20 January, 2023Print
Primary Wave Music And The Estate Of Whitney E. Houston Celebrate The 60th Birthday And Life Of The Iconic Singer During Grammy-Week Residency
Primary Wave Music And The Estate Announce The Whitney Houston Hotel Presented By Sony In Hollywood Starting Feb 1EVENTS INCLUDE SONY’S 360 REALITY AUDIO IMMERSIVE LISTENING LOUNGE, A GALLERY OF ICONIC WHITNEY HOUSTON PHOTOS AND GOWNS, ARTISTS SHOWCASES, A WHITNEY POP-UP RETAIL STORE, ALL LEADING UP TO THE SATURDAY NIGHT PRE-GRAMMY PARTY WITH SPECIAL GUEST DJ
January 20, 2023 - Primary Wave Music and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston continue to honor the incomparable singer, announcing today a Grammy-week residency to celebrate the 60th birthday, career and life of the iconic Whitney Houston at the WHITNEY HOUSTON HOTEL presented by Sony, with additional sponsors M·A·C Cosmetics, Proflowers®, and City National Bank.
Taking place at the W Hotel in Hollywood, the week’s events will include Sony’s 360 Reality Audio Immersive Listening Lounge, a memorabilia exhibit featuring photos of Whitney as well as several iconic gowns worn throughout her legendary career, a Whitney Houston pop-up shop with exclusive merch, electronics and more.
Two days of live music will feature an all-star roster of talent on hand for performances that will include a medley of their hits as well as their favorite Whitney song. The lineup includes Grammy winner Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, acclaimed actress and Grammy-nominated singer Amber Riley, Warner Records artists Baby Tate and Teddy Swims, Def Jam Recordings’ Coco Jones, artist and songwriter Georgia Ku (Martin Garrix, Dua Lipa, Zedd), Republic Records artist Kiana Ledé, TikTok sensation and Capitol Records latest signing Natalie Jane, plus more! All performers will be supported by the trailblazing musical director and guitarist, Freaky Rob Gueringer (Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Cardi B) who will be accompanied by an all-star band.
Saturday night will roll out a gala pre-GRAMMY party with special guest DJ, co-hosted by Primary Wave Music and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston.
Below is a full schedule of the Grammy-week residency at the Whitney Houston Hotel taking place at the W Hotel in Hollywood.
Whitney Houston x Sony
The Grammy-week residency marks the second activity in a multi-faceted collaboration between The Estate of Whitney E. Houston, Primary Wave Music and Sony to honor Whitney’s legacy of impeccable sound.
In Summer 2022, select Whitney Houston catalog songs and albums were released in 360 Reality Audio on supported music streaming services, including Amazon Music Unlimited. Sony’s 360 Reality Audio is a new immersive music experience that allows listeners to immerse themselves in a field of sound – using any pair of headphones. Individual sounds such as vocals, chorus, piano, guitar, bass and even sounds of the live audience can be placed in a 360 spherical sound field, giving artists and creators a new way to express their creativity.
In December 2022 aligned with the launch of the I Wanna Dance With Somebodybiopic, Sony released the global ad “Whitney Houston x WH-1000XM5” bringing Whitney’s world to life through Sony’s WH-1000XM5 wireless noise canceling headphones (leaning into “WH” for “Whitney Houston”), which allows fans to get lost in her iconic music. #WhitneysWorldNothingElse
During the GRAMMY residency, the collaboration will continue through Sony's 360 Reality Audio Immersive Listening Lounge, which will allow listeners to experience Whitney Houston’s music like never before.
Wednesday, February 1
Official unveiling of the WH-Whitney Houston Hotel
Opening of the Sony’s 360 Reality Audio Immersive Listening Lounge
Opening of the Whitney Houston Pop-Up Retail Shop
Opening of the Whitney Houston Gallery featuring rare and iconic photos,
as well as several gowns worn by Whitney throughout her career
Thursday, February 2
Sony’s 360 Reality Audio Immersive Listening Lounge
Artist Showcases
VIP seating area by invitation only
General Admission open to the public
Friday, February 3
Sony’s 360 Reality Audio Immersive Listening Lounge
Whitney Houston Brunch and Panel Discussion
Panel hosted by Kevin Frazier
Brunch curated by Award-winning Chef Deborah VanTrece of “VanTrece Hospitality Group”
VIP by invitation only
Artist Showcases
VIP seating area by invitation only
GA open to the public
Saturday, February 4
Primary Wave 16th Annual Pre-Grammy Carpet & Party
VIP by invitation only
“Whitney's estate is proud to be partnering with Primary Wave to honor Whitney's 60th Anniversary during Grammy week with this special residency at the W Hotel” said Pat Houston.
