The death of late great Whitney Houston in February rocked the music industry to its core. And, as the world at large begins to process and deal with the mammoth loss, the mood is being altered to one of celebration – courtesy of VH1 Divas.
Details after the jump…
Via Billboard:
VH1 will pay tribute to Whitney Houston for its next installment of “VH1 Divas,” Billboard has learned. The network will tape the performance in Los Angeles in December, with Houston’s longtime musical director Rickey Minor on board as executive producer. No artists have been confirmed for the tribute to Houston, a three-time performer on “Divas” in 1999, 2002 and 2003.
The tribute has already received the blessing of Houston’s family and her label partners at Sony. “We all felt that if any show could pay tribute to Whitney’s music, it would be ‘Divas,'” VH1 president Tom Calderone tells Billboard. “December felt like enough time where it wouldn’t be sad anymore, you’d want to celebrate her music.”
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Kudos to VH1 for recognising what Whitney meant to that show and meant to the world at large. She may no longer be here in the physical, yet her scroll of classics and The Voice are ever-enduring.
Here’s hoping a fitting line-up of artists are assembled to tribute the diva of all divas. Who would you like to see tribute Whitney? Peep some of our favourite Whitney “Divas” moments to help you decide…
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Monica, Lil Mo, Brandy,Coco,Mariah……..
Monica, Brandy, Kelly Rowland, Jill Scott, Chaka Khan, Kelly Price, Adele, Tamar Davis,
Yes! I have one word…..well three. “BRANDY AND MONICA”
I say Brandy should close the show last, Monica, Chaka, CeCe, Mary, Mariah, Missy, Kelly, Kelly Price, Janet, shoot I can go on!!! This tribute will be the best tribute ever to her because everyone worked with her regardless and admired her vocals and her spirit. I will PVR this when it comes on tv for sure!!!
Mariah, Brandy, Deborah C**, Kelly Clarkson
Brandy without question needs to headline this event…since she and Whitney did it in 99. It only makes sense for her to be THE lead… keep J.Hud away from it, keep Beyonce away from it. Include the divas who were actually friends of Whitney and those that actually fit her music style
Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Monica, Brandy, Mariah Carey, Kelly Rowland, Faith Evans, Kelly Price, Melanie Fiona, Jazmine Sullivan and the list goes on….but that would be cool if they could get all these women in one place and honor an ICON.
Kelly Rowland
Jennifer Hudson & Mariah Carey must be there!!!!!!
I want someone to perform Dance with Somebody & give me some choreography as well. After all it is a dance song. That being said, the uptempo song should not be performed by Brandy or Mariah. Let’s be real now, the only person I can think of that can give me choreography & vocals at the same time is Beyonce. But we all know it won’t happen. She killed her Michael Jackson tribute at the BET Awards & at the Michael Jackson Tribute Concert in Wales where she performed for Michael’s family.
Cant wait …when is her movie coming out??
Mariah, Beyonce, Patti Labelle, Brandy, Monica, Kelly Price, Jill Scott, Toni Braxton, Yolanda Adams, Co Co, Ce Ce Winans, and Ledsisi….
At how these haters so pressed as if Beyonce can’t do a Whitney song justice…I think she should do all the up-tempos and “I Have Nothing”…And death @ somebody mentioning Janet! Not here for nobody whispering the voice’s lyrics.
Lord i just had a day nightmare of VH1 letting Rihanna and Katy duet “When You Believe”….Aint nobody got time for that.
hope Mary j blige b involved
Brandy, Kelly Rowland, Monica, Tamia, Queen Bey, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Price, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion!
***KELLY ROWLAND***
***KELLY ROWLAND***
***KELLY ROWLAND***
***KELLY ROWLAND***
***KELLY ROWLAND***
***KELLY ROWLAND***
***KELLY ROWLAND***
***KELLY ROWLAND***
***KELLY ROWLAND***
***KELLY ROWLAND***
Kelly Rowland!!
Let’s bring some real diva’s.Mariah, Mary, Patti, Aretha, Brandy, J.Hud, Kelly Price,Yolonda Adams and that’s all we need.
Young Divas-Brandy, Monica, Kelly Price, Christina Aguillera.
