LOS ANGELES • We Are The World, the celebrity-packed 1985 charity single, is getting an encore today, courtesy of the stars of singing contest American Idol.
American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and country singer Luke Bryan will perform it this morning (8am Singapore time) alongside former stars and winners of the talent show.
Richie, 70, co-wrote the song with pop icon Michael Jackson, who died at the age of 50 in 2009.
American broadcaster ABC said last Friday it will be the first television performance of the song in 35 years. It was originally written to raise money for African famine relief and featured artists including Jackson, Diana Ross, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan and many others.
Today's singers will include American Idol alumni Fantasia, Jordin Sparks, Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Lauren Alaina, Ruben Studdard and Scotty McCreery, as well as the top 11 finalists from the current season of the show.
The singing contest, which will name this year's winner during the telecast, has been produced remotely since mid-March when the coronavirus pandemic shut down movie and television sets throughout the United States.
Richie said he had been "asked a thousand and one times" whether he was going to write another song that captures the coronavirus era.
"My answer is, exactly the lyrics I would have written for the new song are iRead More – Source
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