Black Eyed Peas

Black Eyed Peas in 2018

Photo: David M. Benett/WireImage/Getty Images

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Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo, Saweetie & More To Play Rock The Vote Livestream

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Big Freedia, Amara La Negra, Eve, Chuck D and Senator Elizabeth Warren will also make appearances during the two-hour digital party
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jun 15, 2020 - 12:21 pm

Rock The Vote has revealed the details for their first Democracy Summer 2020 livestream event featuring performances from Katy Perry, the Black Eyed Peas, Ne-Yo, Eve, Chuck D, Big Freedia, Amara La Negra, Saweetie and more. The two-hour digital party, taking place this Thurs., June 18, will also feature speeches from senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, as well as activists and others encouraging young people to get out and vote.

The kick-off event will be hosted by actors Logan Browning ("Dear White People") and Rosario Dawson ("Briarpatch," Sin City, Josie & The Pussycats) and also include performances from Lucy Hale, Rich Brian, Sklyar Astin, Max, Leslie Grace, Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson.

Read: Amara La Negra Will Keep Talking About Her Afro-Latina Identity Until Things Change

"I'm excited to be a part of this kickoff to Democracy Summer 2020 with so many amazing talents, activists and speakers," Perry said in a statement. "The young people of America are speaking loud and clear on the streets and online, and come November, it will be more important than ever to fight for justice and equality, and against systemic racism, with our ballots."

More Democracy Summer 2020 events will be announced later, as part of a push to encourage voter registration and turn out during the pivotal elections this year. Democracy Summer is a collaboration with Rock The Vote and almost two dozen other non-profits, including Voto Latino, Drag Out The Vote, Get Lit and the House of Blues Music Forward Foundation.

The concert begins on Thurs., June 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PST, streaming on democracysummer.org, Facebook and YouTube. Visit their website for more info and to register.

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Frank Iero

Frank Iero of My Chemical Romance

Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

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MusiCares COVID-19 Fund: MCR's Frank Iero, Rita Wilson & Naughty By Nature, Ellie & Drew Holcomb & More Support With Livestreams & Beyond

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Linda Perry with We Are Hear, Brett Young via Levi Strauss' "5:01 Live" series and CMT, with their upcoming star-studded Kenny Rogers tribute special, have also joined the cause
Ana Monroy Yglesias
MusiCares
Apr 6, 2020 - 12:58 pm

Many more artists and companies have come together during this difficult time to support the many music people out-of-work and in-need due to coronavirus, with more fun fundraisers and generous donations to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Today, actor/singer Rita Wilson teamed up with hip-hop legends Naughty By Nature to release a special remix of their classic track "Hip Hop Hooray," featuring none other than Wilson herself throwing down bars. All proceeds from the song will be donated to the Fund. It was released on YouTube today (listen below) and will be available across streaming/digital platforms this Friday. Wilson and her husband, Tom Hanks, contracted COVID-19 while filming in New Zealand; after posting a video rapping "Hip Hop Hooray" on Instagram, the group reached out to her about collaborating on the new version for a good cause.

For the last two weeks, Nashville powerhouse singer/songwriters and power couple Ellie and Drew Holcomb having been performing fun covers ranging from U2 to Kacey Musgraves to John Mayer on their daily Kitchen Covers series, raising money for MusiCares and their out-of-work touring band and crew.

Linda Perry and Kerry Brown's We Are Hear multifaceted music org have launched the On The Air series, in partnership with Roland, featuring music industry talks, performances and more on YouTube. With the platform's donation functionality, they are raising money for the Fund. Halestorm's Lzzy Hale offered some empowering words and music in one of the latest episodes. 

Read More: Troye Sivan, Yoshiki, Father John Misty, Selena Gomez & More Donate To MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund

On Wednesday, April 8, CMT will be airing a special star-studded tribute show to the late country king Kenny Rogers to benefit MusiCares. "CMT Giants Kenny Rogers: A Benefit for MusiCares" will feature at-home performances by Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires, Lady Antebellum, Vince Gill, Michael McDonald, Rascal Flatts and more.

