Grammys 2021: Dua Lipa Stuns Viewers With ‘Levitating’ and ‘Don’t Stop Now’ Performance

Dua Lipa shocked viewers with her performance alongside rapper DaBaby during the 2021 Grammy Awards Sunday night. Lipa, 25, was one of the most-nominated stars of the night, thanks to the success of her 2020 album Future Nostalgia and the single “Don’t Start Now.” She chose to perform “Levitating,” one of the standout Future Nostalgia, before going to “Don’t Start Now.” When she released the song as a single in October, DaBaby recorded a rap verse and intro for a remix. Their version appears on the Future Nostalgia: Moonlight Edition reissue.

Lipa earned six Grammy nominations, tying her with Taylor Swift and Roddy Ricch for second place, behind Beyonce, who had nine nominations. Lipa was nominated in all three of the major categories. “Don’t Stop Now” was up for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year, while Future Nostalgia was nominated for Album of the Year. “Don’t Start Now” was also nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance and Future Nostalgia was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. “Un Dia (One Day),” Lipa’s collaboration with Bad Bunny, Tainy, and J Balvin, was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Heading into Sunday’s show, Lipa was already a two-time Grammy winner. In 2019, she won Best New Artist and Best Dance Recording for “Electricity.” When Lipa accepted her Best New Artist award in 2019, she famously called out then-Recording Academy Neil Portnow, who said female artists needed to “step up” after Alessia Cara was the only female winner during the 2018 Grammys broadcast. “I guess this year, we’ve really stepped up,” Lipa said before her speech was cut off early.

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“It’s a change that we hope to see for many years to come,” Lipa told reporters backstage in 2019 when asked about the increase of female New Artist nominees, reports Time. “It only felt right to be able to do that because they’re artists that I love and admire, and I was so honored to be able to share that moment with them.” This year’s Best New Artist field is made up mostly of women, with D Smoke and Kaytranda as the only male nominees. Megan Thee Stallion, Ingrid Andress, Phoebe Bridgers, Noah Cyrus, Chika, and Doja Cat were also nominated.

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Lipa performed “Levitating” in a purple dress, with purple lights behind her as the only set dressing. DaBaby, who had just performed “Rockstar,” came on to perform his verse after Lipa’s introduction. Later, Lipa was joined by backup dancers as she danced in front of a moon that evoked the cover of Future Nostalgia.

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Lipa later joined the backup dancers as “Levitating” gave way to “Don’t Stop Now.” The performance earned a round of applause from the other performers on the night, who were the only people in the room during the socially-distant Grammys.

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“Dua Lipa didn’t come to play, did she?” one viewer wrote. “DUA LIPA IS STUNNINGGGGG Star-struckSmiling face with heart-shaped eyes. All the yassss — she stays unproblematic and giving us bop after bop. The disco queen we didn’t know we needed,” another fan wrote.

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“Yeah – [Lipa] is one of the few artists that can stop me in my tracks every time she’s on TV. She crushes every time! And [HAIM] never fails to impress either. Thoroughly enjoying this #Grammys so far,” one fan wrote.

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“THIS IS LITERALLY ILLEGAL I just love you,” one excited fan wrote.