Queen Latifah Dionne Warwickand the Bee Gees Barry Gibb were amongst the 2023 Kennedy Center honorees at an event that happened on December 3. Now, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has actually shared video footage from the program. The event in Washington, D.C., hosted this year by 2017 honoree Gloria Estefanhonors extraordinary life time contributions to the arts. Those paying homage consisted of Missy Elliott, Chloe Bailey, and Gladys Knight, to an audience that counted the president and very first woman amongst its number. Completing this year’s awards class were Billy Crystal and opera vocalist Renée Fleming. View efficiencies and excerpts listed below.
Missy Elliott sang Queen Latifah’s applauds in a speech discussing her youth direct exposure to Latifah’s music, before Rapsody covered “Just Another Day …” “What Latifah has actually taught us,” Elliott stated, “is unity, to think in yourself, and to enjoy a Black female from infinity to infinity.” Enjoy the complete speech listed below.
Chloe Bailey, Cynthia Erivo, and Gladys Knight all sang tunes from Warwick’s storied discography, while Saturday Night Live‘s Ego Nwodim and 2020 honoree Debbie Allen provided speeches in the soul legend’s honor. Bailey carried out “Walk On By,” Erivo sang “Alfie,” and Knight selected “Say a Little Prayer.”
Gibb’s homage consisted of a Michael Bublé variation of “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?” and Little Big Town’s take on “Lonely Days, Lonely Nights.” Ben Platt sang “Nights on Broadway” and Ariana DeBose carried out an assortment of the Bee Gees’ hits, such as “How Deep Is Your Love” and “Stayin’ Alive.”
Fleming, on the other hand, was honored by Dove Cameron with a performance of the musical number “The Light in the Piazza,” plus a joint efficiency of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” from Carouselby Tituss Burgess, Christine Baranski, and the Jubilation Choir.
“Receiving the Kennedy Center Honors is something that everybody hopes may occur one day. I’ve frequently thought of however never ever dreamed it might become a reality,” Gibb stated in a previous declaration. In her declaration about getting the honor, Queen Latifah stated, “When we began on this journey years earlier, we were frequently informed ‘No’… To now be acknowledged among many multi-hyphenates feels amazing, not for simply me and my group, however for our neighborhood.”