NEW YORK – Many of Hollywood's rising stars who arrived at the Time 100 Next celebration were ready to mingle and catch up with their famous friends at the star-studded event on the night of Thursday, Oct. 29.
Actors like "The Pitt" star Isa Briones and Snape actor Paapa Essiedu
from the upcoming "Harry Potter" TV series were seated among their fellow honorees, which included comedians Ashley Padilla, Chloe Fineman and Druski, and the Grammy-nominated singers Alex Warren and Sombr.Druski took a couple of photos with guests, Dominic Sessa and Joey King struck up conversation, and Sarah Pidgeon chatted with both Marisa Abela and Molly Gordon in the main ballroom at Current in Chelsea Piers, celebrating the magazine's latest list of rising stars.
But it was one of this year's cover stars, Raye, who stole the show at the sit-down dinner, with many of the lists' honorees scattered across the dining room to take in her emotional performance.
Time 100 executive editor and chief strategy officer Dan Macsai introduced the "Where Is My Husband?" singer, who showed off her trademark stunning vocals, performing two songs as people enjoyed a roasted beet carpaccio salad.
She invoked the jazz standard made famous by Julie London, "Cry Me a River" (not the Justin Timberlake version, which she made sure to distinguish). The 29-year-old Brit's voice flounced and fluttered into a room that had her undivided attention, nary a fork nor knife scraping across a plate, nor a chatter to be heard within earshot.
For her second song of the night, she selected a deeper cut of hers, "Happier Times Ahead," the closing number on her sophomore LP, "This Album May Contain Hope." People whooped and cheered as the powerhouse showcased her vocal acrobatics, oscillating between hushed vocals and near-full-out belts that she's known for. As the recent Mercury Prize winner wrapped up her two-song set, the room immediately gave her a standing ovation.
Alex Warren, Himesh Patel share emotional tributes about hope
The night was punctuated by remarks from sponsors and the honorees, including British actor Himesh Patel ("The Odyssey," "Station Eleven"), who delivered a moving speech on the power of hope in an increasingly divided society.
"Hope is a verb," he said. "It's not something we keep for ourselves. It's an act of defiance. It's a debt we owe to those who fought for us to be here, to those who died for us to be here, and it's something we pay forward to our loved ones, to our communities, to the victims of climate collapse, of genocide, to the people fighting rising fascism and authoritarianism, and to our children, to all of our children."
Patel said as the honorees "are being told that we hold power and influence," he will "use my standing here amongst all you incredible people to say, in these precarious times, in the face of fear and uncertainty, I choose to hope, and maybe you will too, because imagine the power and the influence of that to provide."
Warren spoke about the deaths of both his parents. "My dad was a superhero, and I wanted to impress him," the "Ordinary" singer said, adding that as he said goodbye to his dad, he realized that "the room that was filled with music and cheer the days prior was taken up by the deafening sound of silence."
"Growing up, I was surrounded by so many people, yet I felt so alone," he said. "I felt like I couldn't talk to anyone about what I was going through, and when I needed my mom, I sadly had to mourn two parents at once."
He continued, "Now every night, no matter what lyrics I sing or wrong strings I play on my guitar, millions of people around the world are screaming these songs loud enough for anyone we have lost to hear."
'SNL' star Ashley Padilla gets laughs with raunchy joke at Time 100 Next event
The last toast of the night went to the "Saturday Night Live" standout Padilla, who stole the show with a quick, humorous speech. "You may know me from a sketch where I fart in front of all my coworkers and then get very, very mad about it right after," she said. "And if you don't know me from that, then you don't know me at all, because there is nothing else I have done."
She went on to say that she was extremely honored to be included on this year's list and said that if she was asked who or what gives her hope, she was going to say "the children," but her niece called her a "b---- last week," though she does think her nephew is an angel. "I'm not going to hang all my hope on those guys."
So instead, she raised a glass to "that voice whispering inside of myself and inside of all of us to keep going … and the children too, if you want."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Warren gives emotional speech about parents' deaths at Time 100 Next Gala
