Music’s biggest night is always preceded by another one of music’s biggest nights, The Recording Academy’s annual Pre-Grammy Gala. On the eve of the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, music and Hollywood’s biggest stars joined Clive Davis for another memorable evening at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.
The four-hour event, which honored Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge, boasted A-list performances and a star-studded guest list including Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Lorde, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Imagine Dragons, Ryan Tedder, Miguel, John Legend, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Barry Gordy and many more.
Davis led the crowd including Jamie Foxx, Miguel, and Swizz Beatz in singing “Happy Birthday” to Alicia Keys, who celebrated her 34th birthday Saturday.
Robin Thicke arrived with his beautiful wife Paula Patton and had the crowd on its feet with “Blurred Lines,” for which he was accompanied by Pharrell and a dancing T.I. The Neptunes producer kept a smile on the famous faces with his Oscar-nominated hit “Happy,” and joined Jennifer Hudson and Tip for “I Can’t Describe (The Way I Feel).”
R. Kelly paid tribute to Nelson Mandela with a tribal-inspired song, and Fantasia brought the epic evening to a close with her powerful performance of “Stormy Weather.”
Davis also remembered Whitney Houston, who died two years ago in the same hotel, “We all know that Whitney was the greatest contemporary singer in the world,” said the 81-year-old music mogul. “I don’t want the world to forget that, and I don’t want anyone in this room to forget that.”
See more pics and footage from Clive’s big bash below!
(photos via Larry Busacca, Chelsea Lauren & M. Brown/Getty Images North America)
