Tracy Chapman performs ‘Fast Car’ with Luke Combs in heartfelt Grammys moment

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — Tracy Chapman made a highly anticipated appearance during Sunday’s Grammy Awards to perform her 1988 hit song “Fast Car” with country star Luke Combs.

Chapman played her acoustic guitar as the pair performed a duet of the iconic song that saw a resurgence in popularity since Combs released a cover in July. Many in the audience were seen singing along.

In the intro video that played before the performance on Sunday, Combs spoke about Chapman’s “Fast Car,” saying it was his “favorite song before I knew what a favorite song was.”

Once they finished their performance, the crowd honored them with a standing ovation, with Grammy guests including Oprah Winfrey seen cheering excitedly.

Combs earned a Grammy nod for best country solo performance for his version of “Fast Car.”

Known for being notoriously private, Chapman has stayed largely out of the spotlight even as “Fast Car” rose in popularity throughout last year thanks to Combs’ cover. The last time she toured was in 2009, and one of her more recent rare live performances came in 2020 on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”

The new version of the song went on to reach No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart, which made Chapman, who wrote it, the first Black woman to top the chart since it came into existence in 1990.

Chapman, who is the sole writer of “Fast Car,” also reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Songwriters chart, thanks to the Combs cover.

“Fast Car” was the first single off Chapman’s self-titled debut album, and it earned her a Grammy in 1989 for best female pop vocal performance as well as record and song of the year nominations. She also won for best new artist and best contemporary folk album that year.

Combs and Chapman both won CMA awards in November for the song, with Chapman’s individual win coming 35 years after the song’s debut.

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