Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey, Diplo, BTS Perform ‘Old Town Road’ at the Grammys
Lil Nas X led the most epic live "Old Town Road" collaboration to date during the 2020 Grammy Awards on Sunday (Jan. 26).
Nas X was joined by his collaborators from remixed versions of the song, including Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey, electronic DJ-turned-country producer Diplo and K-Pop sensation BTS. This marked Nas, Ramsey and BTS' first time performing on the Grammys stage, and definitely their first perfomance of the song as a big group.
Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres introduced the performance, giving a lot of props to Lil Nas X.
"[He's] Unwavering in the face of prejeduce he told the world that he was gay," DeGeneres said of Nas.
The stage was set to look like his childhood bedroom, where he created the song. Notably, there was a Kobe Bryant jersey draped over a chair to honor the fallen NBA legend, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
The well-staged performance included a rotating stage, so that when Nas X exited his room, he was greeted in a second scene by BTS, who helped him sing "Seoul Town Road" — their version.
Soon Lil Nas X found young "Lil Hank," Mason Ramsey, and Diplo on the banjo. Ramsey belted his iconic verse from his remix, singing: "If you ain't got no giddy up, then giddy out my way."
Finally, Cyrus came to the stage to sing his part before all of the artists came together to sing the final chorus together. The camera then flashed to dancers, while Lil Nas changed into an all-black latex suit and played the trumpet. Suddenly, the original Nas came out to give a surprise performance of a verse.
Lil Nas X and Cyrus were Grammy-nominated for Record of the Year, Best Pop/Duo Group Performance and Best Music Video Film for "Old Town Road." The duo won the Grammy for Best Music Video Film and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the song earlier in the day — both artists' first Grammy wins.
Nas X is also up for the prestigious Album of the Year for 7, Best New Artist and Best Rap/Sung Performance for "Panini."
Watch: Top 5 Moments From the 2020 Grammy Awards:
See Country Stars on the 2020 Grammy Awards Red Carpet: