It seems Hollywood stars have taken a leaf out of Cape Town star Jarrad Ricketts’ music book as they hosted a virtual fundraiser concert on Sunday.
Sir Elton John, who hosted the iHeart Living Room Concert for America event, played a keyboard belonging to his children, Billie Eilish sang on her couch and the Backstreet Boys sang in harmony from five locations as dozens of musicians put on a fundraiser for the warriors against Coronavirus.
Those who also performed from their homes included Mariah Carey, Camila Cabello, Alicia Keys, Shawn Mendes and Sam Smith.
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The one-hour show, broadcast on Fox television, was a joint effort to lift spirits, and raise money for medical staff who are tirelessly tackling the pandemic.
All the performances and appearances by celebrities ranging from comedian Ellen DeGeneres to R&B artist Lizzo and country singer Tim McGraw were filmed on phones, home cameras or online platforms.
John, who hosted the show from his kitchen, says: “There’s doctors, nurses and scientists on the frontlines. They’re living proof that most superheroes don’t wear capes.
“We hope this bit of entertainment can feed and fuel your souls.”
PUTTING ON A SHOW: Alicia Keys in full song
The amount raised was not immediately known, but the show can still be deemed as a success as more than $1 million (R17.9 million) was donated in the first 10 minutes, courtesy of $500,000 (R8.9 million) from household goods giant Procter & Gamble and a matching sum from Fox Television.
SING-A-LONG: Camila Cabello with Shawn Mendes
Perhaps our local stars could pull together and raise funds for South Africa’s warrior health workers as well.
They could rope in Ricketts after he successfully hosted his first-ever online concert just last week.
Staged at Penny Lane Recording Studios in Wynberg, Intimate Sessions with Jarrad Ricketts was a bid to give local entertainers an income boost as many gigs have been called off after President Cyril Ramaphosa banned public events for the next few months.