The Promise Clive Davis Made and Broke to Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston counted on her label head Clive Davis throughout her history-making career. Davis was not only a mentor but a close friend to the singer. But there’s one promise he made in his work that he broke for Houston.
Whitney Houston signed with Clive Davis under one condition
Davis was the head of Arista Records when he first heard of the up-and-coming singer. Several record labels were vying for Houston to sign them, including Epik and Elektra. Seeing the immeasurable talent in the future Bodyguard star, Davis knew he had to make a big move.
In the forward of Houston’s 35th anniversary of her self-titled debut album, Davis revealed that Houston signing with him came down to one specific clause. “Whitney would only sign with us if she was given a key man clause that stated she would only work with me: if I were to leave the company for any reason, she could leave as well,” he writes. “At that time, Arista was part of RCA Records. We had never given that clause to any artist (and never would again), but in view of my passion, the RCA board approved it…and our lifetime musical adventure began.”
He spent the next two years carefully crafting her image and sound, handpicking every song, writer, and producer. His meticulousness paid off.
Clive Davis always vowed never to get involved in their personal lives, but he did when Whitney Houston was in the throes of addiction
Houston broke multiple records, having her debut and sophomore album debut at No. 1 with seven consecutive No. 1 hits. She beat The Beatles’ Billboard Chart record. Houston went on to sell out world tours, star in high-grossing films like Waiting to Exhale and began her own production company with her backing Disney’s The Cheetah Girls and starring and producing Cinderella.
But her personal struggles began to overshadow her career accomplishments. By the mid-2000s, Houston’s drug addiction was out of control. She began missing shows, her behavior concerned close family, friends, and fans, and the industry began to count her out. David interjected.
“He told her when they started working together that he didn’t get involved in the personal lives of his artists,” says I Wanna Dance With Somebody screenwriter Anthony McCarten in an interview with Vanity Fair. “But he broke that promise.… He became instrumental when she was in trouble, telling her to go to rehab. He was very protective of all of her. They really loved each other.”
He remained a close friend and mentor
Houston and Davis remained close friends throughout the entirety of her career, which spanned nearly 30 years. In that time, she released over a dozen albums, including soundtracks and compilation albums.
Of Houston’s impact, Davis told Rolling Stone in 2019, “She became the greatest singer of her generation. She had a vocal genius. She could transform a song and make it different.” Houston also made Davis the godfather of her only child, Bobbi Kristina Brown.
