One of the songs of the summer of 2015 lit up the 2016 Grammys Monday night, and for a brief moment in time we were able to remember the feeling of warm sun on our shoulders, flip flops on our feet, sunscreen on our noses. Jack U, the DJ mega tag team comprised of Diplo and Skrillex, brought Justin Bieber with them to the Grammy stage where they performed a killer, beefed up version of their hit, “Where Are U Now,” off of the duo’s 2015 album Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack U.
The song, originally written by Bieber as a ballad called “The Most” before he handed it over to Diplo and Skrillex, had won earlier in the evening for Best Dance Recording. The album, Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack U, also won a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album. “Where Are U Now” was a major component to the Bieber Redemption Tour of 2015, showcasing his vocal ability in more of a stripped-down, soul-barring fashion. The song also gives the world a less audibly combative version of Skrillex, which works perfectly with Diplo’s penchant for Caribbean and Indian sounds and vibes. Throw that out the window though with their performance Monday night as they brought the electric guitars and thundering percussion. They also delivered the pounding drums of Jon Theodore of Queens of the Stone Age, the Mars Volta, and One Day as a Lion.
An original version of “Where Are U Now” appears as a bonus track on Bieber’s 2015 album Purpose. Bieber performed an acoustic version of his song “Love Yourself” prior to joining Jack U on the main stage.
