Since their inception in 1958, the Grammy Awards have made plenty of history — from first-ever wins for new artists to record-breaking nomination numbers, the annual event has earned its title as Music’s Biggest Night.
In the modern era for the annual ceremony, the Grammys have finally started to make history for queer acts as well as representation for LGBTQ artists and performers at the show has steadily risen. From Culture Club winning best new artist in 1984 (making Boy George the first openly gay man to win the award) to Sir Elton John becoming the first LGBTQ person to win the prestigious Grammy Legend Award, to the Grammys becoming the first of the major award shows to remove gendered categories, the annual affair has proven to be a huge night for queer artists around the globe.
This Sunday (Feb. 5), that representation for queer folks will stay on full display — out folk star Brandi Carlile is nominated for seven awards at the ceremony (including album and record of the year), while other stars like Steve Lacy, Omar Apollo and Anitta round out noms in the remainder of the Big Four categories.
But along with awarding LGBTQ artists with statues, the Grammys have also historically provided a stage for queer performers to give that love right back to their community. Sunday will feature at least four queer performers (Carlile, Lacy, Sam Smith and Kim Petras), further adding to a grand tradition of stars standing up for LGBTQ people through their performances.
Below, Billboard takes a look back at some of our favorite queer performances in Grammys history that helped to uplift the LGBTQ community, from Elton John to Lil Nas X.
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Lady Gaga, "Born This Way" (2011)
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/GI While Lady Gaga grabbed headlines at the 2011 Grammys for appearing on the red carpet and emerging onstage from a large egg (that she was allegedly in for three days), her performance of her smash hit single “Born This Way” deserves to be remembered for its brilliance. Between the alien, flesh-latex looks served on the stage and the star’s incredible vocal performance, “Born This Way” was already a historic Grammy highlight. But when Gaga slowed things down, ascended a set of steps and emphasized the song’s central lyrics “No matter gay, straight or bi/ Lesbian, transgender life/ I’m on the right track/ I was born to survive,” this performance cemented its place as one of the most important presentations in the history of the telecast.
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Elton John & The Backstreet Boys, "Philadelphia Freedom" (2000)
There is no question that in the history of pop music, Sir Elton John is one of our greatest living legends. So when the Rocket Man showed up at the 2000 Grammy Awards to perform alongside one of the evening’s biggest nominees in the Backstreet Boys, he made sure to leave it all on the stage. Giving stunning new life to his 1975 hit single “Philadelphia Freedom” — a song written for fellow LGBTQ pioneer Billie Jean King — John made sure the roof was properly blown off the joint with this thrilling performance.
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Brandi Carlile, "The Joke" (2019)
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/GI for The Recording Academy While some Grammy performances are elevated by extravagance and excess, others are defined by their simple power. Brandi Carlile’s now-iconic performance of “The Joke” in 2019 is a masterclass in the latter, as the folk hero wielded the raw power of her unmatched voice to speak directly to the disenfranchised — especially in the queer community. Written as a love letter to those stuck in hard circumstances thanks to who they are, “The Joke” soared off of the stage at the Grammys, establishing Carlile for an audience of millions as a singular talent of the modern era.
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Melissa Etheridge & Joss Stone, "Piece Of My Heart" (2005)
Not many performers can say they’ve had half of an R&B song dedicated to what they’ve done on the Grammys stage — but Melissa Etheridge sure can. Recovering from intense chemotherapy to combat breast cancer, the LGBTQ pioneer joined Joss Stone on stage at the 2005 Grammys with a bald head and a bright smile to pay tribute to rock icon Janis Joplin. Etheridge’s performance of “Piece of My Heart” in it’s full-throated, rocked-out glory, stands as a firm example of the “Come to My Window” singer’s resilience in the face of pain — a feeling many in the queer community are all too familiar with.
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Janelle Monáe, "Make Me Feel" (2019)
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/GI for The Recording Academy After publicly coming out as queer with the release of her seminal album Dirty Computer, Janelle Monáe had already captured the attention of the world — her performance at the 2019 Grammys was just the cherry on top. With a futurist, slinky performance of her sexual liberation anthem “Make Me Feel,” Monáe owned every second of her set, working flawlessly with a group of perfectly in-sync dancers to give the number even more juice. Never one to squander an opportunity, Monáe went out of her way to fit in references to Dirty Computer‘s other queer odes, like “Django Jane” and “Pynk,” proudly declaring that it was time to “let the vagina have a monologue.”
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Frank Ocean, "Forrest Gump" (2013)
Frank Ocean could have performed any number of the singles off his beloved (and Grammy-nominated) album Channel Orange at the 2013 awards — “Thinkin Bout You” or “Super Rich Kids” would have certainly made for crowd-pleasing entertainment. Instead, the enigmatic R&B star went with “Forrest Gump,” the late-album queer love song sung from the perspective of Jenny, from the titular film. Ocean kept it simple, simply performing at a keyboard behind an LED showing a running pair of legs under him, so he could put the focus where it belonged: on Frank’s inimitable voice and refreshingly honest songwriting.
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Lil Nas X, "Dead Right Now / Montero (Call Me By Your Name) / Industry Baby" (2022)
Image Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/GI In almost four years since he officially came out, Lil Nas X redefined what it means to be “unapologetically queer.” So it’s no shock that his performance at the 2022 Grammys did not serve as an exception to the rule — sauntering through three of the tracks off of his debut album Montero, Lil Nas X weaved a whole tale together in about five minutes. Starting from the struggle of growing up queer on “Dead Right Now,” to his sensual (and controversial) sex ode “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” to finally finding success with “Industry Baby,” Lil Nas X gave us costumes, production and live wire energy to make his Grammys return that much more special.
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Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert, Madonna & Queen Latifah, "Same Love/Open Your Heart" (2014)
When you think of “queer moments from the Grammys,” this 2014 performance is probably the first that comes up. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis may been mocked over the years for the mawkishness of their track “Same Love,” but when they took the stage at the 2014 Grammys alongside Mary Lambert to perform their marriage equality anthem, it already felt like a vital message to be sharing with the audience at home. That message became a historic moment, though, when Queen Latifah emerged to marry 33 couples of varied sexual orientations simultaneously, while the Queen of Pop Madonna emerged to celebrate their pronouncement with the chorus of “Open Your Heart.” Occuring at a time where same-sex marriage had still yet to receive federal legalization, this “Same Love” performance stands as one of the best — and most important — in recent Grammy history.