Six-time Grammy winner Lady Gaga will pay tribute to the music and life of the iconic David Bowie, who passed on Jan. 10., at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. On Tuesday morning, the show announced that Gaga will be performing the tribute alongside musical director Nile Rodgers, who worked with Bowie for more than 30 years, starting with their 1983 hit song "Let's Dance."
"We had already booked Lady Gaga on this year's show, but when David passed - almost in a single moment - we knew we had to change direction," the show's executive producer Ken Ehrlich said in a statement. "We immediately spoke and agreed that she should be the one to honor David. She's perfect for it. So I reached out to Nile, and, before long, we were on our way to creating what we believe will not only make a great Grammy Moment, but one befitting of David."
The performance will not be the opening number but it will last about six or seven minutes and cover "at least three of four" of his songs," Ehrlich told The New York Times. "[The performance] is going to be a true homage to who David was, particularly musically, but not ignoring his influence on fashion and pop culture in a broader way."
Prior to Bowie's death, Gaga, 29, spoke out about her love for him as an artist as he has inspired many of her fashion moments. "When I fell in love with David Bowie, when I was living on the Lower East Side, I always felt that his glamour was something he was using to express a message to people that was very healing for their souls," she told The Hollywood Reporter just a few days before he passed. "He is a true, true artist and I don't know if I ever went, 'Oh, I'm going to be that way like this,' or if I arrived upon it slowly, realizing it was my calling and that's what drew me to him."
Gaga, who is nominated at the 2016 Grammys for Best Song Written for Visual Media for her song "Til It Happens To You" with Diane Warren, will be joining previously announced performers Kendrick Lamar, Adele, the Weeknd, Carrie Underwood and Sam Hunt. There will also be a tribute to Lionel Richie, who is the Recording Academy's 2016 MusiCares person of the year.
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards will take place on Feb. 15 and will air live on CBS at 8 p.m. EST.