Later this week, on April 11, the Human To Human 2020 festival on Facebook Live will feature live music from Alec Benjamin, Tayla Parx, Skylar Grey, Richard Marx, Cyn, Grouplove, Jewel, Lauren Daigle and more. They will be raising money for the Plus1 COVID-19 Relief Fund, which has partnered with MusiCares and the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

Until April 9 (it began April 2), the UnCanceled Music Festival is bringing tons of live sets from artists around globe by pairing with local venues and brands to curate digital stages. The massive online event is hosted on the StageIt platform and requires "attendees" to donate in a pay-what-you-can model to watch. Fender's stage has featured alt faves like Waxahatchee, Cautious Clay and The Marias, while Los Angeles venue Hotel Cafe has tapped VINCINT, Colbie Caillat, Molly Tuttle and more. All money raised is donated to the venues' staff, the artist community and MusiCares.

Fender has been finding several creative ways to collaborate with artists and contribute to the MusiCares Fund. With the Fender Artist Check-In series on IGTV, they've tapped bad-ass guitarists including My Chemical Romance's Frank Iero, John 5, Isbell, and more and are donating on behalf of each artist that participates. In Iero's recent Check-In, which you can watch below, he shares a guitar tutorial for two MCR fan-favorites, "Ghost of You" and "Welcome to the Black Parade."

For those seeking a little retail therapy for a good cause, live music photographer Jacob Blickenstaff and pop star Troye Sivan have you covered. Blickenstaff has partnered with some of the artists he's photographed over the years, including Isbell, Dawes, Yola and Hiss Golden Messenger, selling gorgeous prints with a portion of the proceeds going to the Fund. Sivan, who had shared he would be supporting both MusiCares and the WHO's coronavirus relief efforts, recently released merch for his new single, "Take Yourself Home." All the profits from the three t-shirts will be donated to the WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and Spotify's COVID-19 Music Relief project, which supports MusiCares and several other charities.

Last Fri., April 3, Light In The Attic & Friends Live brought live sets from Ben Gibbard, Jim James, Fred Armisen, Barbara Lynn, Devendra Banhart and more on their YouTube and Twitch accounts. All donations were directed to MusiCares. "Lo-Fi" singer Haley Reinhart recently did a performance on Billboard's Live At-Home series, choosing MusiCares as her charity of choice.

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Denim purveyors Levi Strauss have launched a star-studded 5:01 Live IGTV music and chat series to benefit COVID-19 relief efforts from MusiCares and the WHO. So far, it's featured a stellar squad including Snoop Dogg, Questlove, Burna Boy, Moses Sumney and Brett Young. Young, who performed last week, donated his performance fee to MusiCares. Additionally, the country star's past GRAMMY Museum is also being featured in the Museum's exciting digital offering rollout, going live on April 29.

On March 30, his birthday, country star Thomas Rhett released a new song benefiting MusiCares, called "Be A Light." Featuring none other than Reba McEntire, Keith Urban, Hillary Scott and Chris Tomlin, all of the artists' proceeds will be donated to the cause. Joining the growing coalition of companies supporting the Fund, the Country Music Association and its philanthropic arm, the CMA Foundation, announced a $1 million donation last week.

As more members of the music community rallying around a unified cause, we'll keep you posted right here on musicares.org.

Learn more about how you can donate to or apply for assistance via the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy and MusiCares. 

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Trini Lopez in London in 1965

Trini Lopez in London in 1965

Photo: Stanley Bielecki/ASP/Getty Images

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Trini Lopez, Who Revitalized American & Mexican Folk Classics, Has Died From COVID-19 At 83

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The GRAMMY-nominated singer/guitarist's biggest global hits were lively covers of folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary's "If I Had a Hammer" and "Lemon Tree"
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 12, 2020 - 3:18 pm

GRAMMY-nominated singer, guitarist and actor Trini Lopez, whose lively blend of American and Mexican folk songs with rockabilly flair earned him worldwide fame in the '60s, has died at 83. The Mexican-American artist died from COVID-19 at a hospital in Rancho Mirage, Calif. yesterday, Aug. 11.

