Steve Lacy took home one of the four Grammys for which he was nominated tonight (Feb. 5), but he was given the penultimate performance slot during the telecast for a rendition of his smash hit “Bad Habit.” Lacy was initially shrouded in dry ice before the lights came up, revealing special guest Thundercat on bass. The performance even had Beyoncé on her feet, with Lacy offering a sincere “thank you, guys” as the song wrapped.
Lacy was nominated for record and song of the year and best pop solo performance for “Bad Habit,” but wound up winning solely for best progressive R&B album for his sophomore solo set, Gemini Rights.
Regardless, Gemini Rights has been a breakout album for the genre-bending artist, affording him the opportunity to make his Saturday Night Live debut (only after rearranging his tour dates for the performance). Lacy also wound up on Barack Obama’s end-of-year playlist, while Amazon Music and Prime Video live-streamed his show at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre in November.
Lacy was previously nominated in 2020 for his solo debut Apollo XXI and in 2016 for Ego Death when he was still a member of alternative hip-hop ensemble the Internet.
As previously reported, Lacy will co-headline the inaugural Re:SET concert series this summer, alongside LCD Soundsystem and boygenius. He will be joined at his dates by James Blake, Toro y Moi, and Fousheé.
