One World: Together at Home will see Gaga joined by the likes of Billie Eilish, Lizzo, J Balvin, Burna Boy, Kacey Musgraves, and more to perform
Lady Gaga joined the World Health Organization’s press conference today (April 6) to announce a huge concert in celebration of the efforts of COVID-19 aid workers.
The One World: Together at Home is curated by the musician, and will be livestreamed worldwide and televised on US and UK networks. Commitments from supporters and corporate partners will go towards WHO’s coronavirus solidarity response fund, and will celebrate healthcare works globally. She called it a moment “to serve as a source of unity and encouragement in the global fight to end COVID-19”.
Lady Gaga will perform, alongside a stellar all-star lineup: Billie Eilish and Finneas, Lizzo, Burna Boy, Stevie Wonder, J Balvin, Alanis Morisette, Kacey Musgraves, Paul McCartney, Andrea Bocelli, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, John Legend, Lang Lang, Keith Urban, Green Day’s Billie Joe Artmstrong, and Elton John have been announced so far.
Celebrities and cultural figures such as Idris and Sabrina Elba, David Beckham, Kerry Washington, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Shah Rukh Khan are also set to participate.
Lady Gaga joined the WHO coronavirus briefing to announce the "One World: Together at Home" virtual benefit concert on April 18 "to serve as a source of unity and encouragement in the global fight to end Covid-19" pic.twitter.com/mjpstxuXJ4
— QuickTake by Bloomberg (@QuickTake) April 6, 2020
“We want to highlight the gravity of this historical, unprecedented cultural movement ... and we want to celebrate and encourage the power of the human spirit,” Gaga said on the live stream.
Speaking further on the WHO press conference live stream, Gaga announced that she had helped to raise $35m (£28m) for Global Citizen in the last week alone. She said the purpose of the One World concert was not as a fundraiser, but to provide entertainment, comfort and solidarity. “Put your wallets away ... and sit back and enjoy the show you all deserve,” she added.
US television networks ABC, NBC, and CBS will all broadcast the concert live on April 18 at 8pm EST. The BBC will show the concert on April 19 with an adapted version to include British artists and interviews and footage from UK frontline health workers. It will also be streamed live on YouTube, Apple, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
$35 million has already been raised over the past seven days to support the @WHO's #COVID19 response efforts. https://t.co/NmOrQLVDVm
— Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) April 6, 2020
The announcement follows a conversation Gaga had over the phone with Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation. Gaga spent her birthday working on “finding ways to support the world” amid the current pandemic with Ghebreyesus. The WHO rep praised her for “compassion and kindness”, and wished her a happy 34th birthday.
“We may have to be apart physically for a little while, but we can still come together virtually to enjoy great music. The One World: Together at Home concert represents a powerful show of solidarity against a common threat,” Ghebreyesus said in a statement today.
The release of Gaga’s highly anticipated new album Chromatica – which was meant to drop April 10 has been postponed given the global circumstances, but yesterday (April 5) the artist shared the album’s cyberpunk-influenced artwork. “This is such a hectic and scary time for all of us, and while I believe art is one the strongest things we have to provide joy and healing to each other during times like this, it just doesn’t feel right to me to release this album with all that is going on during this global pandemic,” she said of the decision to delay, but promised exciting things in store for fans in the coming months.
Donate to the World Health Organization and follow along with their coronavirus response and updates here