Stevie Marvel closed the multi-hour, all-star Clive Davis pre-Grammy gala with a rousing harmonica efficiency, a powerful vocal supply and phrases of positivity.
The icon was joined by Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Andra Day, Keyshia Cole and Frederic Yonnet for performances of “That’s What Associates Are For” and “What the World Wants Now Is Love,” reducing off the latter track to inform the viewers — which included Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Cher — that “music is love [and] allow us to use the present of affection that we’ve been given by the Almighty to make a distinction on the earth.”
“I’ve been blessed to be alive, however I’ve been blessed to see everybody — not seeing you bodily — however seeing you spiritually,” Marvel mentioned on the gala that ended early Sunday morning. “And what breaks my coronary heart is to know that we’re nonetheless speaking about the identical factor that I heard you speaking about after I was a bit of boy. What breaks my coronary heart is that folks discuss it … however will not be about it,” Marvel mentioned on the gala that ended early Sunday morning. “We write about it, we sing about it, the musicians play about it, we pray about it, however what we have to do is do about it.
“So I urge of you, these of you who can see what we’re doing to this planet, these of you that may see the anger in folks’s faces, these of you that may hear the anger and the confusion that’s on social media, these of you that really feel that it’s important to observe these damaged hearts, we as artists have to fix these hearts with love,” he continued. “We are able to cease and put an finish and ask for all the 32 nations of the world to have a truce and cease the preventing and start to like. It’s not unimaginable.”
Whereas he spoke, Knight sang softly and nodded her head in settlement. Warwick chimed in with closing phrases: “What Stevie has simply given to you, please take that to coronary heart. Take it dwelling and share it.”
Davis’ white-hot occasion at The Beverly Hilton, held a day earlier than the Grammy Awards, started on Saturday night time with a rocking efficiency by Inexperienced Day, who’re celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of their breakthrough album Dookie and the twentieth anniversary of the multi-hit affair American Fool. Serena Williams launched the group, calling them “my favourite band of actually all time.”
“Don’t cheer, vote!,” Billie Joe Armstrong mentioned after his efficiency.
Different performers included a number of acts nominated for greatest new artist on Sunday. Victoria Monet danced with talent and precision; Ice Spice twerked and requested “the place’s the baddies?”; Noah Kahan strummed his guitar and sang with power; and an excited Jelly Roll received over the viewers, exclaiming: “I’m nominated for 2 [Grammys] and I’m loving each fucking a part of it!”
Breakthrough nation singer Lainey Wilson joined Jelly Roll for his or her hit “Save Me” and likewise sang “I’m Simply Ken” from Barbie — filling in for Ryan Gosling — alongside the track’s writers Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt.
Josh Groban and Michael Trotter Jr. of the duo The Warfare and Treaty, additionally nominated for greatest new artist, joined forces for a memorable efficiency of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”; Colombian singer Maluma mentioned he was proud to signify Latinos along with his efficiency; whereas Public Enemy and the Isley Brothers hit the stage in honor of Sony music publishing chairman and CEO Jon Platt, who acquired the Recording Academy’s Grammy Salute to Trade Icons award.
The occasion was full of well-known faces — who Davis launched by studying off their stats and achievements — together with Adrien Brody, Smokey Robinson, Mariah Carey, Jon Bon Jovi, Martina Navratilova, Berry Gordy, Frankie Valli, Earth, Wind & Hearth, Julia Garner, Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Lenny Kravitz and Luke Combs.
Davis additionally took a second to honor returning visitor Nancy Pelosi. “Currently I’ve all the time launched this particular person first, as a result of she deserves it. That is the twenty fourth consecutive 12 months of her attendance, of her collaborating, of her being amongst you to have a good time music. She’s the USA’ 52nd speaker of the Home of Representatives,” he mentioned of Pelosi, who earned a standing ovation and sometimes receives rock star remedy from the viewers on the gala. “She served the nation on this place for eight years and supported thousands and thousands of individuals together with her life-saving values and rules. She’s a real hero.”
