Ahead of the 51st Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala, music legend Clive Davis sits down with Billboard to discuss his iconic 51st annual pre-Grammy party, gives Billboard its flowers, reveals why Bruno Mars has never attended, and shares emotional updates on Barry Manilow’s health and new music at 82. Plus, Whitney Houston’s Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and rising stars Olivia Dean & Alex Warren.
Tetris Kelly:
Hanging out with the legendary Mr. Clive Davis. How are you today?
Clive Davis:
I am good. I’m well, thank you.
Well, listen, last year, you know, we had a bit of a change with the wildfires, and you guys turned the event into a fundraiser, but now we’re back. We’re back in a big way. So how does that feel?
You know, I’m so looking forward to Saturday night. I was just at the Billboard Power event yesterday, and to really see the anticipation for the party Saturday night was so gratifying, I mean, to walk in and everybody to a person said, “can’t wait for Saturday night.” And that makes you feel good, because we’re in our 51st year of the party.
Incredible.
So when you know that someone and that the event is as alive and anticipated, makes you feel good.
I mean, people really look forward to it every year, and they’re excited to come have a good time. Now, you talked about our event. It was cool to have you know, you there, Mariah Carey, but your event, I mean, everybody’s there. So when you have, like, athletes, politicians, musicians, how is it to put that list together?
Well, it’s exciting because it’s as star filled as ever, if not more. But it’s the emotion of people looking forward to it that keeps me on my toes. I’m bored. You have to live up to the billing so you don’t get, as I used to say, “you don’t play your records because you discover Joplin. You got to show it right now.”
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