Last night’s Grammy awards saw historic wins for emerging artists as well as plenty of familiar faces. Beyoncé made history by winning her 28th Grammy, the most for any artist ever, and bluegrass picker Billy Strings took home his first award for 2019’s Home.

The broadcast, which saw nominees watch the ceremonies digitally from home while only host Trevor Noah and award presenters and performers were allowed on site, also featured a plethora of memorable performances. The Grammys hosted performances from Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars‘ new project Silk Sonic, touching tributes from Silk Sonic, Brittany HowardBrandi Carlile, Lionel Richie and more during the “In Memoriam” section, a collaboration from Maren Morris and John Mayer, and much more.

Related: Women Dominate Across Genres At 2021 Grammy Awards [Recap]

The 63rd annual Grammy Awards opened with a tribute to Marvin Gaye‘s What’s Going On? as the groundbreaking album celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Led by lauded jazz musician Kamasi Washington, the tribute featured contributions from PJ Morton, Alexandre Desplat, Ledisi, Sarah Jarosz, Anoushka Shankar, Grace Potter, John Beasley, Camilo Regina Carter, Bebel Gilberto, the Afro-Peruvian Jazz Orchestra, and many more as they performed the single, “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”. All of the artists featured in the performance were nominated for Grammys this year.

Kamasi Washington, Afro Peruvian Jazz Orchestra, PJ Morton, & More – “Mercy Mercy Me” (Marvin Gaye)

[Video: Recording Academy / GRAMMYs]

As the COVID-19 pandemic restricted many artists from celebrating one of the biggest nights in popular music, it forced others to get creative. This included Korean Pop powerhouse BTS who delivered a stunning performance of their “Best Pop Duo/Group”-nominated single, “Dynamite”, which ultimately lost out to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande‘s “Rain On Me”.

While the band was forced to remain in Seoul, South Korea, that didn’t stop them from bringing the Grammys to them as BTS performed from a scale model replica of the Grammys stage. The spectacle didn’t stop there, however, as while flawlessly executing complicated choreography, the septet traveled upstairs to a helipad to close out the dazzling performance.

BTS – “Dynamite”

Last night’s Grammys also saw the debut live performance by Silk Sonic, the new collaborative project between Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic. The 70s-inspired soul outfit delivered a performance of their debut single, “Leave The Door Open”, complete with vintage aesthetics. The brand-new pairing wasn’t done there, as Silk Sonic returned later in the broadcast to pay tribute to late rock and roll pioneer Little Richard during the “In Memoriam” segment. Though the 1960s rock and roll stylings of “Long Tall Sally” and “Good Golly Miss Molly” don’t exactly fit with the group’s soul-inspired aura, Mars’ evocative vocal performance proved just how many roads lead back to Little Richard. Oh, and if you haven’t heard the story of #LetSilkSonicThrive and Bruno and Andy’s massive campaign to get on the Grammys bill, the amusing saga is worth revisiting.

Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave the Door Open” – Grammys Performance [Live Debut]

[Video: Bruno Mars]

Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Long Tall Sally” / “Good Golly Miss Molly” (Little Richard)

The 2021 “In Memoriam” segment had plenty more memorable performances paying tribute to the artists we lost in 2020. Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, who would take home a Grammy with her female country supergroup The Highwomen for “Best Country Song” with “Crowded Table”, paid tribute to an idol for her and many alike with Jonh Prine‘s “I Remember Everything”. The single was released shortly after Prine’s death due to COVID-19 on April 7th, 2020, and serves as an emotional coda to a life of music and poignant lyricism that inspired generations of songwriters.

Brandi Carlile – “I Remember Everything” (John Prine)

On Monday, John Prine’s Oh Boy Records shared a studio recording of Carlile’s take on “I Remember Everything”. The single’s album art shows that it’s from Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol.2, a follow up to the first volume of the Prine tribute album released in 2010. However, the second volume has not yet been officially announced by Oh Boy.

[Video: Oh Boy Records]

Immediately following Carlile’s tribute, as slides of those we lost still flashed onscreen, Brittany Howard and Chris Martin (Coldplay) teamed up for a somber “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. With Martin providing piano accompaniment, Howard delivered the Rodgers & Hammerstein-penned Carousel track as her band slowly joined in and built from a tearful cry into a powerful crescendo.

Brittany Howard, Chris Martin – “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (Rodgers & Hammerstein)

[Video: Brittany Howard]

There were more all-star collaborations to be found at last night’s Grammys, as singer-songwriter Maren Morris recruited guitarist John Mayer for a run through her “Best Country Song” nominee “The Bones”. Though Morris did not take home the “Best Country Song Grammy” that night, it was a win-win for her as she is also a member of The Highwomen who won that award for “Crowded Table”.

Maren Morris, John Mayer – “The Bones”

In one of the most powerful performances of the night, rapper Lil Baby recruited activist Tamika Mallory and fellow MC Killer Mike for a performance of “The Bigger Picture” that evoked jarring images of police brutality and last summer’s widespread Black Lives Matter protests. Watch the brilliantly staged performance below.

Lil Baby ft. Killer Mike, Tamika Mallory – “The Bigger Picture”