Justin Bieber and his crew made a stir over the weekend when they appeared at a high school prom in California to surprise the students in attendance. The result was a student body gone mad, resulting in one of the more memorable proms of all time without the pop star actually delivering a single song, reportedly. At least one attendee can tell her future (and possibly current) boyfriend about how she danced with Bieber at prom. Some musical acts have gone far beyond just crashing a prom however, actually attending a dance as someone's date. Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Drake: All have made appearances at high school way after attending high school.
Tupac Shakur (1996)
There's a common fear among high school guys about living up to the expectations of your date/girlfriend's father...not to mention a common fear among the fathers of females that your daughter will bring home a shady character. What if your daughter brought home the OG himself? Tupac Shakur received a letter to his fan club where a high school-aged fan requested he take her to the prom...and he showed up. He met with her family in advance to let them know that his intentions were good (he had numerous sexual charges on his criminal record) and he gave the family $1,500 to pay for dinner and a prom dress for the big night. He arrived in a limo to take her to the dance, and then signed autographs and took photos at the event itself. He only stuck around for five songs with his date, but considering how far out of the way he went to make her big night special, we'd say he done well on the whole.
Brandy (1996)
Brandy is the only performer on this list who is ultimately less famous than the individual who brought her to prom. Sure, nowadays it seems that ESPN and other media surrounding college athletics makes high school athletes celebrities before they even graduate but things were some much more out of control when basketball studs could enter the league right after graduation. LeBron James graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high schooler, but Kobe Bryant one-upped him while attending Lower Merion High in Philadelphia. He played the odds and asked Brandy, who had been nominated for Best New Artist at the 1995 event, to be his date to prom and she obliged. Granted, she was only 17 at the time so he could have aimed higher but opted to stick in his age-range. He would also fail to win Rookie of The Year...dropping the award to Allen Iverson.
Once Upon A Prom (2007-'08)
MTV, as a network, has to be given a hand for connecting the famous to their fans, whether that means secondhand shows such as Cribs or more literal connections. One such project was the Once Upon A Prom series, which allowed two lucky dudes to attend prom with their music icons. The first instance included Rihanna, who went to the big night with a fan (who was overwhelmed to the point where he couldn't make eye-contact with his date) and Taylor Swift would later accompany a fan to his dance the next year. The latter man should consider himself lucky, becoming one of the few guys to take Swift on a date without a nasty song coming in the aftermath. Rihanna has been less friendly with future promgoers however. One had the gall to ask her from an Instagram account that clearly paid homage to Beyoncé ("hollyonce"), and Rihanna bluntly said "no." She later mocked another follower, who attempted to borrow from Rihanna's fashion sense with a homemade prom dress.
Demi Lovato (2010)
Long before she became an A-lister, Demi Lovato had made a mutual-promise with childhood friend Nolan Nardecchia that the pair would attend prom together (while they were in kindergarten). And, despite the whole being-a-celebrity thing happened, she fully intended on seeing her promise through. The only problem was that she had a boyfriend at the time...in the form of Joe Jonas. Fortunately the Jonas Brother was a good sport, renting a Rolls Royce for the pair to take to the dance (perhaps as a lurking reminder to Nardecchia that she had other obligations). The coolest part was the photo-booth images that she later shared on Instagram...in which Nardecchia's friends seem totally un-phased by the fact that they're sharing a photo booth with Demi Lovato.
Drake (2014)
Sometimes it's better for your date to show up late than never at all. Students at Carnegie Vanguard high school hosted a personal prom for student Kennedy Brown, who was unable to attend her own prom because she was stricken with brain cancer (and, at 15, too young to attend the actual ceremony). Brown also received an honorary diploma during the "high school in a day" experience. That wasn't enough however, as her friends began a hashtag campaign in an attempt to grab the attention of her ideal prom date...rapper Drake. The rapper got the message and replied, spending time with Brown and posting his own #kenfordrake message: "Me and this beautiful angel Kennedy." The best part? Brown accomplished the goal of every prom attendee...to leave with a kiss from her date. Classy moves all around.
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