Jorge Meza
On an unreasonably hot autumn night in Los Angeles, Babyface and Capitol Records gathered Hollywood’s finest to celebrate the crooner’s new album, Girls Night Out.
The party was in full swing and completely packed as VIBE entered the Beauty & Essex restaurant in Hollywood. Elbowing our way past the bar, we immediately noticed singer-songwriter Eric Bellinger and LOVE Records’ signee Jozzy laughing with P-Valley‘s John Clarence Stewart among the sea of familiar faces. We were quickly informed that Kim Kardashian was somewhere mingling with the man of the hour.
Moments later, Tank, J. Valentine, and their partners were seen taking photos at the Instagram-sponsored photobooth while Jordin Sparks and her husband/manager, Dana Thomas, talked with Chris Tucker. We took an opportunity to show love to the world’s favorite DJ, D-Nice, as he made his way through the crowd. Needless to say, there was a lot going on. With the air-conditioning on limited supply, we stepped outside for a quick breather where the album’s cover art served as a photo backdrop.
As the nine o’clock hour inched to an end, it was time to listen to the new album. Babyface, 64, headed to the DJ booth for a quick speech.
“Girls Night Out is a very special project to me because it is the chance to showcase the next up,” he began. “Every girl that was on this album was amazing.”
After shouting out his Capitol team and thanking his collaborators, he explained the process behind the album and shared, “It was the coolest process I’ve ever been in.”
By this point, VIBE had privately heard the project so many times and knew what our favorite tracks were. Naturally, we had our head on a swivel to catch crowd reactions. Unfortunately, the bustle didn’t provide the best environment to really experience the album the way it should be consumed. Nonetheless, the party continued.
Coco Jones, Muni Long, and Baby Tate—who are all featured on the album—were in attendance. Yet, the true highlight of the night was the crowd’s collective singing of “Can We Talk,” Face’s hit 1993 ballad performed by Tevin Campbell. Tucker seized the moment by grabbing his date’s hand for a slow dance, as though nobody else in the room existed.
Girls Night Out features some of R&B’s most prominent and promising acts including Ari Lennox, Kehlani, Ella Mai, Tiana Major9, and more. Check out our photo recap from the official, star-studded release party below.
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