Will Smith leads Quincy Jones Grammys 2025 tribute as Stevie Wonder, Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Mone, Lainey Wilson perform

Gettin’ Quincy wit it.Will Smith presented a tribute to the late great Quincy Jones on Sunday at the 2025 Grammys, introducing performances from Stevie Wonder, Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monáe and Lainey Wilson.A four-time Grammy winner himself, Smith was a fitting choice to honor Jones, who passed away in November at the age of 91.

In addition to being one of the all-time music greats — with 28 Grammy wins to his name — Jones was a prominent figure in film and TV.Among his producing credits: “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” the ’90s sitcom that rocketed Smith to superstardom.Calling Jones “one of the most groundbreaking and influential figures of our times,” Smith said, “In his 91 years, Q touched countless lives.

But I have to say he changed mine forever.You probably wouldn’t even know who Will Smith was if it wasn’t for Quincy Jones.”The musical portion of the tribute to Jones, which was made up of songs he helped birth, began with jazz pianist Herbie Hancock playing Jones’ ’60s instrumental track “Killer Joe.” Erivo then joined Hancock to sing a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” which Jones arranged, followed by Lainey Wilson livening up the crowd with “Let the Good Times Roll” before Stevie Wonder brought out his harmonica to perform the jazzy “Bluesette.”Wonder also took time to share his own reflection on Jones’ legacy before leading a crowd and children’s choir from one school that burned down during the Palisades Fire as they sang “We Are the World,” which Jones produced 40 years ago this year.“We are still the people who will fight and die for this nation, so we definitely have to be able to celebrate each other’s cultures all the time.”Monáe capped off the tribute with a rousing take on Michael Jackson’s classic “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough.”Smith’s involvement in the tribute was announced by The Recording Academy in an Instagram post shared on Friday.“A GRAMMY...