*Watch highlights from the **2025 GRAMMYs **on live.GRAMMY.com.*
The 2025 GRAMMYs telecast has been reimagined to raise funds for MusiCares Fire Relief, a dedicated campaign to support the people affected by the recent wildfires in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Donate now.
On stage at the 2025 Clive Davis’ & the Recording Academy’s Pre-GRAMMY Fundraising Event, Harvey Mason jr. conceded that the night was “going to be a little different.”
That difference didn’t rest solely on the pomp and circumstance of the gala’s 50th anniversary or the unique year in music. Rather, the wildfires that ripped through Los Angeles last month were still heavy on attendees’ minds, with many in the music community grappling with its effects.
“We’re here in a city recovering from devastating wildfires and we’re facing a long road ahead,” Mason jr. said to a hushed crowd. “After the fires started, there were actually a lot of questions as to whether the GRAMMYs should even go on.”
In the face of the fires, the decision was made to move forward. While much of GRAMMY Week was reformatted, the Pre-GRAMMY Gala continued with a renewed purpose as a fundraiser. “It was not an easy decision, but we knew we could use this part to raise awareness, support first responders and celebrate the resilience of this community,” said Mason jr.
Sponsored by Hilton, Mastercard and IBM, the 2025 Pre-GRAMMY Fundraising Event marks the 50th anniversary of the prestigious event. Throughout the night, calls for donations (Hilton donated $500 per guest) were made along with impassioned thanks to the first responders. Surprise performers including a cowboy hat-clad Post Malone and last year’s breakout Benson Boone were among the many artists who shouted out emergency officials from the stage.
“This is an evening synonymous with the greatest performances and the biggest names in music, film, sports, politics and business, but we must acknowledge the pain, the loss and the devastation of the wildfire that befell Los Angeles last month,” the indefatigable master of ceremonies Clive Davis said, following an opening performance by Chris Robinson and the Black Crowes. “I have found that good often arises from the spring of pain, and that’s why the Recording Academy and I decided to transform this evening, along with tomorrow’s telecast into a fundraiser for MusiCares,” he added to raucous applause.
Learn more: Recording Academy & MusiCares Expand Wildfire Relief Efforts With New Partnerships During 2025 GRAMMYs
Only Davis could throw such a fundraiser, which surprise guest Jimmy Kimmel jokingly called “Clive’s bar mitzvah.” While the usual sprawling red carpet inside the Beverly Hills Hilton was scuttled, the ballroom was filled with esteemed guests — many of whom were mentioned by Davis in shoutouts and introductions.
Regular guests Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz were in attendance, as well as Jennifer Lopez, Berry Gordy, Gladys Knight and Frankie Valli. In one corner of the room, Charlie Puth hustled to his table, while a baseball hat clad Jack Antonoff sat with his wife, the actress Margaret Qualley. Gracie Abrams (last year’s Best New Artist nominee) and producers Dan Nigro and Benny Blanco. Michael Bublè paid tribute to the late Quincy Jones, singing the iconic producer’s arrangement of “Fly Me To the Moon” (popularized by Frank Sinatra). A video tribute to the late producer Richard Dorf, who died in December, featured testimonials from Diane Warren and David Foster.
Benson Boone┃Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The show itself was bookended by tributes marking the event’s 50th anniversary. During the first half of the proceedings, video footage from an episode of the 1970s series “The Midnight Special” showed Clive Davis introducing a “brand new talent.” With that, a spritely Barry Manilow was seen on-screen performing his breakout hit “Mandy,” which seamlessly transitioned to Manlow appearing live on stage at the Gala to perform the rest of the song. “Can you believe Clive looked like that? Can you believe I looked like that?” he later cracked.
In a nod to Whitney Houston — famously Davis’s pride and joy before her tragic death on the day of the 2012 Pre-GRAMMY Gala — Davis noted “this was her favorite time of year” and he couldn’t mark a half century of the event without honoring the late legend. With that, Yolanda Adams delivered a powerful rendition of “I Will Always Love You” to end the show. It was all punctuated by Rickey Minor’s house band who deftly zig-zagged between a plethora of genres; from Samara Joy’s jazzy be-bopping to the country-R&B amalgamation of Shaboozey’s ubiquitous “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
It’s that juxtaposition and variety that makes the annual event a unique cultural moment. “When Clive started this party, there was no internet, no iPhones, and Babyface actually had a baby’s face,” Kimmel later joked. “50 years is two Sabrina Carpenters.”
That same reference could also work for “Beautiful Things” singer, party performer and Best New Artist nominee Benson Boone who was born in 2002, when the party was already in its 27th year. At 32, fellow Best New Artist nominee Teddy Swims has some years on Boone, but he delivered an impactful rendition of his hit “Lose Control” flaunting his booming, powerhouse vocals that launched him to stardom. Joni Mitchell was also on hand, performing her landmark “Both Sides, Now” and an emotional cover of “Summertime” from a throne-like setting.
Amid the performances, the Industry Icon honor was bequeathed to Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group. The executive holds the distinction of music publishing’s very first female CEO, but that’s not the only glass ceiling she broke: Gerson was the first chairwoman of a global music company. She began her acceptance speech recollecting her days in the ’70s hanging out at her parent’s club in Cherry Hill, New Jersey called the Latin Casino. There, she got a crash course in the music industry.
Gerson also offered a confession: “A few times early in my career, I actually crashed this party,” she revealed, noting she was beleaguered with nerves at the time. Her first official invite in 2001 “was a big moment in my career.” It came when she was working with attendee Alicia Keys on her debut album Songs in A Minor; Gerson later fostered the career of artists including Lady Gaga and currently works alongside artists ranging from Bad Bunny to Taylor Swift.
“I’m very aware that my stature in the business brings with it tremendous responsibilities and that my actions have a direct impact on the artists and colleagues we work with,” she said.
Also on hand to fete Gerson was Universal artist Post Malone, who performed his seminal 2018 track “Sunflower” in her honor before calling it his “only good song.” Malone gave a heartfelt thanks to Gerson from his perch on the stage as Davis looked on. And naturally, Malone thanked the first responders in Los Angeles, too.
