Look To The Stars News: Jamelia

Fatboy Slim And Brett Anderson To Perform For Oxfam

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:30:00 +0000

A diverse range of the biggest names in music, including DJ legend Fatboy Slim, indie icon Brett Anderson (formerly of Suede), Mercury Prize nominee Ghostpoet and former Busted star Charlie Simpson will perform their most unusual shows to date – inside an Oxfam shop – to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Oxjam music festival.

A London Oxfam shop will stage a series of exclusive, intimate performances among the books and clothing on the shop floor itself to launch the fifth edition of the charity’s month-long Oxjam music festival.

“The reason I’ve been involved with Oxjam in previous years is that, as well as being one of the highlights of my DJing calendar, I see it as the best way for people to use their love of music to help a really worthwhile charity like Oxfam,” said Fatboy Slim. “I’m delighted to be joining in the fifth birthday celebrations this year, and I hope that budding DJs all around the country will also be using their decks and records to help fight poverty in October.”

Katherine Jenkins Busy With Charity Projects

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Welsh singing sensation Katherine Jenkins has been busy with charity projects lately.

Last week she was spotted at the Macmillan Cancer Support De’Longhi Art Auction, following the announcement that the charity is hoping to name her as an ambassador.

“Macmillan looked after us when my father was ill, so I always sing or do something special for their events,” she said. “I bought the first painting at the auction for £1,800 because the charity is so special to me.”

Mel C And Joss Stone Sign Up For Pinktober

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Former Spice Girl Melanie C is just one of a group of celebrities set to rock the Royal Albert Hall as part of Hard Rock Café’s Pinktober initiative for breast cancer research.

Joining the British singer will be Joss Stone, 80’s girl group Bananarama, Tulisa Contostavlos from N-Dubz, Jamelia, Bonnie Tyler, and Escala. Sharon Corr of Irish group The Corrs will also play the Pinktober gig on November 1, presented by Hard Rock Cafe and held in aid of breast cancer charity the Caron Keating Foundation.

“I always try and support as many charities as I can and breast cancer is extra important to me, being a woman – I hope to make a small difference,” said Joss Stone.

Jamelia Supports New Charity Shoe Campaign

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Pop star Jamelia is throwing her support behind a new campaign to help children in Africa.

The star has put her name behind Tommy’s Baby Charity new Old For New initiative being run in association with Brantano shoe stores. Until March 31, Brantano is inviting customers to drop off their old and unwanted footwear to any of its 145 stores in the UK. In return, for every pair of shoes, Brantano will hand over a £10 money-off voucher for when you spend £40 or more instore on new summer shoes plus donate 10p to Tommy’s! All the old shoes are sorted and sent to support communities in Africa.

28-year-old Jamelia has collected together her old shoes – and the old shoes of her children and family – and has donated them to the campaign.

Oxfam's Month Of Musical Magic

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0000

October is Rocktober for Oxfam, with the annual Oxjam festival kicking off and also a new TV advert from Annie Lennox hitting the airwaves.

Oxjam is a UK wide music event organised by the charity Oxfam which took place for the first time in October 2006. Throughout October, hundreds of musical events will be taking place across Great Britain to raise money for Oxfam’s work to find lasting solutions to poverty, suffering and injustice around the world. To raise awareness of the events, Jarvis Cocker, The Kooks, Fatboy Slim and several other British musicians have created a PSA to encourage music fans to attend gigs or even organize a show for themselves.

Last year’s Oxjam was extremely popular and featured over 3000 gigs across the UK, as well as a special series of shows held in an Oxfam shop in London that featured Jamelia, Fatboy Slim, and The Kooks. Concerts featuring every type of musical genre imaginable were staged, encompassing rock, classical, dance, pop, R&B, rap, techno, and more. Some of the more bazaar events last year included a 12 hour “buskathon”, featuring buskers in 12 British cities, and a “guitar relay”, in which a guitar was taken from one end of the British mainland to the other, and was played at a different Oxjam concert each day on the way.

Children's Hospital Benefits From Formula One Party

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:30:00 +0000

It was a case of life in the fast lane for a host of celebrities earlier this week when they turned up at the annual British Grand Prix Party in aid of the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Hosted by Vernon Kay and Tess Daly, the event raised over £700,000 (US$1.4 million) to build the hospital’s new Heart and Lung Center. Held at London’s famous Bloomsbury Ballroom at Victoria House, the event attracted a host of stars, including producer and hip-hop star Pharrell Williams, Simon Webb, Jamelia, and Formula One’s Jenson Button and Damon Hill.

“I stand fully behind the F1 efforts to make a better life for GOSH’s young patients,” said Button, who was one of the first to arrive on the red carpet – perhaps because of his fast driving skills.

Celebs Sign Mercedes for 46664 Auction

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:30:00 +0000

There was a lot of action backstage at the 46664 Concert Honouring Nelson Mandela at 90 last Friday night. In addition to performing and giving interviews, celebrities were asked to sign a new Mercedes-Benz C350. Mercedes-Benz, a lead sponsor of the Mandela concert, then presented the vehicle to 46664, which will put it on the auction block.

Celebrities whose autographs now decorate the car include Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis, Queen and Paul Rodgers, Annie Lennox, Simple Minds, Peter Gabriel, the Sugababes, Razorlight, Jamelia, Zuccero, Geri Halliwell, Eddy Grant, the Soweto Gospel Choir, Quincy Jones, and Lewis Hamilton.

Earlier in the day, tennis legend and Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador Boris Becker – who is also a representative of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation – took the vehicle to visit socially disadvantaged children in London. The children decorated the sedan with multi-colored handprints; they were also invited to attend the concert later that evening.

Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday Party Rocks London

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Hyde Park was transformed into a giant birthday bash Friday night as 46,664 people joined “birthday boy” Nelson Mandela and a stellar lineup of entertainers to raise funds and awareness for his 46664 charity.

It had been raining on and off all day in London, but the skies cleared just in time for the once-in-a-lifetime lineup of musicians and entertainers to take the stage in honor of Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday. The event was hosted by an enthusiastic Will Smith, and performers included Jivan Gasparyan, Razorlight, the cast of Into the ’Hoods, Sipho Mibuze, Leona Lewis, Zucchero, Suzanna Owiyo and D’Gary, Sugababes, Annie Lennox (who performed with the Agape Children’s Choir), Emmanual Jal, Vusi Mahlasela, Jamelia, Loyiso, Johnny Clegg, Joan Baez, Eddy Grant, Kurt Darren, Simple Minds, Brian May and Andrea Corr, Amy Winehouse, 9ice and Bebe Cool, Josh Groban, Amaral, and Queen and Paul Rodgers. The renowned Soweto Gospel Choir accompanied many of the acts. Additional entertainers who introduced the musical acts included Quincy Jones, Lewis Hamilton, Geri Halliwell, Peter Gabriel, Stephen Fry, and Jerry Dammers.

After Jivan Gasparyan opened the show with an instrumental piece to accompany a moving series of photographs of Mandela, Will Smith took to the stage with his wife Jada and announced, “The party starts now.” An energizing performance by Razorlight set the tone for the rest of the evening.

Stars Sign Up For Mandela's Birthday Bash

Wed, 07 May 2008 10:21:30 +0000

The list of artists signing up for the June 27th 46664 concert in honor of Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday just keeps growing. 45,000 tickets are available for the one-day event, which will feature acts such as Eminem, Queen, Annie Lennox, Razorlight, Keane, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Mandela says of the event, “London wants to celebrate my birthday and I said I would go if they would raise funds for our charities. So, we have a bargain – I am going to London and they there will host a concert in Hyde Park, which will raise awareness of our continuing work and much needed funds.”

The list of expected performers, as of yesterday, includes

Stars Support World AIDS Day

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:32:14 +0000

It was a powerful moment when former South African President Nelson Mandela made his way to the stage with the aid of a walking stick to address tens of thousands of people in Johannesburg on December 1, World Aids Day.

“Break the cycle,” said the 89-year-old leader. “The answer is in our hands.”

Mandela was speaking at the 10-hour charity concert held at Ellis Park Stadium in the South African city to raise awareness of the country’s HIV/AIDS problem. Over 30 local and international artists joined the line-up, with proceeds going to Mandela’s 46664 AIDS program.

Corinne Bailey Rae - A Rising Star

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:25:00 +0000

If one word can be used to describe the rise to fame of English R&B singer Corinne Bailey Rae, it would be “meteoric”. In the space of two short years, from the release of her debut EP “Like A Star” in October 2005, to three Grammy Award nominations for her eponymous first album in 2007, the 28-year-old soul singer has made a lasting effect on people all over the world. And it’s not just fans who are benefiting from the star’s talents. Bailey Rae has quickly proven herself to be one of the most philanthropic and human-minded artists in the industry today.

Born in the English city of Leeds to a West Indian father and a Yorkshire mother, Bailey Rae found her love of music early.

“I started off singing in church,” said the singer, whose voice drips with shades of Billie Holiday. “People always think it must have been a gospel church… but it wasn’t gospel at all. It was just your regular brethren church, very middle class, where we would sing these harmonies every Sunday. It was always my favorite part of the service, the singing.”

Lining Up for Mandela’s 46664

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:11:57 +0000

December 1, “World AIDS Day”, marks Nelson Mandela’s next 46664 AIDS charity concert, this time in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Once the announcement for the concert was made last month, calls from performers began streaming in. Corinne Bailey Rae, Peter Gabriel, Goo Goo Dolls, Jamelia, Annie Lennox, Ludacris and Razorlight immediately booked their appearances, to be held in Ellis Park before an expected audience of 50,000. South African artists like Arno Carstens, Johnny Clegg, Just Jinjer and the Soweto Gospel Choir, and newer groups like The Parlotones and Cassette, and the R&B female trio Jamali, are part of over forty acts who have pledged their support.

This is the fifth 46664 concert since 2003, which seeks to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness programs in South Africa. Previous performances were also held in Norway and Spain. Founded in 2002, 46664 (Mandela’s prison number during his 27 years on Robben Island, South Africa) is “an African response to the global HIV AIDS epidemic that invites the whole world to take the fight in hand.”

Stars Rock the Oxfam Shop

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 16:52:03 +0000

A specially-converted Oxfam shop in London is to be the venue for a series of concerts in October, as part of the second annual Oxjam Music Festival.

Performers Jamelia, Fatboy Slim, and The Kooks will jam for Oxfam during the first week of the month, the exact location of the gigs being a secret until the night. The shop that hosts the event will also sell a wide range of unique music memorabilia, including items donated by Elton John, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Goldfrapp. Special badges designed by Jarvis Cocker, the Chemical Brothers, and the Kaiser Chiefs will also be available.

“I have always donated my unwanted records to my local Oxfam shop,” said British Big Beat musician, Fatboy Slim. “But performing in one will be a first for me, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Jamelia Launches Fragrance, Bares All For Charity

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:37:37 +0000

Pop star Jamelia has recently been making it her business to lend support to charities.

In January she launched a perfume in support of MTV’s Staying Alive Foundation, which aims to raise awareness of AIDS and HIV. Proceeds from each bottle of “Rougeberry” sold will go directly to the Foundation.

Jamelia said: "A lot of people are thinking it’s not really their problem, it’s not going to happen to them.