Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood celebration returned to Los Angeles in person on Thursday, August 11th.
Presented by Facebook Gaming, Variety hosted an esteemed group of young actors, musicians, digital influencers, and more. The party included a red carpet, cocktail hour, awards ceremony, and special gaming tournament to raise money for charity.
Team Captains included Joshua Bassett (Planned Parenthood), Iann Dior (Boys and Girls Club Puerto Rico), Jabari Banks (SAG Aftra Foundation) and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons (Topanga Women’s Circle). Each charity received a donation from Variety. The winner of the tournament was Joshua Bassett’s team which included Facebook Gamers Atura Gaming and JDevise.
We spoke to a few of your favorites on the red carpet and they shared what’s on their current playlist this summer.
Actor and media personality, Rickey Thompson said he can’t stop listening to Beyoncé. “Renaissance, that’s all I’ve been listening to,” said the TikTok sensation. “On the way here, as I’m getting ready, when I wake up in the morning as I’m at the gym. All the time, I can’t stop.”
Actors and siblings duo, Rico Rodriguez and Raini Rodriguez say they’ve been listening to a lot of hip-hop. “I’ve been listening to a lot of Doja Cat. She’s great,” said Rico. “I’m a big fan of rap so J. Cole, Cordae and Drake in all the classics. As for Raini, she loves Lizzo. “It’s Lizzo, all the time in my household. Lizzo every time we get in the car, Lizzo everywhere. She’s my girl. I love her so much.”
We also had another Queen Bey fan that night with Dara Reneé from the High School Musical series. She says Beyoncé’s has been on heavy rotation. “I was listening to Alien Superstar while getting dressed. I love “Energy” and “Thique.” She mentioned that her favorite lyric is “Don’t mess with my sis. She’s comfortable and cozy.”
This year’s honorees included Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, Angus Cloud, Halle Bailey and Becky G. They appeared on a split run cover of Variety’s annual Power of Young Hollywood issue is out now on a newsstand near you.