Pharrell Williams, Clive Davis, Mike Posner, and composer John Debney united for a charitable cause Thursday night at City of Hope’s 12th annual Songs of Hope benefit.
The event, hosted at the residence of Ron and Stefanie Fair, drew a crowd of more than 400 music industry elites and philanthropists — all committed to supporting the org’s efforts to combat life-threatening diseases.
Davis presented this year’s Legend in Songwriting Award to Williams, whom he praised as “one of our great contemporary songwriters.”
“Yes indeed, Pharrell, you deserve this award on so many levels,” Davis said, noting the artist’s success with hits such as “Get Lucky,” “Blurred Lines,” and, of course, “Happy.”
“Your life is synonymous with your work and your work is synonymous with your life,” said a humble Williams, crediting his success to his parents, fellow collaborators, and the music execs who took a chance on his “left of center ideas.” “Those are the people that are responsible for my body of work,” he concluded. “And the one thing that I probably could take credit for is just being aware of that.”
Posner and Debney were also honored for their achievements in music — Posner for his chart-topping, catchy, synthpop tracks, and Debney for his memorable scores on movies like the Oscar-nominated “Passion of the Christ” and the live-action “The Jungle Book” remake.
The evening concluded with an intimate performance by Posner, who treated guests to a three-track set that included an acoustic rendition of his hit “I Took a Pill in Ibiza.”
Source: Variety
