Eve took a walk down memory lane at the 2026 Recording Academy Honors Presented by the Black Music Collective on Thursday, Jan. 29, and opened up about her memories of first attending the Grammys in 2002.
Eve, 47, brought her mother with her to her first time at the awards ceremony in 2002. “I totally remember it,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively.
“For me, it was a big deal. It was for ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’, I got my Grammy. Also, my mom was my date. It was one of those things where I was like, ‘Yes!’ For my mom, I feel like it was my way of being like, ‘I’m going to be okay’. Because I wasn’t as good at school — I was cutting up in school. So for me it was like … yeah, it was a big deal. And it was also like ‘I’ve arrived,'” the two-time Grammy winner, full name Eve Cooper, continued.
When asked if it was a moment of validation, the rapper and actress replied, “100%.”
Kirk Franklin and Pharrell Williams were honorees at the 2026 Recording Academy Honors. Eve tells PEOPLE exclusively about how both artists’ unique paths have inspired her.
“Especially for me, I would say… Love Kirk Franklin down. But for me, Pharrell, his style, hip-hop and all the genres that he mixes into his music, never being afraid to be the artist that he felt like he wanted to be within hip-hop and beyond — that’s just inspiring. He’s never been afraid to try something. And I think that’s huge,” Eve tells PEOPLE.
When it comes to her own favorite style moment in her career, Eve tells PEOPLE it was her fiery red hair. “God. I have had so many styles, but I will say the red probably is my favorite because it was my Scorpion,” Eve says, citing her hit 2001 album.
“I am a Scorpio, through and through. So you know, red is our color. So that was the first time I think I really embraced like… Everything about that album, for me, had to be red,” Eve adds.
Scorpion celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and Eve is still in awe of its legacy.