With COVID-19 affecting people globally, performers from across the world are doing their part to help boost morale and fundraise for essential workers on the frontlines and the World Health Organization. 

The One World: Together At Home campaign was created by Global Citizen and artist Lady Gaga to rally funds for the WHO in their efforts to help protect, detect, and respond to the pandemic.

Popular artists such as Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, Taylor Swift, the Rolling Stones, Billie Eilish, Adam Lambert, Kesha, Niall Horan, and many more participated in the online concert aired on April 18.  

Trisha Jaishanker (‘21), claims the One World: Together At Home online concert and other concerts like it, have united fans and brought a sense of connectedness in this isolated time. 

“Artists setting up concerts such as these brings massive attention to the issue,” said Jaishanker. “This is a worldwide issue and many performers have diverse backgrounds with a diverse group of listeners, and concerts such as these just bring all of them together.”

Several artists have even donated their own money, or held separate fundraisers on popular platforms, such as YouTube, to help during this crisis.  

Ariana Grande revealed donations she had made to organizations such as Opportunity Fund, GiveDirectly, Feeding America, Croce Rossa Italiana, and World Health Organization’s COVID-19 solidarity response fund, and encouraged her fans to do the same.

Lauv, popular singer-songwriter, released an acoustic version of his song, “Modern Loneliness,” to donate the sales to several organizations as well. 

“Efforts like these show us that no matter our social status and position right now, whether you are working 24/7 as an essential worker, can work from home, or are unemployed, we all are working together to stay at home as much as possible, to social distance, and to flatten the curve,” said Avery Sliwak (‘21). 

Along with fundraising and donations, performers have been working to assuage feelings of isolation and disappointment in canceled concerts fans had already bought tickets for.

K-pop group BTS presented a 24-hour online concert on Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 called BangBangCon, where they aired eight recorded concerts stretching back to 2014 on their youtube channel. They amassed more than 50 million views collectively over the two days. 

“Fans decided to watch BangBangCon because they weren’t able to go to these concerts and were given the chance to experience what it would feel like if they could,” said Khushi Kumbagowdana (‘21), who stayed up to watch parts of the concerts both nights. 

At a time where people across the world are struggling, whether it be as a frontline healthcare worker, or simply stuck at home, artists and entertainers are using their platform and music to bring together fans and help those who have been hit especially hard by the pandemic. 

Want to watch some of the One World: Together at Home concert? Clips of artists performing online on YouTube, and you can listen to every song performed on the album on Spotify! Here are just a few links: 

Taylor Swift’s “Soon You’ll Get Better”

Camila Cabello & Shawn Mendes’s “What a Wonderful World”

Lizzo’s “A Change is Gonna Come”