Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour and Grammy-winner Angelique Kidjo were among a galaxy of African talent brought together for a virtual concert to raise awareness of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 100 artists and celebrities from across the continent and the diaspora took part in the …
Read More »Counting the losses: COVID-19 costs artistes Sh150 billion
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Artistes across the creative value chain have lost at least sh150 billion in income in the last two months of the lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. The loss covers those in creation, production, distribution and marketing. According to the Ministry of Gender, Labour and …
Read More »In pandemic times, all the gaming world’s a (concert) stage
New York, United States | AFP | With concerts on hold to halt coronavirus spread, the gaming world is increasingly catering to music lovers, with artists becoming animated performers in virtual realms to the trippy delight of millions. The trend has gained momentum in recent weeks after the ultra-popular Fortnite morphed …
Read More »JULIANA: It is a boy!
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Artiste Juliana Kanyomozi has given birth to a bouncing baby boy, she announced on social media. She’s called him Taj, born yesterday. May 12th, 2020. “IT’S A BOY!!!! Say hello to Taj 12-05-2020. We are thrilled!!. To God be the glory,” she said on …
Read More »VIDEO: Bobi Wine lights up Mothers’ Day night with online show
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Member of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine Sunday night put up a live online performance from his home on the outskirts of Kampala, to mark Mother’s Day. The show dominated social media, coming at a time when live shows are no longer possible …
Read More »Religion’s hold on Little Richard, rock’s sex-amped founder
New York, United States | AFP | A ferocious pianist with a madcap rubberband of a voice and bombastic stage personality, Little Richard, who died Saturday at 87, will go down in history as a key architect behind years of rock’s music world dominance. But though his pancake makeup and gaudy …
Read More »Greece’s ‘invisible’ artists call for help in virus squeeze
Athens, Greece | AFP | “For us, there is no return to normality.” Despite being one of Greece’s best-known folk singers, Natassa Bofiliou is among thousands of artists worried about the economic impact of coronavirus lockdowns that have only just begun to be eased. In a country where art is widely …
Read More »Taylor Swift to broadcast special Paris concert
New York, United States | AFP | The coronavirus forced Taylor Swift to cancel her 2020 tour dates, but fans will still get a chance to see the pop star in concert in a special set to air this month. The megastar whose “Lover” album came out last fall announced Friday that a one-hour concert …
Read More »Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber drop track for COVID charity
New York, United States | AFP | Pop royalty Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber have teamed up for a duet to raise funds for the children of frontline workers fighting coronavirus. The pair, both 26, dropped “Stuck With U” early Friday morning, a bubblegum-sweet ode to isolation with close ones. The now customary shot-from-home style …
Read More »Mission Impossible to Mission Control: Tom Cruise to film in space
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Tom Cruise will film his next Hollywood blockbuster on location — 250 miles up in the air and orbiting the Earth once every 90 minutes. The “Top Gun” star will fly through the stratosphere to shoot an as-yet-unknown film aboard the International Space Station (ISS), NASA said on …
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