eyes. The Resistance Revival Chorus also took the stage alongside the Grammy-nominated artist. Everyone on stage was dressed in white. 

Kesha also wore a white suit as she delivered a heart-wrenching performance of ‘Praying,’ a song that she said “felt like an emotional raw victory” to her, and “one step closer to healing.” The track is featured on her third studio album ‘Rainbow.’ Both, the song as well as the album earned her two Grammy nods – ‘Best Pop Solo Performance’ and ‘Best Pop Vocal Album’ respectively.

CeeLo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow was a recurring actor on ‘Glee,’ wherein she performed CeeLo Green’s ‘Forget You’ in the second season of the show. Soon, the ‘Se7en’ actress took the 2011 Grammy Awards stage with singer-songwriter/rapper CeeLo Green. Their performance begins with Green on the piano, while Gwyneth gets on stage to sing the second verse, and then dances on the piano!

Carole King and Sara Bareilles

Veteran singer-songwriter Carole King joined forces with Sara Bareilles to perform at the 2014 Grammy Awards. They headed to the Staples Center in Los Angeles to sing Carole’s ‘Beautiful’ off her sophomore album ‘Tapestry’ and Sara’s popular track ‘Brave.’ Both the artists played the piano which sat across from one another while they sang facing each other.

Apart from performing the ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Brave’ medley, they also presented the song of the year Grammy, which went to Lorde for ‘Royals’ at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. That night, Bareilles was also nominated for Album Of The Year (‘The Blessed Unrest’) and Best Pop Solo Performance (‘Brave’).

Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus 

In 2009, Taylor Swift teamed up with Miley Cyrus to perform the track ‘Fifteen,’ from her 2008 album ‘Fearless,’ at the Grammy Awards. The duo sat next to each other as they sang together, while Taylor played the guitar at her first-ever performance at the Grammys.

Jay-Z, Paul McCartney, and Linkin Park

What started as a collaborative performance of Jay-Z and Linkin Park soon saw a special guest join them – who was none other than Sir Paul McCartney! The performance began with Jay-Z rapping to ‘Numb/Encore,’ a remix of Linkin Park’s hit song ‘Numb.’ This track was also featured on Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s 2004 six-track EP ‘Collision Course.’

Linkin Park’s lead vocalist Chester Bennington, who was on stage with Jay-Z, crooned the hook of The Beatles’ hit ‘Yesterday,’ with Paul McCartney suddenly appeared on the 2006 Grammy awards stage to perform the song alongside them.

Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa, P!nk, Missy Elliot, and Patti LaBelle

Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa and P!nk performed the remake of Patti LaBelle’s 1974 track ‘Lady Marmalade.’ The quintet teamed up with Missy Elliot, the co-producer of the song that was recorded for the ‘Moulin Rouge!’ soundtrack. Aguilera, Pink, Mýa, and Lil’ Kim donned colorful robes, which they later took off to reveal new outfits towards the end of the performance before Patti herself joined them on stage at the 2002 Grammy Awards. Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa and Pink’s ‘Lady Marmalade’ also won the ‘Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals’ that night.

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