Beginning with his 1963 debut studio album, Trini Lopez At PJ's, Lopez found success bringing new life—and a raucous, danceable beat and vocal delivery—to other artists' songs, including folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary's hits "If I Had a Hammer" and "Lemon Tree." Both songs would be his biggest, with his versions out-charting theirs both on the Billboard Hot 100 and international charts.

Back at the 6th GRAMMY Awards in 1964, following his epic breakout year, Lopez was nominated for Best New Artist.

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His rocked-up rendition of "I Had a Hammer," released in 1963 on his live debut album, hit No. 3 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 in 36 countries. The song was originally written by political activist/folk icon Pete Seeger and Lee Hays and recorded as a protest song by their band The Weavers in 1950, reemerging as a GRAMMY-winning No. 10 hit from Peter, Paul and Mary in 1962, the year prior to Lopez's breakout success with the classic song.

Popular '60s West Hollywood star-studded venue P.J.'s, where the Dallas-born singer recorded his first two albums (which also put the club on the map outside of Los Angeles), was where he got his big break, from none other than Frank Sinatra. After catching a few of his shows, the Rat Pack leader signed him to his Reprise label.

"I remember reading in the trades that Frank Sinatra frequented P.J.’s a lot so I moved over there so I could meet him," Lopez said. "I was hired for three weeks and I stayed a year and a half. I played four or five shows every single night and I never repeated a song. I just kept waiting to meet Frank Sinatra, and within a month he came with an entourage and to my surprise he offered me an eight-year record contract on his label. I put P.J.'s on the map with my live albums since they were recorded for Sinatra's record company."

Read: Sin-atra City: The story of Frank Sinatra and Las Vegas

A self-proclaimed "proud" Mexican-American born to immigrant parents in Dallas in 1937, Lopez also performed and recorded many songs in Spanish at a time when artists, including himself, were asked by labels to hide or Whitewash their Latin identity. Trini Lopez At PJ's included a rendition of traditional Mexican folk song "Cielito Lindo" and in 1964, he released The Latin Album, filled with of Spanish language classics. His father, Trinidad Lopez II, was a ranchera singer who made his living as manual laborer.

As The Guardian notes, "in the mid-'60s he was releasing as many as five albums a year, though that slowed in the late '70s. While he continued performing, he released very little music until 2000, when he began recording again and released a further six albums." His final album, released in 2011 and titled Into the Future, was a nod to Sinatra, featuring songs from his catalog.

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At the peak of his musical fame in the '60s and '70s, he also found moderate success in film and TV, with roles in films The Dirty Dozen (1967) and Antonio (1973) and a variety show special on NBC in 1969, "The Trini Lopez Show."

A talented guitar player—he started playing at age 11—Gibson Guitars had him design two instruments in 1964, which remain highly sought after to this day. Dave Grohl and Noel Gallagher are both fans of the vintage models. Grohl paid tribute to Lopez on Twitter today, underscoring that he's used his on every Foo Fighters album ever recorded.

His electric live performances and hit records made him an in-demand artist in the Las Vegas circuit, as well as around the globe, including one jaunt he found most memorable—stealing the show as the Beatles' opener in Paris in 1964.

"I used to steal the show from them every night!" he said in a 2014 interview. "The French newspapers would say, 'Bravo, Trini Lopez! Who are the Beatles?'"

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Saweetie at 2020 Pre-GRAMMY Gala

Saweetie at 2020 Pre-GRAMMY Gala

Photo: Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

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Billie Eilish, Saweetie, Selena Gomez, John Legend & More Will Share "Why I'm Voting"

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The iHeartMedia campaign is focused on sharing the personal stories on why people are voting in the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election, and is also offering listeners the chance to submit their own message
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 10, 2020 - 12:40 pm

Saweetie, Billie Eilish and FINNEAS, Selena Gomez, John Legend, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons and others will be encouraging their massive fan bases to vote in iHeartMedia's "Why I'm Voting" campaign, Billboard revealed today.

