A few days ago, I looked on Threads and saw that “us.” by Gracie Abrams (feat Taylor Swift) was nominated for best pop duo/group performance – I almost choked on my cereal because it’s a song that should earn any Grammy.
“us. (feat. Taylor Swift),” was performed in London on June 23 on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour as one of the surprise songs. It’s the fifth track on Abrams’ latest album “The Secret of Us.” Before seeing the performance, I listened to the song to learn more about Abrams and I found her voice breathtaking.
Since I’m a broke college student, I can only afford to watch the Eras Tour through live streams on YouTube. While watching, I was crying because it’s a beautiful song about reminiscing on good memories of a broken relationship. Nothing can top that, especially if you just broke up with someone you loved for a long time.
The full album came out two days prior to the Eras Tour performance and Swift wanted to promote it because Abrams is one of her best friends, according to her introduction. At the start, Swift sang it solo and the cover was pretty for the first surprise song.
Additionally, my favorite part of the Eras Tour is the acoustic section because it proves she can sing without backtracks or a band to accompany her.
After singing the first verse, pre-chorus and the chorus, she stopped because she felt like it could be better if Abrams was on the stage, according to Swift.
“It’s just missing the magic, you know what I mean?” Swift said. “I just wish the artist was here to sing it with me.”
As Abrams walked to the stage to sing along, the audience screamed. Not only did Abrams and Swift write the song together , they were drunk while writing it, according to Swift’s introduction.
As you listen and watch the two sing live it hits different from the recording. Performing live gives artists the opportunity to change octaves and harmonize and you hear the two voices blend into one voice.
Even if you aren’t a Swiftie or don’t know Gracie Abrams, it’s a performance worth watching especially if you are a music major or minor, or a budding artist. It’s a learning experience and makes you say “I want to do that.”
While I haven’t watched the other nominee performances, I’m sure they were great for other fans of Beyonce’s “LEVII’S JEANS,” which features Post Malone, and Charli XCX’s “Guess,” which features Billie Eillish.
The two others are Ariana Grande’s “the boy is mine” with Brandy and Monica, and Lady Gaga’s “Die With a Smile,” featuring Bruno Mars. However, if I’m getting teary-eyed while driving from Toronto to Lewiston, New York, “us.,” the performance has to be the winner.
What I am disappointed about is that the song and album weren’t nominated for other categories. I could see “us.” as a nominee for Record of the Year because of the rawness in Swift and Abrams voices.
If you don’t believe me, watch the video of them writing it, as well as a video of their performance.
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