Tracy Chapman has left viewers in tears with her rousing rendition of her hit 'Fast Car' at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
The legendary singer-songwriter, 59, brought the house down on Sunday (February 4) after making a rare appearance on stage with Luke Combs, whose cover of her 1988 song was a crossover hit in 2023.
This was Chapman's return to the big stage, which came several years after she released her last album, Our Bright Future, in 2008 and officially retired from touring the following year.
The 'Give Me One Reason' artist kicked off her performance by strumming the first few bars on her guitar, sparking enthusiastic cheers from the star-studded audience which included Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, and Kacey Musgraves.
The two talented artists, hailing from different generations and musical genres, sang back and forth before joining together for the iconic chorus. After they finished, the crowd jumped to their feet in roaring applause.
Oprah Winfrey was seen raising her hands cheering, and host Trevor Noah went onstage to pay tribute to Chapman, stating: "The legendary Tracy Chapman, everybody. Thank you so much for that! Thank you so much for that," per Variety.
Watch Chapman and Combs' performance below:Fans were stunned by the surprising performance, as one emotional supporter wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "Not sure when I'll stop crying over Tracy Chapman singing Fast Car again, but won't [be] anytime soon."
Another awe-struck viewer shared: "As a young queer woman I will never forget hearing Tracy Chapman singing Fast Car the first time. It imprinted me forever. Cried real tears watching her perform at the #GRAMMYs."
"How beautiful was that? For millions of people, I bet watching Tracy Chapman perform once again was to unlock profoundly powerful memories and be transported to some very raw places. Savor every second. Tracy is Eternal," a third user reacted.
A fourth added: "Award shows are tedious and crass, but the smile on Tracy Chapman’s face when the auditorium goes nuts for her before she takes everyone to school with no lip sync, no auto-tune, and no in-ear monitors is a pretty sweet moment to capture live."
'Fast Car' was the artist's lead single off her debut self-titled album, which she released in 1988. The following year, she received six Grammy Award nominations, including one for Album of the Year, three of which she won: Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her lead single, and Best Contemporary Folk Album.
The 33-year-old country singer's version of her song was released in April 2023 and peaked at Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. In November 2023, Combs won two Country Music Awards, for single and song of the year - making Chapman the first Black woman to succeed in the Song of the Year category.
The iconic singer opened up about her thoughts on Combs' cover in a statement to Billboard after the song reached Number 1 on Billboard’s Country Songwriters chart.
"I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there," Chapman expressed. "I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced 'Fast Car.'"
According to Variety, Combs also spoke about Chapman's legacy before their beautiful performance, sharing: "Tracy Chapman is such an icon and one of the greatest artists that I think any of us will be along to see. It’s a full-circle moment for me. Just to be associated with her in any way is super humbling for me."
We hope to see Chapman on stage again soon!
