John Legend, Kesha, Foo Fighters Honor Mariah Carey at MusiCares Gala

Butterfly décor and hints of Mariah Carey lavender filled the Los Angeles Convention Center as the Queen of Christmas and R&B legend was celebrated on her big night. The star-studded MusiCares-benefitting tribute brought together artists from across genres — Laufey, Kesha, John Legend, Maggie Rogers, among them — who honored Carey’s incomparable vocals and inimitable songwriting by reimagining her songs in their own styles. Throughout the evening, Carey seemed joyful and as she mouthed along to her own classics.

“Tonight, it’s been sublime to hear my songs reimagined by some of the world’s greatest artists,” Carey said as she accepted her Person of the Year award at the end of the evening. “When I was a little girl scribbling lyrics in my notebook late at night, I could only dream of someone hearing those words and singing them.”

She continued, “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be here with all these magnificent artists singing my songs back to me, infusing them with their own artistry and giving them all new life. This has given me life.”

The concert portion of the evening kicked off with a mini DJ set from Jermaine Dupri of Carey classics (and several unexpected B-sides), before the cascade of performances came in. Jennifer Hudson opened with a vocally driven performance of “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” before continuing into “My All,” and adding even more soul to “Vision of Love,” Carey’s 1990 debut single.

After Hudson, Taylor Momsen joined Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters and took things from R&B heaven to pure grunge as they played songs from her secret 1995 album Someone’s Ugly Daughter, including “Love Is a Scam” and “Demented.” Carey was all smile as she sang along for what was by far the highlight of the night.

So too was the participation of Laufey, who expertly reimaigined “It’s Like That” as a jazzy bossa nova song completely in her style. Kesha also delivered full pop star energy as she sang along to “Obsessed,” and Maggie Rogers performed an unexpected rendition of “Honey.”

Accompanied by Gayle King, Stevie Wonder took the stage at one point to speak on the importance of freedom, and how Carey did well in honoring the “gift [she] was given by the most high:” her voice. “Never let anyone think they can take your freedom away,” Wonder said. Along with Wonder’s special appearance, Babyface called Carey “1 of 1,” Richard Marx sang acapella to “Can’t Let Go,” and SZA thanked Carey for being a “blueprint.”

R&B trio FLO delivered delectable harmonies on “Dreamlover,” Teddy Swims vocals shined on ballad “Without You,” Charlie Puth and John Legend paired their falsettos with the piano with renditions of “I Still Believe” and “Hero,” respectively, and Adam Lambert played “Can’t Let Go” from a B-stage.

Before performing a rendition of “baby-making music” classic “I Know What You Want” with Chanté Moore, Busta Rhymes made a surprise appearance and celebrated the “royal empress,” thanking her for their longtime friendship.

Billy Porter also performed “Always Be My Baby” with plenty of hootin’ and hollerin’, bringing a playful, attention-grabbing energy that shifted the focus from honoring the Carey classic to making it his own.

The night was a fitting celebration of Carey’s career but also a reminder of the work MusiCares did over the past year putting $15 million toward relief to help more than 3,000 musicians who were affected by the devastating fires that deeply affected the music community. The A-list, high net worth crowd took turns bidding on an Abu Dhabi trip to see Carey perform, tickets to the Grammys, and a glittery stage worn outfit by the star — all in the name of charity.

To end the night, and after Carey’s acceptance speech, Jon Batiste served as the final surprise guest, leading a singalong with some of the performers of the evening — and even Gayle King — to “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” As they all sang along, someone onstage (seemingly Porter) messed up a lyric as some performers paused and looked at each other confused on which verse of the song they were singing.

Then Mariah emerged from backstage to save the song, adding her vocals and closing things out as she greeted everyone onstage. If the Queen of Christmas says it’s Christmas in January… it’s Christmas in January.