At the 2021 Grammys, “august” followed “cardigan” in Taylor Swift’s medley.
Swift opened the performance with “cardigan,” then sang “august” on guitar inside a cottage-like set. She finished with “willow,” a song from Evermore. The medley therefore linked two Folklore songs with one track from its sister album.
“Cardigan” and “august” are connected beyond the televised performance. They are two perspectives within the fictional relationship story developed across Folklore, with “cardigan” associated with Betty and “august” voiced by the unnamed summer-romance narrator. “Betty,” the third song in the narrative, was not included in the Grammys medley.
The performance took place at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on March 14, 2021. Antonoff and Dessner joined Swift as instrumental collaborators, helping recreate the intimate, atmospheric sound that had defined the Folklore era.