Look To The Stars News: Corinne Bailey Rae

Mary J. Blige To Honor Women At Celebrity Charity Concert

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:00:00 +0000

On May 1, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah and ELLE magazine’s VP, Editor-in-Chief/Brand Content, Robbie Myers, will host FFAWN’s second annual Mary J. Blige Honors Concert. They’ll join close celebrity friends and trailblazers in the entertainment industry, and all will pay tribute to young girls with big dreams of becoming the leaders of tomorrow.

The evening will be held in honor of the 2011 FFAWN scholarship recipients, and proceeds will directly benefit FFAWN’s scholarship fund, which ensures that educational opportunities are made available to young women so that they can get the training needed to be successful. In 2010, FFAWN sent 25 young women to college with full four-year scholarships. All 25 remain enrolled and have maintained GPA scholarship requirements of 3.0; eight of the students made the dean’s list their first semester.

Nine-time Grammy Award–winning artist Blige, who will perform, and FFAWN co-founder Steve Stoute will celebrate the dedication of these special young women and continue to inspire them to achieve greatness. Joining them is a star-studded cast of leading ladies and role models, including Christina Aguilera, Anita Baker, Jennifer Hudson, Corinne Bailey Rae and Jill Scott, among others performing that night.

Party with Jimmy Fallon on Grammy's Eve

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:51:00 +0000

Jimmy Fallon is set to host this year’s Roots Jam Session on Friday, February 12th, benefitting OpportunityNation, and you could be there, too!

Every year, award season brings the usual array of star-studded parties, but rarely do any of these become a celebrated institution. The Legendary Roots Crew, named one of the greatest live bands around by both Spin and Rolling Stone, have created the ticket to one of the most coveted and exclusive experiences of the season, delivering an innovative and unforgettable mix of musicians performing under one roof.

Jimmy Fallon will act as this year’s host, following in the footsteps of Don Cheadle, John Legend, Jada Pinkett Smith and Dave Chappelle, while Hennessy Artistry will serve as presenting partner. The announcement comes on the heels of The Roots’ 6 GRAMMY nominations, which are split between their two 2010 releases, Wake Up! (with John Legend) and How I Got Over.

Celebrity 21st Century Leaders Do Whatever It Takes For Charity

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Samuel L. Jackson, Kanye West, Claudia Schiffer, Sugababes, Corinne Bailey Rae, Beverley Knight and Sophie Ellis Bextor are all 21st Century Leaders. To become so, their first level of engagement and commitment has been to donate their original artworks to the 21st Century Leaders’ Whatever It Takes Campaign.

Whatever It Takes is an ethical and charitable lifestyle product campaign, which involves more than 600 celebrity leaders in all fields including; Royalty, Nobel peace prize laureates and well-known leaders in the fields of film, music, fashion, art, sport and literature.

As ambassadors and 21st Century Leaders in the fields of film, fashion, and music, Samuel L Jackson, Kanye West, Claudia Schiffer, Sugababes, Corinne Bailey Rae, Beverley Knight and Sophie Ellis Bextor each created an original piece of art with a strong message of hope. This artwork has been designed into a variety of environmentally sustainable lifestyle products, created by producers who are working towards the Whatever It Takes ethical policy. The products are sold to raise funds for education, health and environmental programmes, through the Whatever It Takes Web Shop, as well as through 4500 prestigious retail partners globally, including Harrods, Selfridges, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Lane Crawford, David Jones and Harvey Nichols amongst others, and will soon be available for the first time in Abu Dhabi.

Children Of Peace To Benefit From Charity Comedy Night

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0000

After the sell-out success of last year’s Stand-up for Peace, Children of Peace’s renowned comedy night is back with a fantastic line-up, in aid of an inspirational cause. The money raised will go towards projects that specifically bring Israeli and Palestinian children together in the hope that they will develop long lasting friendships.

Children of Peace – the UK based multi-faith and non partisan charity– aims to build friendship, reconciliation and trust between Israeli and Palestinian children and youth, aged 4-17, through shared arts, education, health and sports programs, regardless of faith, gender or heritage.

Online Auction Celebrates Celebrity Oxfam Charity Shop

Fri, 14 May 2010 13:30:00 +0000

The Celebrity Oxfam Curiosity Shop opens today, May 14, in London – and a special online auction has been launched to celebrate.

From Friday 14 May to Thursday 20 May Selfridges’ Ultralounge, the London store’s permanent arts and exhibition space, will be transformed into The Oxfam Curiosity Shop – staffed by celebrities from Annie Lennox to Beverley Knight with all proceeds going to Oxfam.

Shoppers will be able to browse fantastic one-offs; from a special collection of Livia Firth’s red carpet dresses, to items from icons including Alexa Chung, Annie Lennox, Helen Mirren, Natalie Imbruglia and Corinne Bailey Rae and designer donations from Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Roger Vivier and more. 

British Stars Write Letter To End Violence Against Women

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000

A number of British stars have added their names to an open letter written to U.K. government officials in a bid to end violence towards women.

Annie Lennox, Corinne Bailey Rae, Kate Nash, Stella McCartney, Samantha Morton and Dame Vivienne Westwood have lent their support to the ActionAid UK campaign, which aims to stop female abuse. The letter, published in The Times letter pages, urges the government to make the issue a “foreign policy priority” following the appointment of a new minister to tackle global violence against women and girls.

The letter states, "Violence affects one in three women globally and is a leading cause of death and disability among women of all ages.

Jay-Z To Headline Coachella For Charity

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:00:00 +0000

The 3-day Coachella music festival kicks off in Indio, California, today – with a huge number of bands raising money for charity.

