Addison Rae had a standout performance at the 2026 Grammys.
The Addison singer performed “Fame Is a Gun” as part a montage of performances that featured all nominees for Best New Artist: Rae, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, KATSEYE, Sombr, The Marias, Alex Warren and Leon Thomas.
Rae performed from the Crypto.com arena parking lot, hitting complex choreography while wearing a bedazzled purple jacket. The performance showed off Rae’s exceptional Britney-like dance abilities and her impressive falsetto. She notably chose a song that’s difficult to sing, almost all of it taking place in her upper falsetto range — a choice that displayed her growing powers as a pop performer.
The Best New Artist montage in general was a strong showing for the nominees with several standout moments, like KATSEYE performing “Gnarly,” Thomas singing his hit, “Mutt,” Dean performing her ubiquitous single, “Man I Need,” and Young returning to the public eye with a stripped-back, acoustic performance of “Messy.” After the performance, Chappell Roan, last year’s Best New Artist winner, awarded the Grammy to Dean, who gave a tearful acceptance speech where she identified herself as the daughter of immigrants, connecting her story to the national protests happenings against ICE.
Rae was an underdog in the category, with most expecting Dean to nab the award. That being said, her performance was another strong reminder that she is one of pop’s most exciting new voices and truly one of our best new artists, regardless of if she took home the award or not.