Seasoned Divas-Aretha Franklin (she owes Whitney), Natalie Cole, Diana Ross, Patti Labelle, Dionne Warwick, Chaka Kahn, Kim Burrell, CeCe Winans and Shirley Ceaser.
Babyface should be involved musically as well. He was a good friend of Whitney’ s and one of her musical mentors.
@King Phoenix Lmao Just the thought of Katy and Rihanna doing WYB will have Whitney literally rolling n the grave non stop! If they ever went thru with it, i guarantee Whitney would haunt those bishes the rest of their lives! Chains and all.
I would love to see some fresh facess or those we haven’t seen in awhile (all the time) like Brandy, Syleena Johnson, Kim Barrell, Jill Scott, Jaz Sullavin, Kelly Price, Jordan Sparks etc.
It will be nice if Mariah can make a virtual duo with her doing When You Believe
Keep Kelly Rowland at home. Bring in Bey, Mariah, Patti, CeCe Winans, Kim Burrell, Ledisi, Chaka, Adele, Martina McBride, Mary, Jill Scott, Brandy, Monica, Dionne Warwick (she’ll cuss someone out to if need be), and have Cissy sing that songe she wrote about dealing with Whitney’s passing (if she’s up to it, which i doubt).
Kelly Price, Faith Evans, Deborah C**, I’m J-Hud will be there (even though I can take or leave her these days). Shirley Caesar, Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary. Gotta have the gospel, Whitney started in the church.
Tell Hate-retha to keep her ass home and have another “leg spasm.” Janet, no singing, be a presenter or give a fond memory of Whitney, don’t butcher a song.
The key will be to pick the right songs and arrangements for the singers. However, none will come close to Whitney.
Beyoncé – I Have Nothing
Just look a that picture she looks beautiful, God why you keep calling people like her.
@Digger Bey
I Know RIght…I betchu Rihanna tries to get her ass on that stage and sing something…And i want her to try, I want her to be inbetween Patti and Mariah so the can side eye the hell out of her….And then i want Dionne to appear out of nowhere grab Rihanna’s mic and say “Somebody get this hussy off the stage, Now!”
@King Tasha
I said the exact same thing…Beyonce would be perfect for that song her voice has the power and the vulneralbity to pull it off in the perfect way. And you know that girl brings out emotions in her song like no other, hopefully it will transpire to her acting…no shade, but…
I agree that Mariah, Beyonce, Patti Labelle, Brandy, Monica, Kelly Price, Jill Scott, Toni Braxton, Yolanda Adams, Co Co, Ce Ce Winans, Chaka Kahn, and Ledsisi would all be great choices. But you know realistically VH1 will whitenize the show by picking only a few of these people mixed with lots of bland white artists that can barely carry a tune.
When Beyonce and J-Hud learn to sing then they can be a part of the tribute, but not until then.
Jasmine, you are a racict k***. Whitize?? Really? Let me tell you, moron, there are PLENTY of white singers out there that can SING better than some of the trash mentioned in these lists. Mary J. Blige, Beyonce, J-Hud and Fantasia SCREAM and HOWL, they don’t sing. Whitney Houston SANG in every sense of the word, they are no where NEAR her talent vocally. You need to come out of your little bubble you call a life and recoginze that just because you’re a certain color, doesn’t mean you can’t sing. Damn, you showed how dumb you really are.
@GG Beyonce can’t sing? Wow that’s news to me. I’m not even a stan but I’m not delusional enough to say that Beyonce can’t sing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O0_2PX2HAc
I actually want to hear beyonce sing a Whitney song..I think I’ve been through every YouTube video of her and have not come across one.
People are so delusional when they talk about how they would love Brandy & Monica to cover a Whitney song & make comments about how Beyonce wouldn’t do her justice. Please, your faves are not that wonderful vocally specially Monica & I won’t even comment on her live performances. Beyonce would slay, watch the video & than tell me she can’t sing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKlGcrFpoWU&feature=relmfu
Yes, I said Beyonce can’t sing. She has not real precise, outstanding vocal control. She is mainly a dancer who has an OK voice, nothing great.
Beyonce can stay at home. It should be everyone the majority mentioned who feel like Whitney was their everything and the reason they sing-
Brandy, Monica, Kelly Rowland, Mary J, with Jaimie Foxx and Babyface
Bey can’t touch a Whitney song I agree- the b**** is mainly a performer. An ok singer at best. I’d rather Fantasia or Jennifer.
