Luke Combs Posts Touching Message to Tracy Chapman Following Grammys: ‘A Defining Moment of My Career’

Luke Combs paid tribute to Tracy Chapman after they shared the stage at the 66th Grammy Awards.

On Friday, the country star reflected on Sunday’s tumultuous awards ceremony and his touching duet of “Fast Car” with the singer-songwriter, 59, on Instagram.

The carousel featured two photos of the 33-year-old Grammy nominee next to Chapman. The first included a photo of the two of them beaming on the night of the performance. In the second photo, the musicians are hugging on stage after finishing their duet.

Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs perform onstage during the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

John Shearer/Getty

Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ takes No. 1 on iTunes after duet with Luke Combs at 2024 Grammys.

“What an unreal Grammy week to say the least. There were so many laughs, tears, hugs and cheers that it almost doesn’t feel real,” Combs wrote.

“When it comes to performing, it’s still hard to get over how amazing it really was to be up there on that stage. There is no doubt that it was the defining moment of my career,” he added.

“Tracy, I want to thank you most sincerely for letting me be a part of your moment. Thank you for the impact you have had on my musical journey, as well as the musical journeys of countless other singers, songwriters, musicians and fans,” the post continued. “I hope you felt how much you meant to the world that evening. We were all in awe of you up there, and I was just lucky enough to have the best seat in the house.”

Along with thanking Chapman, Combs also thanked his team “for working tirelessly to make this happen” and thanked his wife, Nicole, “for always being there for him [his] page.”

After Combs’ Instagram post, Chapman reshared it on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing: “Kindest words.”

At the 2024 Grammy Awards, the pair serenaded the crowd with a duet of Chapman’s 1989 hit.

Previously, Combs recalled listening to Chapman’s original version of “Fast Car.” He explained that the hit was his “favorite song before I even knew what a favorite song was.”

Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs perform onstage during the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

How Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs’ ‘Fast Car’ performance came together

But securing a performance at Sunday’s Grammys was a “long process,” Grammys executive producer Raj Kapoor said Rolling stone.

He detailed how the pair’s full-circle “Fast Car” team came to be. Kapoor and Grammy executive producer Patrick Menton first came up with the idea for the “Fast Car” duet in May 2023 — and the producers tapped the songwriter last year with the help of Nonesuch Records SVP (and Chapman friend) Matthew Rankin.

Kapor added Rolling stone that getting Chapman’s eventual approval in January “seemed like a long yes.”

Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, February 4, 2024.

Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty

Luke Combs, Justin Bieber and other musicians who covered Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’

Combs’ longtime manager, Chris Kappy, told the outlet that the country star insisted that Chapman have full creative control over the performance and wanted her to have “every opportunity to shine.”

The two musicians finally met in person for the first time at SIR Studios in Los Angeles on January 31, three months after they first discussed the base over the phone.

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Their duet follows Combs’ cover of the chart-topping hit, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 more than three decades after its initial release. His cover was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at this year’s ceremony.

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Source: HIS Education