Among the performers at the event will be Jay-Z, Dave Grohl’s Them Crooked Vultures, Perry Farrell, Vampire Weekend, Hot Chip, Faith No More, Corinne Bailey Rae, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Gorillaz, Little Boots and many many more.

Beneficiaries of the festival include the Silverlake Conservatory of Music – an organization established by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea that offers children in LA access to free instruments and music lessons – and the Indio Youth Task Force, which is dedicated to creating positive opportunities for the youth of Indio.

Female Stars Line Up For Charity On Lilith Fair Tour

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair concert tour has been finalized, with artists such as Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Sheryl Crow, Erykah Badu, Kelly Clarkson and Missy Higgins joining the bill at selected shows.

The tour will raise funds for women’s charities in each city it visits, and organizers have launched Choose Your Charity on Facebook to help decide the beneficiaries. According to the organizers: "By becoming a fan of the Lilith Facebook page, users can participate in the Lilith-Involver Choose Your Charity campaign, where they’ll have the chance to vote on the pre-selected local women’s charities in their cities.

“The first round of voting goes until 11:59 PM PST on Monday, May 3, 2010. At that time, the top five charities from each city will move on to a second round of voting beginning at 10:00 AM PST on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 and ending at 11:59 PM PST on May 31, 2010. The Lilith founders—Sarah McLachlan, Terry McBride, Dan Fraser and Marty Diamond—will hand pick the local charity winners from the top three charities with the most votes in each city. The 2010 Lilith Tour promises to donate $1 from every ticket sold in a particular city to its chosen local charity, and Sarah McLachlan will personally present a check for the amount raised to charity representatives in each city.”

Annie Lennox To Launch Star-Studded Charity Shop

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 15:00:00 +0000

A selection of A-list stars have joined Oxfam and Selfridges to create, set-up, stock and staff Britain’s biggest charity pop-up shop.

Derek Jacobi Joins Madonna as Charity Patron

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Sir Derek Jacobi has just signed on as the latest Patron of Children of Peace, joining existing Patron Madonna, and a long list of famous names, in supporting the charity’s work.

Children of Peace works to protect children from the violence in Israel and Palestine, while establishing projects and programs in the arts, education, health and sports for Israeli and Palestinian children, aged 4-17.

The charity has so far garnered the support of stars such as Dame Judi Dench, Dame Helen Mirren, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Stewart and Emma Thompson.

Peace Day Concert 2008 To Rock London

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:30:00 +0000

After last year’s sell out show, the annual Peace One Day concert is set to rock the Royal Albert Hall in London.

World Peace Day has been held on September 21 annually since 2001, when the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted September 21 as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. The initiative came from an idea by Jeremy Gilley, who founded his non-profit organization – Peace One Day – in 1999. Since then he has amassed an impressive list of supporters, including Chris Martin, Sir Richard Branson, Angelina Jolie, Alan Rickman, and Michael Douglas.

This year’s concert will see performances from Annie Lennox, Bryan Adams, and a guest appearance from Jude Law. There will also be a gala screening of The Day After Peace, the acclaimed new documentary film made by Jeremy Gilley. The film, which received a great reception at its premiere during the 61st Cannes Film Festival, features Kofi Annan, The Dalai Lama, Angelina Jolie, Jude Law, Annie Lennox and Jonny Lee Miller.

Celebrity Auctions Kick Off The New Year

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:24:10 +0000

The new year has kicked off with a flurry of celebrity charity auctions, with items for sale to benefit a plethora of worthwhile causes and issues.

The American Civil Liberties Union is a national organization that advocates individual rights by litigating, legislating, and educating the public on a broad range of issues, including free speech, AIDS, human rights, racism, and more. The Southern California branch of ACLU has launched an auction on www.charityfolks.com to raise much-needed funds.

Items up for auction until January 3 include lunch with Jake Gyllenhaal on the set of his new film, a framed and autographed art print by Viggo Mortensen, the chance to dine with Harry Belafonte or Mike Farrell, a signed T shirt and photo from Danny Glover, and original artwork from singer Maria McKee, and an autographed copy of Corinne Bailey Rae’s single, “I’d Like To”.

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.”

London and Austin host GuitarTown for charity

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 07:12:00 +0000

Sir Paul McCartney is among a group of celebrities who have donated giant guitars to exhibitions in both America and England, to be auctioned off over the next few months.

The exhibitions are part of the Gibson GuitarTown Galas And Auctions being held in London and Austin, and feature both 10-foot-high and regular-sized guitars designed and signed by artists and musicians. The sculptures have been on show in the cities for 10 weeks, and will soon be removed in preparation for the auctions, which will benefit a variety of local charities.

“I just fancied playing a big guitar!” joked Sir Paul, who signed a sculpture designed by cartoonist Rosie Brooks entitled And The Crowd Goes Wild. “I think this one will hopefully catch the imagination of the public and whoever is going to buy it at the auction, and raise money for The Prince’s Trust, the Teenage Cancer Trust, and Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy – which are all great charities.”

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.”

Jude Law to Make Film in Afghanistan For World Peace Day

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 09:37:25 +0000

British actor Jude Law is to film a new documentary for the BBC in Afghanistan, as part of the lead up to World Peace Day on September 21.

The 35 year old star of “Cold Mountain” and “The Road To Perdition” will join documentary maker and humanitarian Jeremy Gilley in a film about the effects of war on Afghan children, and the efforts of UNICEF to provide aid. The pair will also record the preparations made by UNICEF in the war-torn country to celebrate this year’s World Peace Day.

“This is a historic project, rooted in film,” said Law. “I’m immensely proud to be a part of it.”