For the first time in five years, Taylor Swift returned to the stage for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards on March 14. Her performance was highly anticipated as she was nominated for six awards. Swift was nominated for Song of the Year for “cardigan,” Pop Vocal Album for “folklore,” Pop Duo/Group for “exile ft. bon iver,” Pop Solo Performance for “cardigan,” Song Written for Visual Media for “Beautiful Ghosts,” and Album of the Year for “folklore.” 

Since the surprise release of “folklore,” Swift also announced and released another surprise album, “evermore,” back in December. She has also shared that her first rerecorded masters album, “fearless,” will be released on April 9. This left fans wondering what the songstress would choose to perform at the award show.

Swift chose a three song melody, consisting of “cardigan” and “august” both featured on “folklore,” and “willow” from “evermore.” “Cardigan” was the leading single off of “folklore,” and “willow” the leading single of “evermore.” Both songs debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, scoring Swift her sixth and seventh #1 hits. “August” is a fan favorite, completing the love triangle storyline of “cardigan” and “betty” that Swift wrote into “folklore.” 

The set of the performance was an iridescent magical forest, with Swift wearing a boho-inspired look, complete with a fairy-esque purple and gold gown. Barefoot in the forest, Swift began the performance on top of an ivy covered house, with her “folklore” collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner playing keyboard and guitar in the house. She opened with “cardigan” and transitioned to “august” as she moved inside the house with her guitar. Lastly, the “folklorians,” as Taylor calls them, joined her outside of the cabin for an upbeat rendition of “willow.” 

The performance was enchanting, with Billboard dubbing it the 4th best performance of the night.

Swift’s performance was not her only source of celebration at the Grammy Awards. While she did not win in five categories, she did take home the coveted Album of the Year award. With “folklore” winning this award, Swift became the first woman to win Album of the Year three times. She also won for “Fearless” in 2010 and “1989” in 2015. She joins only Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, and Frank Sinatra in accomplishing this feat. 

Swift, who was visually shocked at the announcement of “folklore’s” win, said: 

“I want to thank all of my collaborators who are on the stage,” referring to Dessner, Antonoff, Laura Sisk, and Johnathan Low. As always, Taylor thanked her loyal fans as well. 

“But mostly, we just want to thank the fans. You guys met us in this imaginary world that we created, and we can’t tell you how honored we are forever by this.”

You can watch Swift’s Grammy performance here. 

Featured Image courtesy of Jorge Gordo via Unsplash