The 66th Annual Grammy Awards was certainly full of incredible moments, but a performance by Joni Mitchell made it a night no one will soon forget.
The iconic singer took the Grammys stage for the first time ever on Sunday night just after winning her 10th Grammy for the 2023 album Joni Mitchell At Newport, which contains her complete set from the 2022 Newport Folk Festival.
Brandi Carlile, who produced the album with Mitchell, introduced the 80-year-old singer-songwriter, describing her as “one of the most influential and emotionally generous creators in human history.”
“The exhilarating risk that we all now take by turning ourselves inside out for all the world to see started as far as I can tell with Joni Mitchell doing it first."
“She’s like the first person to strip down at a skinny dipping party, to take that awkward terrifying leap before everyone else joyfully follows.”
After describing Mitchell's many feats, including overcoming poverty, polio and a near-fatal brain aneurysm, Carlile welcomed her hero, “the matriarch of imagination, a true renaissance woman," Joni Mitchell.
Joining the "Big Yellow Taxi" singer was Carlile, Jacob Collier, Allison Russell, SistaStrings, Lucius and Blake Mills, who accompanied her as she serenaded the audience with her unforgettable “Both Sides Now."
You can watch below.
Immediately following the performance, amidst a standing ovation, Trevor Noah presented Mitchell with her Grammy for this year's Best Folk Album.
Needless to say, Mitchell's performance moved viewers, both in attendance and watching from home, and there didn't seem to be a dry eye in the house.
@MrsNickyClark Tears\u2026 pure unadulterated genius. I mean she sings like an angel, writes the most powerful touching songs ever, plays guitar in a way that dropped even Clapton\u2019s jaw and is a maestro on the piano. Oh and did I mention her incredible artwork yet? My all time musical hero!— (@)
This set me off into floods of tears. It made me think of my mother, who is a few years younger than Joni. I was sobbing at my desk. The beauty and the dignity. Thank you.— (@)
There\u2019s something in my eye. \u2764\ufe0f Joni x— (@)
Congratulations to Mitchell on her 10th Grammy.
We'll be playing this on repeat all day.
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