"Celebrate" is a duet by American singers

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

and

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...

. It was written and produced by

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

for the soundtrack album ''

Sparkle Sparkle may refer to: * Sparkle (catamaran), a catamaran designed by Angus Primrose * Sparkle (drink), a lemon-flavored soft drink * Sparkle, a brand of paper towels owned by Georgia-Pacific * Sparkle Plenty, a character in the ''Dick Tracy'' c ...

'' to the 2012 musical drama film of the same name. The film starred Houston and Sparks.

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

released "Celebrate" as the first official single from the soundtrack. It is the last song recorded by Houston before she died on February 11, 2012. It was officially released on June 5, 2012 for digital download on iTunes and Amazon. The song made its US radio premiere on ''

On Air with Ryan Seacrest ''On Air with Ryan Seacrest'' is a weekday syndicated radio program hosted by Ryan Seacrest. It was launched in 2004 as a drive time show at the same time on Los Angeles Top 40 station 102.7 KIIS-FM as the television show with the same name, ...

'' on May 21, 2012. For the week June 16, 2012, "Celebrate" debuted at number 34 on the US

Adult R&B Airplay The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playl ...

. During that same week, "Celebrate" also debuted at number 84 on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart, and has since peaked at number 62. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song was filmed on May 30, 2012. The video was shot over two days by director Marcus Raboy. The music video made its world premiere on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

's ''

106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...

'' on June 27, 2012.

Background

"Celebrate" was written and produced by

and is the last song that

recorded; it is a duet between Houston and R&B/ pop singer

. It was released as the lead single from the soundtrack album '' Sparkle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' on June 5, 2012. It was officially released on June 5, 2012 for digital download on iTunes and Amazon. The song made its US radio premiere on ''

'' on May 21, 2012. For the week June 16, 2012, "Celebrate" debuted at number 34 on the US

chart, having amassed 45 spins for that week ending. During that same week, "Celebrate" also debuted at number 84 on the US

chart, and has since peaked at number 80. The

for "Celebrate" was filmed on May 30, 2012. The video was shot over two days and a preview premiered on ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Para ...

'' on June 4, 2012. The music video made its world premiere on

's ''

'' on June 27, 2012.

Composition

"Celebrate" is a

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and R&B mid tempo song influenced by 1960s themed music. Jason Lipshutz of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote that the song "is a relentlessly optimistic jam that seamlessly interweaves Sparks' ''American Idol''-winning vocals with those of her idol". During the second verse, Houston sings: "Though we've been going through changes / Just trying to make it from day to day / Tonight, don't you worry about a thing / Just cast your cares away", before the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

returns.

Critical reception

"Celebrate" received positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. Jason Lipshutz of ''Billboard'' called the song "a relentlessly optimistic jam that seamlessly interweaves Jordin Sparks ''American Idol''-winning vocals with those of her idol".

Chart performance

For the week June 16, 2012, "Celebrate" debuted at number 34 on the US

chart, eventually reaching number 10 for the week of September 1, 2012. During that same week, "Celebrate" also debuted at number 84 on the US

chart, and has since peaked at number 39. The song has also since made its debut on the US ''

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

'' chart at number 26. "Celebrate" is Houston's 40th top 40 R&B hit. The song also reached number 9 on the Gospel Digital Song Sales chart, becoming Houston's ninth top ten single off that chart and Sparks' first.

Music video

Background

The

for "Celebrate" was filmed on May 30, 2012. The video was shot over two days in down town Los Angeles and is directed by

Marcus Raboy Marcus Raboy (born November 30, 1965) is an American film director, film and music video director. Since the early 1990s, Raboy has amassed a large number music video credits directing music videos for Mary J. Blige, Dixie Chicks, Rihanna, Lut ...

. A preview of the video premiered on ''

'' on June 4, 2012. The music video made its world premiere on BET's 106 & Park on June 27, 2012. The music video treatment originally was set to include both Sparks and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, But with her unexpected passing in February 2012 before the video was shot the treatment had been changed. Sparks says "When we did the song, we planned on it being Whitney and me. But she's not here, so we wanted to make it a tribute to her. So it's fun, upbeat and exciting — there are clips from the movie and the main cast is in the video too. It's me,

Tika Sumpter Euphemia LatiQue Sumpter, better known as Tika Sumpter, is an American actress, singer, producer, television host, and model. Sumpter began her career as the host of '' Best Friend's Date''. From 2005 to 2010, she appeared in the daytime soap ope ...

