Olivia Rodrigo’s Live Duet With Billy Joel Caught Her Fans Off Guard

This surprise performance was such a full circle moment. On Aug. 24, Billy Joel invited Olivia Rodrigo onstage during his headlining show at Madison Square Garden. The two performers sang their respective hits “Uptown Girl” and “Deja Vu” together, and it looked to be a pretty thrilling sight. Honestly, this is a duo I never knew I needed. Now, though, I need to see them collaborate on an original song or two.

The “Uptown Girl” crooner is currently on his record-breaking residency at Madison Square Garden, which originally began in January 2014. Joel has played one show a month at the famed venue since then, and Wednesday’s concert marked the 82nd show in his residency. In a sense, this massive arena is Joel’s second home.

According to Rolling Stone, Joel teased Rodrigo’s surprise appearance. Sitting behind the piano, he softly played the intro to Rodrigo’s hit, “Deja Vu” before he introduced the singer onstage. IYDK, Rodrigo referenced Joel and his 1983 hit in the second verse of the pop-induced track.

“I’m going to bring up a young musician,” Joel said during the show, per Rolling Stone. “She’s a triple Grammy winner. She won the Billboard 2022 Woman of the Year award. She’s got the American Music Award. She’s got all kinds of awards. She’s very talented. I like her music, and so do my kids. She’s very talented. Please say hello to Olivia Rodrigo.”

Since Rodrigo’s presence was so unexpected, the crowd shrieked in surprise. Donning a black corset, a brown patterned knit skirt and leather boots, Rodrigo excitedly waved to the crowd before acknowledging Joel’s influence when creating “Deja Vu.”

“I'm such a huge fan, and I kind of wrote this next song about you,” Rodrigo confessed to Joel on stage, before belting out into “Deja Vu.” The pair then performed “Uptown Girl” together and ended their riveting duet with an embrace. Watch an excerpt from both performances below.

Deja Vu

Uptown Girl

After the performance, Rodrigo reflected on the experience in several Instagram Stories. Posting a video of Joel singing “Piano Man” to a packed crowd, Rodrigo wrote in all caps, “I SANG WITH BILLY JOEL AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN TODAY ARE U KIDDING.” She also posted an adorable selfie with the “Uptown Girl” singer. “Biggest honor ever still crying thank u Billy!!!!!!!” she captioned the selfie alongside a couple heartwarming emojis.

Rodrigo’s fans on Twitter were stunned to see this dynamic duo together. Here are some of the best reactions to the duo’s performance together.