Beyonce is not the voice
GG Sit yo delusional ass down somewhere! Beyonce is one of the premiere vocalist of this generation! What bish u know with more than 3 octaves and a Reigning Queen of Melisma, that cant sing! GTFOHWTBS! @ True voice B**** sit! Kelly is one of the main bishes that have some of Whitney tones. Kelly, Monica and Brandy are it! @King Tasha & @King Phoenix I actually think THE QUEEN can pull off Where Do Broken Hearts Go. I Have Nothing suits somebody like Alicia Keys.
No shade, but Brandy & Monica are not the vocalist you guys make them out to be. In my opinion they’re basic. There voices aren’t powerful. & hell, I’d choose Beyonce over Monica & Brandy any day. The only reason they should perform is cause they knew Whitney on a personal level not cause they’re these “magnificent” vocalists.
Brandy & her micro braids is not the “voice” either. Monica & her flopping cd can stay home too. Never understood the hype around there voices.
Beyonce CAN’T sing, i totally agree with the commenter up top…. SO overrated. Gays are obsessed with her
First and foremost no one will ever parallel or surpass the genius that Whitney brought to music. She was effortless excellence and she just exuded grace and poise.
With that being said, this tribute will be about us seeing people that loved Whitney celebrate her life and music and have a great time while doing it. VH1 will want that to translate over to the viewers. I can see Coko, Kim Burrell, CeCe Winans, Brandy, Chaka Khan, Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child reunited for the upbeat songs,and Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, and Cissy all singing the song that Cissy wrote about Whitney. That would be beautiful. I could definitely see Jessie J tearing “How Will I Know” or “Dance With Somebody”
vh1 are you listening??
I also loved what somebody said about Babyface and Jaime Foxx. Considering that Babyface and Whit worked together alot it would only be fitting. & Jaime has such a raw emotion to his voice. I’m gonna cry just thinking about it.
all the women mentioned above loved whitney so im sure everyone will want to be there.
Let’s keep it real, the VH1 Divas is so low budget & irrelevant even more so than the Bet Awards. Don’t expect some of the biggest A-List artists to perform. Laughing at people who think Beyonce & Mariah will perform. They need to get artists that need gigs cause lord knows Brandy & Monica need it. After all, the chance of them getting a spot at the Grammys is 0 to none. This is not The Boy is Mine era. The VMA’s, AMA’s, Billboard Awards, & Grammys aren’t checking for most of the artists who will perform. Stay mad but you know it’s the truth.
Mariah, monica, missy elliott, mary j blige, destinys child, kelly price, jennifer hudson, jordin sparks, brandy
@GG
Bravo!
I understand what you are saying, it´s not that beyonce can´t sing, but Whitney is that kind of untoucheable singer. The only thing that could be worth it would be real huge and timeless icons doing their own thing with some songs: Aretha, N. Cole, etc Just cos they and their careers are so undeniably oustanding and recognized by everybody for decades.
People like Jennifer Hudson shoudn´t be there, i know she will but I´m so tired of that s*** like if she were anything comparable to Whitney Houston. Xtina and Jennifer are screamers compared with true greatness and Whitney´s level of SANGING.
People like Mariah are the ones that come close to what Whitney was and still is, but they definitely won´t be there singing a Whitney song. So probably we will have to watch some young artists trying their best and that´s it
We´ll have to accept this is just a tribute, with love for Whitney, but the bunch of screamers that will be there will probably sound a mess
And oh yes Babyface being involved would be great. Just some true musicians and the best singers we can get. Even if they are all above 40-50 years old cos nowadays there is nobody that can come close
I don’t know why people ALWAYS underrate Beyonce’s voice even when it’s obvious that the “can’t sing” label can never be applied to her.
I guess it’s a bad thing to dance, cuz if an artist is very good at dancing, his singing will be overlooked, regardless of how good it is. Look at MJ for instance; he was a very good male vocalist, as good as the likes of Stevie Wonder and Luther Vandross. But unfortunately, his voice was mostly overlooked by people who perceived him as a dancer.
When an artist is said to be a good PERFORMER, it means that he knows how to give a good performance whether vocally or in dancing, whether in studio or out of studio.
