Entertainment

BTS make history while joining Lil Nas X on stage at the Grammys

The artists were joined by other special guests.
The artists were joined by other special guests. The artists were joined by other special guests.

BTS made Grammy Award history as they joined Lil Nas X on stage for a performance of his monster hit Old Town Road.

Lil Nas X, a winner on the night, began the segment by strumming a guitar while lying back on a sofa in a set made to look like a living room.

Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers jersey was laid out on a chair in the background following his death in a helicopter crash hours before Sunday’s ceremony.

Lil Nas X was soon joined by country music star Billy Ray Cyrus and a string of other artists who have appeared on various remixes of Old Town Road.

Korean superstars BTS became the first K-pop group to play at the Grammys when they took to the stage, with member RM lending his vocals to a remix titled Seoul Town Road.

DJ Diplo and teenage yodeler Mason Ramsey also got involved before a surprise guest appeared.

Revered rapper Nas walked out to huge cheers inside the Staples Centre and delivered several verses while Lil Nas X sang beside him.

As the performance came to an end, Diplo shouted: “Kobe, we love you!”

Lil Nas X enjoyed a year of tremendous success in 2019, powered by the record-breaking popularity of Old Town Road.

During Sunday’s ceremony he and Cyrus won awards for best music video and best pop duo/group performance for the song, which spent an unrivalled 19 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Lil Nas X, 20, has been heralded as a new breed of hip-hop star. He came out as gay in June last year, becoming the only artist ever to have done so while having a number one record.