Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus + More Rock ‘Old Town Road’ at the 2020 Grammy Awards

This performance was unexpected in the best way possible.

Written by Lauren Laffer
Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus + More Rock ‘Old Town Road’ at the 2020 Grammy Awards
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 26: (L-R) Billy Ray Cyrus, BTS and Lil Nas X perform onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus called on EDM DJ Diplo, Mason Ramsey and K-pop superstars BTS to help deliver a performance of their global hit, “Old Town Road” at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

Following an empowering introduction by Ellen DeGeneres, who recognized the rapper for breaking barriers, Lil Nas X opened the performance in a makeshift bedroom set. Poised on a couch strumming guitar, a Kobe Bryant jersey could be seen draped over an armchair in the background. He then sprung from his seat, rapping the song in a colorful rotating set that revealed a new performer with each changing scene.

Korean supergroup BTS followed, joining the rapper in a set painted to look like downtown Seoul. The hit maker then moved to an all-green set with a giant skull head wearing a cowboy hat, leading into a hot pink barn decked out in hay bales and a metallic motorcycle where he was joined by a banjo-playing Diplo while Ramsey rapped the lyrics. Cyrus then descended on to the stage for his signature verse before all the other performers joined in for an all-star finish.

Lil Nas X was later joined by famed rapper Nas for a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration.

Earlier in the day, “Old Town Road” picked up the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video during the Grammys pre-telecast aired hours before the ceremony. Ramsey and Diplo both appeared on remixes of the song in 2019. The original remix featuring Cyrus sat in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for nineteen weeks straight, making it the longest-running No. 1 in history.