ENTERTAINER is reserved for the likes of J.LO, Britney Spears, Ciara, Janet and Rihanna.
Beyonce can sing for real, she may not be as skilled as Fantasia, but she can surely hold her own and is skilled enough to tackle some Whitney songs, provided that the arrangement suits her vocally.
Leona Lewis will be very good for I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, while Toni Braxton will be good for “Waiting to Exhale”
Glad to know that VH1 is doing a tribute to Whitney Houston I just hope that they do a tribute worthy of Whitney and the artist she was.
Brandy, Jennifer Hudson, Cici WInans, and Deborah C**.
LMFAO at the idea of Katy Perry & Rihanna singing When You Believe!!!
Whilst we’re at it, let’s have Britney, Cassie & Nicki Minaj close the whole show with Heartbreak Hotel!!!
Oh Lordy…
Not too many people can do Whitney, I’d just appreciate some artist adding their own spin to Whitney classics. So this is what I can come up with :
Brandy – ‘Exhale (Shoop Shoop) ‘
Toni Braxton – ‘Why Does It Hurt so Bad’
Beyonce – ‘I’m Your Baby Tonight’ or ‘Queen of the Night’
Christina Aguilera – ‘Run To You’
Monica – ‘You Give Good Love’
Alicia Keys – ‘The Greatest Love of All’
Mary Mary – ‘Step by Step’
Kelly Rowland & Michelle – ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’
http://www.thepagewithroyalkev.com
Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Brandy and Charice 🙂
Definitely Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys.
I am NOT here for a tribute to Whitney from vH1. I KNOW they not going to get the right artist and it will be less than stellar…LET HER REST IN PEACE PLEASE! Don’t do to Whitney what everyone did to MJ….PLEASE and THANK YOU!!!
Leona Lewis, Yolanda Adams, Shirley Ceasar and Ce Ce Winans are the ‘best’ and few artists out there today that sing with emotion. It would not be flattering to hear someone get up there and just sing b/c that’s not what Whitney did…picking artists for this should be a delicate process…..not about popularity and showmanship. Whitney loved melody and lyric. It wasn’t just about getting up on stage and memorizing the words to a song….she told a story through her songs…her music spoke to her and because of that she was able to translate that to her audience—-an artist that can do that will be the only way to truly ‘honor’ Whitney!
NinaBina, Exactly ! Well said !!
Mariah Should Open W/ a special song written in memory of Whitney
Brandy- & Kim Burrell- (Exhale)Shoop Shoop
Monica-Saving All My Love
Kelly Rowland- Greatest Love Of All
Mariah-Why Does It Hurt So Bad
Xtina-I Have Nothing (Pre-Recorded though we know how she could get live)
Yolanda Adams-Where Do Broken Hearts Go
Alexander Burke- I Wanna Dance W/ Somebody
Beyonce-I Will Always Love You
Mariah Carey, of course.
@Jessica Brandy? Really her upper register is nasally. Beyonce & Whitney has the same range, but Beyonce is more technical vocally. Beyonce could do things w/ her voice just like Mariah could do. Whitney was an outstanding vocalist but her greatest threat is her power & tone. Beyonce has range, power, stamina, and versatility, some qualities her and Whitney share. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaN2TbWMvuw
Sorry but hands down Monica & Brandy need to headline this event. People are getting mad because people think Beyonce should be in the mix but I totally disagree. Beyonce was more of a Michael Jackson type fan not Whitney. Where as Monica & Brandy have studied this woman and known her personally and both can really sing well. Not that Beyonce cant sing because she can blow, just not a Whitney Houston song Im sorry. So hands down Monica & Brandy as well as Kelly Rowland, Kelly Price, Tamia, Deborah, Christina Aguliera, Patti etc. We need real vocalist here because thats what Whitney was not an ass shaker, but one hell of a singer!!!!!!
Lets be real beyonce can sing but has been vocally trained. She has the soul nor the depth to tribute Whitney. For all those who think Monica and Brandy should not honor or have definition in their voice to perform in her remerbrence, I just have one question for you. Why would Whitney herself choose these women on several occassions to represent her and her work. Are you trying to say the VOICE herself was tone death. Monica has every bit of whitney in her voice. She may not be whitney but there is denying true talent there.
@JACE …. tone death?? lmao