Before Khan and Hudson took the stage, host LL Cool J kicked off the show with prayer, a heartwarming moment in which attendees like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift bowed their heads in homage to Houston and her undeniable contributions to pop music.
MTV News had the pleasure of speaking to Grammys host LL Cool J on the red carpet, and he shed some light on the conversations that went down before Sunday’s big show as producers scrambled to fit a tribute to the star into the show.
“We were up all night, and we just wanted to figure out [and] show Whitney Houston the love, the appreciation, the love, the respect she deserves based on her as a human being and the career that she had and give her that love and make sure that people know we care,” LL explained. “And we are connected to her in that way.”
But LL noted that while Houston deserves love at the show, producers also want to make sure that every artist involved with Sunday’s broadcast gets the attention they deserve as well. “At the same time, there are so many other artists here that are nominated. This is a new Grammy experience for some of them, some are back again, and they deserve to have a good time and enjoy themselves and not be weighed down by the burden,” noting that it was “about finding a balance. I think we got it right. We’re gonna find out.”
Source: MTV | Jocelyn Vena (@jocelyn1212), with reporting by Sway Calloway (@realsway)
BCNN1 WP 