Babyface was the featured performer at the Whitney E. Houston Legacy of Love Gala on Saturday, Aug. 8
Credit: Carol Lee Rose/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds paid tribute to Whitney Houston with a memory of making their first song together
- At the Whitney E. Houston Legacy of Love Gala, the legendary singer and producer recalled making “I’m Your Baby Tonight” with the late music icon and how she rushed through it so she could go shopping
- This year’s Whitney E. Houston Legacy of Love Gala took place on Saturday, Aug. 8 in Atlanta
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds opened up about a funny memory of making music with Whitney Houston.
On Saturday, Aug. 8, the late music icon’s legacy was celebrated by family, friends and fans at the Whitney E. Houston Legacy of Love Gala at the St. Regis Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, which would’ve been her 63rd birthday.
This year’s event featured the theme “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” in honor of Whitney’s 1987 hit and unveiled her Whitney Barbie Signature Doll and her new No. 1s album.
The gala also featured a special performance by Whitney’s longtime collaborator and friend Babyface, 67, who performed hits including “Every Time I Close My Eyes” and “Whip Appeal.” He also enlisted surprise special guest Chanté Moore for “Why Does It Hurt So Bad,” the song he produced and Whitney performed for the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack.
Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
During his performance, he shared how “glad” he was to be at the event before sharing a memory of working on their first track together, “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” which would go on to top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
“This is where we first worked together here in Alpharetta, [Ga.]. We did our first song, ‘I’m Your Baby Tonight,’ and that was the first time I got in the studio with her,” Babyface told the crowd.
He recalled that they were at LaCoco Studios, and at the time, Whitney “was in a rush because she wanted to get to the mall.”
“She was like, ‘Hurry up, get this done, write the song, because I want to go shopping.’ We did that song so fast, and she killed it. She killed it because she needed to go shopping,” said Babyface.
He continued: “It was crazy because when I was with Whitney, I knew she was a superstar, and I was dying to work with her and be around her, but for some reason when I worked with her, she didn’t feel like a superstar. We just had this relationship like it was a brother-or-sister thing. We had fun with each other.”
In a 2025 interview with PEOPLE, he also reflected on “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” explaining why it was “such a different song” from Whitney’s typical style.
“It was such a different song. There was nothing typical about that. I don’t even know how I came up with that one, to be honest. It was just really unlike anything else on radio. And it wasn’t typical with Whitney Houston whatsoever, but it felt good. And fortunately, Clive [Davis] felt the same way and Whitney felt the same way. That became my first No. 1 pop hit,” he said at the time.
This year’s gala also included a tribute to the late Clive Davis, who fostered Whitney’s career. He had served as Honorary Chair of the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation for the past four years and was named this year’s Honorary Chair before he died at age 94 in June.
“Clive has always told people, and I said in all interviews, ‘You cannot never say anything about Whitney without speaking of Clive or Clive without Whitney,” Dr. Pat Houston, president of the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation and executor of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston, told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.
Credit: Carol Lee Rose/Getty
Also during the evening, Whitney’s brother Gary Houston, along with new recording artist Jada Nikole, performed Calum Scott’s reimagined, duet ballad of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).” Additionally, Gary performed “Someday We’ll All Be Free.” Gary, 68, and Pat, 67, also led a performance of Whitney’s hit song “Step By Step” with other guests on stage.
The Whitney E. Houston Legacy of Love Gala also featured the presentation of its third annual cover song vocal competition, where participants were able to submit a two-minute video singing one of their favorite Whitney songs, and previewed items from the upcoming fundraiser with Julien’s Auctions, which will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
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In 2012, Whitney died at the age of 48 of an accidental drowning with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors . Her life became the center of a biopic called Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, starring Naomi Ackie.
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