DUBAI: US singer-songwriter Victoria Monet showed off a leopard print gown by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran at the Pre-Grammy Gala in Hollywood, which has traditionally been held the night before the Grammys every year since 1976.
Hosted by music executive Clive Davis, Monet attended the event in a monochrome ensemble complete with a leopard-print column gown and matching jacket.
Victoria Monet showed off a leopard print gown by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran. (AFP)
Jebran is no stranger to the spotlight and has previously dressed the likes of Beyonce, Priyanka Chopra, Meghan Thee Stallion and Cardi B.
For her part, actress Keke Palmer opted for a lacy look by Lebanese Italian designer Tony Ward at the same event. The lemon-yellow number boasted floral embroidery over petal-detailed lace work and hailed from Ward’s Spring/Summer 2024 ready-to-wear collection.
Keke Palmer opted for a lacy look by Lebanese Italian designer Tony Ward. (Getty Images)
Speaking to Billboard ahead of the event, Davis explained that creating the ultra-exclusive guestlist for the intimate party is difficult.
“The most painful thing, as we welcome the new players from Spotify, from the streaming world, from the new organizations and those who have become president of labels that have never been there, we have a finite number of people we can invite,” he said, adding: “For every new member, we really have to cancel either a plus-one or say, ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s not just they want to be there, they feel if they’re professionally in the music business, somewhat diminished (if they don’t receive an invitation). And that is painful. And I don’t want to talk about that lightly or matter of factly. It’s painful especially to me, who’s been in the business as long as I have. And we have no other choice because they’re not really still active.”
The soiree is one of a number of pre-Grammy events on the entertainment schedule, with the MusiCares fundraiser and the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective awards evening both taking place in Los Angeles within the past week.
Bruce Springsteen and other music stars paid tribute to rocker Jon Bon Jovi on Friday at an annual pre-Grammys fundraiser, putting their spin on hits such as "Blaze of Glory" from the singer's extensive rock catalog.
Bon Jovi founded a band of the same name in 1983 in New Jersey and helped define the guitar-heavy rock of the 1980s. The 61-year-old was chosen as this year's Person of the Year by MusiCares, a charitable arm of the Recording Academy that raises funds to help musicians with health care and other needs.
Meanwhile, Mariah Carey used the Recording Academy stage to speak about fighting against conforming to certain music industry standards in an effort to create her music that would eventually appeal to the masses.
“I was not encouraged to focus on my love for Black music,” Carey remarked Thursday night at the academy's Black Music Collective event, where she and Lenny Kravitz were given the Global Impact Award.
The honorees received the award for their personal and professional achievements in the industry.
