Luke Combs Says He and Tracy Chapman “Just Connected” On Phone Call Ahead of Grammys Performance

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Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman performed “Fast Car” in what was one of the most iconic Grammy moments of all time

At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in early February, country music sensation Luke Combs was joined by legendary artist Tracy Chapman for a performance of her hit song “Fast Car.” Luke’s rendition of the song, which was released in 2023, was in the running for the Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance that night.

Of course, it was not the first time that “Fast Car” had been honored on the Grammy stage. Upon its initial release in 1988, the single earned Tracy Chapman a total of three Grammy nominations, and she took home the award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance that year.

When Luke and Tracy took the stage during the televised award ceremony, the audience was entranced by the performance, with many on their feet singing along. The stellar collaboration earned the pair a well-deserved standing ovation.

 

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“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman makes a comeback

Following the momentous Grammy performance, “Fast Car” had a resurgence in popularity, gaining a new, expanded fan base. Just a few days after the awards show, Tracy Chapman’s original track saw an increase of 241% in on-demand streams and a 38,000% increase in US download sales, according to Billboard data.

Are you one of those who streamed ‘Fast Car’?

After Tracy Chapman’s duet with Luke Combs at the Grammys, the original track has seen a 241% rise in on-demand streams in the U.S., while Combs’ rendition of the song experienced a significant boost, with a 37% increase in streams. pic.twitter.com/a7N7kC3zL8

— Tracy Chapman (@tchapmanonline) February 8, 2024

Additionally, “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman returned to the Billboard Hot 100 nearly 35 years after its release. The song made its first appearance on the chart in June 1988, and spent an impressive total of 22 weeks on the chart, peaking in the No. 6 spot.

Luke Combs recalls his conversation with Tracy Chapman prior to the Grammy Awards

In a recent episode of the God’s Country podcast, Luke Combs tells hosts Dan and Reid Isbell about the phone call between him and Tracy Chapman ahead of the iconic Grammy performance. He remebers sitting in his kitchen when Tracy called:

“We talked for 40 minutes probably, and I think that was the — for her, it was the ‘am I gonna do this with this guy at all? Who’s this guy? What’s he really about?’ You know what I mean? At least, I think that’s maybe what it was. It was just really easy, man. We just talked. Just talked about music, talked about that song, I fangirled for sure. …You hardly ever get to have those conversations with people that you admire.”

Luke adds that he felt like he and Tracy “just connected” during that conversation. Listen to him talk about the experience in the video below! 

 

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