The 2020 non-partisan voter initiative has kicked off with a new podcast—sharing the same name and also launched today—with the first four episodes featuring 2020 Producer Of The Year FINNEAS, Jewel and comedians Will Ferrell and Baratunde Thurston.

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The campaign is focused on sharing the personal stories on why people are voting in the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election, and is also offering listeners the chance to submit their own 20-second message.

Other artists set to participate include Dan + Shay, Michelle Williams, DJ Khaled and Diplo. Pitbull, Melissa Etheridge and comedian Chelsea Handler will be featured in upcoming podcast episodes.

Another important part of the campaign, iHeartMedia is asking people to text the word "VOTER" to 26797 to learn about election info in their area, voter registration deadlines and more.

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Miley Cyrus at iHeartRadio Fest 2019

Miley Cyrus at iHeartRadio Fest 2019

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

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iHeartRadio Fest 2020: BTS, Miley Cyrus, Usher, Migos, Coldplay & More To Play COVID-19 Adherent Concert

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The 10th anniversary event will be filmed in Los Angeles and Nashville on Sept. 18 and 19, airing live and with a highlights special on CW on Sept. 27 and 28
GRAMMYs
Jul 21, 2020 - 5:14 pm

This is the year of canceled and postponed festivals, leaving many livestreams concerts in its wake, yet iHeartRadio Festival 2020 is on, albeit without a live audience. BTS, Miley Cyrus, Coldplay, Khalid, Migos, Usher, Kane Brown, Keith Urban and Thomas Rhett have been tapped for the two-day, two-city fall concert hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

The 10th anniversary event will be filmed (with strict social distancing guidelines) in Los Angeles and Nashville on Sept. 18 and 19, airing live and with an edited special on the CW on Sept. 27 and 28. Since no fans can be there in person, iHeartRadio is planning several ways for them to be engage with the live show, including a Zoom audience and virtual dressing room interviews, Variety reports.

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The festival typically takes place in Las Vegas, most recently at the 18,000-seat T-Mobile Arena, but will be filmed at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, Calif. and a soundstage in Nashville. John Sykes, the president of entertainment enterprises for the media company, spoke to Variety about their plans:

"The iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles…will be completely scrubbed and cleaned with no audience. We'll put a Zoom suite of fans in there so the artists can look out and see, but they won't really be there. And we'll have a production team outside the facility remotely in a parking lot and the artists will have the venue to themselves for an entire day. They'll be able to rehearse, plug in and play live, we'll have video effects and sound."

Sykes also stressed the number of people in the theater and soundstage will be limited, with he and the rest of the crew working outside, and noted that new fan engagement ideas will be continued at future events.

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"The handful of camera people will all be tested daily and the interviews with Ryan Seacrest will be done with cameras in different rooms. There will be fans who will be connected talking one-on-one in the dressing room with artists. We could never put a regular fan in an artist dressing room, but we can do it on a video screen. We have some virtual ideas too where fans will be able to perform with one of the artists onstage," he continued.

"Many of these ideas will live on: giving fans intimate experiences and conversations with artists is something we'd never be able to do in an 18,000-seat arena. But there's nothing like live music and we're just trying to do our best to connect our fans with the music rather than giving up."

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He also hinted that an "iconic" legacy artist—Fleetwood Mac, Bon Jovi and Elton John have performed past fests—will likely be added to the lineup in the near future.

According to iHeart.com, fans will also be able to watch the event live during its taping on Sept. 18 and 19 via the CW app and CWTV.com at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST, in addition to the "festival highlights special" on the 27 and 28 from 8:00–10:00 p.m. EST/PST. The music will also be broadcast on iHeartRadio's app and of their affiliate radio stations.

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