“It continues to be an honor to partner with the Estate of Whitney E. Houston and we couldn’t be more thrilled to celebrate the life and legacy of the incomparable Whitney Houston,” said Jeff Straughn, Chief Branding Officer at Primary Wave Music. He continues, “We’re also extremely grateful for the continued brand support from all of our partners as we prepare to celebrate Whitney’s 60th throughout 2023!”
“Whitney Houston’s music and artistry is timeless,” says Hiroshi Nakamura, Head of Personal Entertainment Business Division, Sony Corporation. “Sony is thrilled to collaborate with the Whitney Houston Estate and Primary Wave to celebrate her legacy and bring fans even closer to her iconic music through our sound products and technologies.”
Born into a musical family in 1963, Whitney Houston remains one of the best-selling music artists of all time with over 200 million records sold worldwide. The singer released seven studio albums and two soundtracks, all of which have been certified diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, or gold by the RIAA. Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, she was the first female artist to enter the Billboard 200 album chart at #1, and her career-defining version of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” is the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist.
To date, Houston is one of the most awarded female artists of all time. Her accolades include six GRAMMY Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, an Emmy, MTV VMA, NAACP Image Awards, BET Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, and so many more. In 2020, nearly 35 years after the release of her debut album, Whitney was honored with an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of her unique fusion of pop, R&B, and gospel – the very roots of rock & roll. That same year, Whitney became the first African American recording artist with three RIAA Diamond albums, after her second album, Whitney, was certified 10x platinum. In 2022, a biopic pic on Houston’s life was released to critical acclaim. “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody” was directed by Kasi Lemmons, with a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, bringing Houston’s incomparable life and voice to an entirely new generation of fans. With her countless hits continuing to find new audiences and her passing in 2012 being felt by her millions of fans around the world, her estate is committed to keeping her legacy alive.
About Primary Wave Music:
The Home of Legends.
Primary Wave Music is the leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music in the world. The company is home to some of the most iconic songwriters, artists, and record labels across the history of recorded music including Sun Records, Bob Marley, Prince, Stevie Nicks, James Brown, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Smokey Robinson, Whitney Houston, Burt Bacharach, Bing Crosby, Luther Vandross, Olivia Newton-John, Ray Charles, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, America, War, Gerry Goffin, Traveling Wilburys (Bob Dylan), Joey Ramone, Robbie Robertson, Teddy Pendergrass, Count Basie, Sly & The Family Stone, Boston, Alice Cooper, Paul Anka, Boy George and Culture Club, Allee Willis, Leon Russell, Paul Rodgers, Free, Toots & The Maytals, Steve Cropper, Martina McBride, Glenn Gould, Air Supply, Huey Lewis and the News, Jeff Porcaro (TOTO), Holly Knight, Jim Peterik, Alice In Chains, Godsmack, Disturbed, Devo, Donny Hathaway, George Merrill & Shannon Rubicam, Nicky Chinn, David Malloy, Even Stevens, Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Noel Hogan (Cranberries), Dan Wilson, Mike Scott (Waterboys), Chris Isaak, KT Tunstall, Patrick Leonard, Sturken & Rogers, Gin Blossoms, Tom Whitlock, Steve Kipner, Matt Redman, and many more. The songs represented by Primary Wave include over 800 Top 10 singles, and over 400 #1 hits. Throughout the company's 16-year existence, Primary Wave Music has embraced an entrepreneurial spirit, offering, and executing proactive one-of-a-kind ideas, unique services, and marketing campaigns for its artists. Primary Wave has earned a stellar reputation for being forward thinking and re-introducing classic artists and their music into the modern marketplace as well as nurturing young talent to become legends themselves. This success is based upon our team of seasoned and creative executives collaboratively working together closely with our artists as partners. As a company, we strive for excellence in the pursuit of iconic artists and catalogs that not only reflect great artistry, but impact and influence culture.
About Sony:
Sony Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation and is responsible for the Entertainment, Technology & Services (ET&S) business. With the vision of "continuing to deliver Kando and Anshin(*) to people and society across the world through the pursuit of technology and new challenges," Sony will create products and services in areas such as home entertainment & sound, imaging, and mobile communications. For more information, visit: http://www.sony.net/
* Both Japanese words, Kando means emotion and Anshin has various meanings such as peace of mind, reassurance, reliability, and trust.
For More Information, contact
Rebecca Shapiro: rshapiro@shorefire.com or Grace Fleisher gfleisher@shorefire.com.
Primary Wave Music On The Web: