Joni Mitchell will make her Grammy performance debut at the 2024 Grammy Awards, set for Sunday (Feb. 4) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. It’s surprising that Mitchell has never performed on Music’s Biggest Night because she has been a Grammy fixture for decades. She won her first of nine competitive Grammys in 1970. In addition, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2002.
The legendary singer-songwriter is nominated for best folk album for Joni Mitchell at Newport [Live]. She won her first Grammy 54 years ago in a folk category (best folk performance) for Clouds.
Mitchell is the ninth performer to be announced for this year’s telecast. These performers range in age from three in their 20s (Olivia Rodrigo, 20; Billie Eilish, 22; and Dua Lipa, 28) to three who are 60+ – the four members of U2, who are in their early 60s; Billy Joel, 74; and Mitchell, 80). Also booked for the show are Burna Boy and Travis Scott, both 32, and Luke Combs, 33.
Mitchell is the fourth of these performers who is a past album of the year winner, following Joel, U2 and Eilish. But you may be surprised to learn what album Mitchell won for. It wasn’t her 1971 classic Blue (which, surprisingly, wasn’t nominated in any categories), or her 1974 creative and commercial hit Court and Spark (which was nominated for album of the year). It was Herbie Hancock’s jazz tribute to her, River: The Joni Letters. She won as a featured artist on that album.
U2 will perform from Sphere in Las Vegas, home of the band’s acclaimed U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. The segment will also feature a special awards presentation.
Additional performers for the Grammy telecast will be announced in coming days.
Trevor Noah will host the Grammys for the fourth consecutive year. He too is a Grammy nominee. Noah is up for best comedy album for I Wish You Would. He’s the first Grammy host to be nominated for a Grammy that same year since Queen Latifah in 2005. He won a Primetime Emmy on Jan. 15 for outstanding talk series for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
The 66th annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday (Feb. 4) from 8:00-11:30 p.m. live ET/5:00-8:30 p.m. live PT on CBS and will stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).
The telecast will be produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy for the fourth consecutive year. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins are executive producers.