Chris Stapleton delivered a chilling performance of “Cold” at the 2022 Grammy Awards Sunday evening (April 3) at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Introduced by his assistant tour manager and with billowing smoke around the piano, Stapleton rode out the blue-hued, slow-burning performance with his warm, gritty growl, as he belted, “Oh, why you got to be so cold?” His bluesy guitar playing induced goosebumps, and it was palpable through the TV screen.
Stapleton took home three awards this year — best country song for “Cold,” best country album for Starting Over and best country solo performance for “You Should Probably Leave” — which brings his total to seven. During his televised win for best country album, Stapleton shouted out his twins, who turned four years old the day of the ceremony.
“I’m a dad of five — today is my twins’ birthday, so I’m thinking a lot about sacrifice. I missed out on some of their birthdays. Everybody in this room has made some kind of sacrifice,” he said during his acceptance speech earlier in the evening. “I know that it hurts sometimes, but hopefully we’re all doing it so that we make the world a better place and the people live in it love each other and have a good time together and come together.”
Not only has “Cold” now won a Grammy, the song peaked at No. 2 on Billboard‘s Country Digital Song Sales chart, and No. 7 on the Adult Alternative Airplay tally. The song is off Starting Over, which topped Top Country Albums.