Get ready for some wild Grammy mash-ups: Post Malone and Greta Van Fleet? Jimmy Carter and the Carters? - Los Angeles Times
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Get ready for some wild Grammy mash-ups: Post Malone and Greta Van Fleet? Jimmy Carter and the Carters?

Sting and Shaggy perform in Budapest, Hungary in November.
(Zoltan Balogh/EPA-EFE/REX)
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The televised Grammy Awards ceremony has been known in recent years for its musical mash-ups — onstage performances among unlikely collaborators designed to blur genres and offer evidence of music’s universality.

The results have been surprising, occasionally delightful and just as often baffling.

In January, Kendrick Lamar teamed with U2 and Dave Chapelle for a medley. In 2017, Lady Gaga joined Metallica for a notably explosive car crash.

Another year Beyoncé and Prince opened the show with a once-in-a-lifetime scene. Foo Fighters have shared the stage with jazz pianist Chick Corea. Elton John and Eminem. Usher and James Brown. Once every few years, Sting jumps in.

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The 2019 ceremony, which will be broadcast on CBS from the Staples Center on Feb. 10, offers ample opportunity for producers to mix it up. Below are a few combinations that could make for meme-worthy moments.

Just imagine ...

Country singer Kacey Musgraves, who has an album of the year nomination, joins Drake for a simmering take on her “Slow Burn†coupled with his multiple nominee “God’s Plan†— with a surprise appearance by reggae album nominees Sting and Shaggy.

Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin bust loose with their record and song of the year smash “I Like It†— joined by Barbra Streisand (traditional pop vocal album) and Tony Bennett (same) on the chorus: “Diamond district in the chain / Certified, you know I’m gang, gang.â€

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Loretta Lynn (nominated for country solo performance) and former President Jimmy Carter (spoken word performance) collaborate on a sung-spoken reworking of Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter,†with a mid-performance surprise cameo from the other Carters — a.k.a. Beyoncé and Jay Z — and another surprise appearance from Sting and Shaggy.

Multiple nominees Post Malone and 21 Savage team with best new artist rockers Greta Van Fleet to perform “Rockstar†— with a verse sung by Bradley Cooper and a tasty guitar solo by St. Vincent. (Don’t laugh, this very well could happen.)

Nominees Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper merge “All the Stars†with “Shallow†to create “All the Stars are Shallow.†Added bonus: This combines two of the major movie songs nominated for Grammys.

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Finally, producer of the year nominee Kanye West performs his track “Lift Yourself.†Joining him? Pop vocal album nominee Taylor Swift, who leaps onstage mid-song to recite West’s “Poopy-di scoop / Scoop-diddy-whoop†verse. As if that’s not enough for one performance, Sting and Shaggy could certainly provide backing vocals.

Absurd? Nothing is too crazy for Grammy.

For tips, records, snapshots and stories on Los Angeles music culture, follow Randall Roberts on Twitter and Instagram: @liledit. Email: [email protected].

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