Luke Combs pays tribute to Tracy Chapman after 'Fast Car' duet at the 2024 Grammy Awards
Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman dazzled Grammy viewers with their duet of "Fast Car" and now the country singer is paying tribute to the music legend.
"Tracy, I want to send my sincerest thanks to you for allowing me to be a part of your moment," Combs captioned an Instagram post Friday. "Thank you for the impact you have had on my musical journey, and the musical journeys of countless other singers, songwriters, musicians, and fans alike."
"I hope you felt how much you mean to the world that night. We were all in awe of you up there and I was just the guy lucky enough to have the best seat in the house," Combs ended the post, which recapped his Grammys night.
Tracy Chapman, Luke Combs performmoving duet of 'Fast Car' at the 2024 Grammy Awards
The duet was a moment of deeper significance for Combs, who first heard Chapman's "Fast Car" in his father's truck on a cassette tape when he was growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina. The performance was also notable considering the intensely private Chapman has tapered off public appearances since her most recent tour in 2009.
The five-minute Grammys performance began with a person, later revealed to be Chapman grinning, playing the guitar as the crowd cheered when she began to sing the iconic track. Both Chapman and Combs took to the stage donning black, standing in place in front of a backlit wall of spotlights that looked like car headlights.
The whole crowd sang along as Chapman and Combs crooned, "You got a fast car / Is it fast enough so you can fly away? / You gotta make a decision / Leave tonight or live and die this way." As the performance ended, Combs bowed towards Chapman who bowed back, and the star-studded audience gave the duo a standing ovation.
An exclusive Rolling Stone article detailed the lead-up to Chapman and Combs' viral performance. The duo met at an L.A. recording studio to rehearse "Fast Car" just five days before the Grammys ceremony last Saturday, according to the outlet. The story said that after the two music superstars hugged on stage after their performance, Chapman went back to her dressing room and then, her private life in San Francisco the next day.
Grammys performance with Tracy Chapman follows year in the fast lane for Luke Combs
Combs' rendition of the original 1988 radio hit garnered widespread critical and commercial acclaim after its release last year.
Combs' version soared to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy nomination for best country solo performance for his rendition of “Fast Car.” It was also No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart for four weeks. 35 years after the song's debut, Combs was awarded single of the year and Chapman became the first Black woman to ever win a trophy at the 2023 CMA Awards in November.
“I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there. I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car,'" Chapman told Billboard in July.
Contributing: Marcus Dowling, The Tennessean; Audrey Gibbs
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