Hosting the2020 Grammy Awardshours after the tragic news ofKobe Bryantand his daughterGianna‘s deaths was no easy feat, butAlicia Keyswas dedicated to doing it right.
During a chat withEllen DeGeneresfor Wednesday’s episode of her daytime talk show, the 39-year-old singer recalls the opening of the show changing “minutes before” it was set to begin on Sunday at the Staples Center — the same venue Bryant played at with the Los Angeles Lakers before his retirement from the NBA in 2016.
“I was literally backstage, I put on my meditation music, I just was thinking and I called some of my closest people that helped me really find the truth in the moment,” she continues. “It just so happenedBoyz II Menwas there already that night and we wanted to do something special — create just something that felt like it was the right thing — and we pulled it together and it was just beautiful. It was like that magic that happens when it’s necessary.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Emma McIntyre/Getty; Rich Fury/Getty
Alicia Keys (L) and Ellen DeGeneres.Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
“We’re literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built. Right now,Kobe and his daughter Gianna, and all of those that have been tragically lost today are in our spirit,” she said, in part. “They’re in our hearts and our prayers. They’re in this building.”
Speaking with DeGeneres, 62, about the Grammys tribute,the “Underdog” singersays, “It was so much, but I was very honored to be able to share that moment with all of us — with the entire world. That we could go through something that hurt so bad, together.”
Be sure to check out PEOPLE’sfull Grammy Awards coverageto get the latest news on music’s biggest night.
Alicia Keys and Boyz II Men honor Kobe Bryant at the 2020 Grammy Awards.Kevin Winter/Getty
RELATED VIDEO: Wyclef Jean Calls Kobe Bryant the “Most Incredible, Nicest Teddy Bear” and an “Example to All of Us”
Keys, whose self-titled albumAliciais out March 20, also performed in a solo musical tribute to Bryant during the Grammys, playing the piano and addressing the somber feelings of the audience.
“I’m looking forward to being here together with all of us,again celebrating this music becauseI know how much Kobe loved music,” said the 15-time Grammy winner. “I know how much he loved music, so we gotta make this a celebration in his honor. He would want us to keep the vibrations high.”
Keys later spoke toEntertainment Tonightafter the show, revealing, “This was a really hard night, and that’s why I think it was a roller coaster. It was painful, it’s painful right now. We lost a beloved, beloved hero to all of us. A person who is like a true example of brilliance and excellence.”
The 62ndGrammy Awardsaired live from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
source: people.com