Carmen Ejogo Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo (; born 22 October 1973)

Derek Luke Derek Nathanial Luke (born April 24, 1974) is an American actor. He won the Independent Spirit Award for his big-screen debut performance as the titular character in the 2002 film '' Antwone Fisher'', directed and produced by Denzel Washington. ...

Omari Hardwick Omari Latif Hardwick (born January 9, 1974) is an American actor known for his starring role as James "Ghost" St. Patrick, the protagonist of Starz's ''Power'' and his role as Vanderohe in Zack Snyder's ''Army of the Dead'' (2021). He is also kn ...

... Goapele is in it and

Mike Epps Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in ''Next Friday'' and its sequel, ''Friday After Next'', and also appeared in ''The Hangover'' and ''The Hangover Part III'' as "Bla ...

. We're all just having a good time nd the premise isthey all come over to my house singing along to Whitney's music. And we're missing her and celebrating her as well. It's actually pretty simple, but when you watch it and hear her voice along with it, it makes it so much more."

Synopsis

Sparks hosts a

house party A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host. Organization A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...

at her place with fellow cast members of

in attendance. Throughout the video, Footage from

, mainly focusing on Houston, is spliced in throughout the clip. Houston's scenes in the music video show the late singer in her acting prime as she smiles in many of the clips then cries in another. The final shot of the music video is an image of Houston from the film. “Celebrate” is dedicated to Houston's memory.

Reception

The video was met with positive reception. Rebecca Ford of TheHollywoodReporter.com calls it "a very positive and uplifting video". Sabrina Rojas Weiss from VH1 said "For a while now, we’ve been thinking of Sparkle as “the movie that makes us really sad about Whitney Houston.” We probably weren't alone". She concluded "which is why the release of the video “Celebrate” was a brilliant move". Tanner Stransky of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' praised the video saying "It feels triumphant, in a way, that they carried on

he Video He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

without Houston". Byron Flitsch from

MTV.com MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

says "we're really loving is the storyline that weaves in a montage of movie scenes" he went on to say "it's the emotional, almost home-movie quality honoring Whitney's on-screen presence that gets us all kinds of sentimental".

Awards and nominations

Track listing

*Digital download #"Celebrate" – 3:35

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from '' Sparkle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' liner notes. * Recorded at The Chocolate Factory,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, IL * Mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios,

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

, VA *

Lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

–

Composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

Production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

Arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

, Co-mixing,

Keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

& Additional Vocals –

* Vocal Production -

Harvey Mason, Jr. Harvey Jay Mason Jr. (born June 3, 1968) is an American record producer, songwriter, movie producer and current CEO of The Recording Academy. He has written and produced songs for artists including Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Deniece Wil ...

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

- Donnie Lyle * Bass - Bigg Makk * Additional Keyboards - Bigg Makk, Rodney East *

Choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

- Joan Collaso,

Yvonne Gage Yvonne Gage (born December 20, 1959) is an American singer from Chicago, Illinois. Active since the late 1970s, she has done background vocals for artists prior to and after her own solo success. As a session musician, she has provided vocals for ...

, Pastor Chris Harris, Mike Harvey, Jeff Morrow, Lauren Pilot Morrow, Robin Robinson *

Recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

& Programming - Ian Mereness, Abel Garibaldi *

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Recorded by Andrew Hey at Mason Sound, North Hollywood, CA * Assisted by Davad Boyd, Micheal Daley & Dabling Harward *

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

- John Hanes * Assistant Engineer - Phil Seaford

Charts

Radio and release history

References

{{authority control 2012 singles 2012 songs Whitney Houston songs Jordin Sparks songs Songs released posthumously Songs written by R. Kelly Song recordings produced by R. Kelly Music videos directed by Marcus Raboy RCA Records singles