Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monáe will headline an in-memoriam tribute to legendary producer Quincy Jones at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards this Sunday (Feb. 2), joined by Cynthia Erivo, Herbie Hancock, Lainey Wilson, and other, yet-to-be-announced artists. The tribute to Jones, who died in November at 91, has been in the works for months, executive producer Raj Kapoor tells Rolling Stone.
“The entire Grammys could have actually been Quincy Jones,” Kapoor says. “The wealth of work, the wealth of genres, the amount of music that he has touched — he really is the dude,” says Kapoor. “We’ve been working on creating something really special. We’ve had so many artists that have wanted to participate. I think it’s going to be one of the definitive performances of the show, [showing] how much love we have for him as a music community.”
The show will also include other in-memoriam tributes, as well as special Los Angeles-themed performances in the wake of the wildfires that have devastated the city. Newly announced performers Brad Paisley, Brittany Howard, Chris Martin, Jacob Collier, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, and St. Vincent will be part of those segments. “When we decided to move forward, it was like, how do we shine a positive light on the city of Los Angeles?” Kapoor says. “Thousands of people depend on this show in Los Angeles, including the thousands of crew that actually work on this show. And then also the [wider] economic impact that the show has.”
The ceremony will include multiple moments celebrating the city’s resilience. “Los Angeles has actually been quite incredible in the past few weeks,” Kapoor says. I think we have a stronger sense of community than we have had for a very long time. There’s a film piece that is going to honor Los Angeles. I think the opening of the show is definitely going to touch on our love for Los Angeles. We’re putting a spotlight on small businesses that may have been impacted by the fires.”
Previously announced performers for this year’s Grammys include Shakira, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Charlie XCX, Benson Boone, Raye, Doechii, and Teddy Swims.
