City of Hope announced today that GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc and singer-songwriter and actress Lennon Stella will both perform at its industry groups’ first-ever Holiday Benefit fundraiser on Tuesday, Dec. 1, in support of City of Hope’s mission to ultimately eliminate cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases.
They join previously announced performers, award-winning actor and musician Kiefer Sutherland and “America’s Got Talent” semi-finalist Caly Bevier. The event will be hosted by comedian Ben Gleib.
The virtual Holiday Benefit will feature an extended pre-show experience, musical performances, comedy sets and celebrity guest appearances. The pre-show experience from 4-6 p.m. PT will be an immersive opportunity for guests to walk the digital red carpet, join networking breakout rooms, have their digital caricatures drawn and enjoy additional sponsored content – all leading up to the main show, which will run from 6-7 p.m. PT.
Additional information about the event can be found at CityofHope.org/holidaybenefit. Tickets are available for purchase now.
City of Hope’s corporate industry groups reach over 15 industry categories nationwide and traditionally have operated independently of one another. The virtual Holiday Benefit represents the first time in the organization’s history that all of these groups will unite in support of one fundraising event.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our industry groups for their unity and creative thinking while City of Hope’s historically robust live events are not currently possible. Cancer and diabetes do not stop for a pandemic, and City of Hope’s commitment to compassionate care is more vital now than ever. Efforts like the virtual Holiday Benefit event are critical to ensuring our patients continue to receive the treatment they so desperately need,” said Richard Gerber, senior vice president and chief of philanthropy operations, City of Hope, a world-renowned National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center near Los Angeles.
The Holiday Benefit event is made possible through generous support from Amazon Music, GoDigital Media Group, International Paper, Revitalash Cosmetics and Warner Music Group. “Our partnership with City of Hope is a critical way in which International Paper and the National Business Products Industry are working to create a better future. Now, more than ever, City of Hope is depending on us to help them sustain and advance their efforts to find cures, save lives and transform health care,” added Greg Gibson, International Paper vice president and general manager, and the National Business Products Industry’s 2021 Spirit of Life® honoree.
With “Wake Me Up,” the global chart-topping mega-hit Aloe Blacc sang and co-wrote with Swedish DJ Avicii, the platinum-selling, singer-songwriter and activist proved he has an irresistible power to capture the complexities of human emotion. Blacc’s third solo album Lift Your Spirit (XIX Recordings/Interscope Records) pushed further into a folk/soul/pop fusion that’s as undeniably joyful as it is eye-opening in message. Lift Your Spirit is built on songs that pair Blacc’s poetic yet incisive lyrics with huge hooks and relentless feel-good grooves. Featuring the hit single “The Man,” a song that topped the charts with sales of more than $3 million, Lift Your Spirit received a GRAMMY nomination for Best R&B Album at the 57th Grammy Awards.
In 2019, Avicii’s family honored their son’s wish to have Blacc’s vocals feature on the first track from Avicii’s posthumous album, TIM. The song “SOS” was released in April to a welcomed response from Avicii fans worldwide and topped the charts in several countries globally, hitting No. 1 on the U.S. dance charts. Several other collaborations with hit producers followed including David Guetta, Lost Frequencies, Gryffin, Flight Facilities, Young Bombs, Mesto and Hellberg.
Blacc released his latest solo album in October, All Love Everything (out on BMG). Inspired by his family, the new album is really shaped around Blacc not only as a husband, but his journey as a father. The result is a heartfelt, artistic synthesis of family, activism and perseverance that beautifully traverses the tender details that make up life and refuses to be pinned to one genre of music.
Says Blacc about All Love Everything:
“Rather than a genre, my music is about A.I.M.: affirmation, inspiration, and motivation. After so many opportunities to talk about my music and not feel comfortable saying, ’I’m a pop artist’ or ’I’m a folk artist,’ I had this realization. My songwriting genre is thematic.”
Throughout All Love Everything, Blacc exhibits the radical empathy and emotional directness that has helped firmly establish his global stardom. Whether it’s the stand-out closer “Harvard” — a heartrending storytelling song in the tradition of Joni Mitchell and Bill Withers that finds Blacc singing with disarming candor about a woman working two jobs to support her family, including a child with special needs — or the candid and percussive devotion ode “Corner,” Blacc’s songwriting remains as affecting as ever. Drawing on an eclectic mix of soul, folk and contemporary pop, All Love Everything proves that there’s no pigeonholing the human experience.
Ontario-born and Nashville-based singer, songwriter, actress, and multi-instrumentalist Lennon Stella has been streamed nearly half-a-billion times within a year and is pegged among Refinery29’s “Young Celebrities to Watch in 2019” and Teen Vogue’s “16 Musicians You Need to Be Listening to in 2019” and most recently Amazon Music’s Artist to Watch for 2020. Hailing from rural Ontario an hour east of Toronto, Stella rose to popularity at 12 years old as part of Lennon & Maisy, alongside her younger sister Maisy. Gaining national attention with a 2012 cover of Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend,” Lennon & Maisy achieved viral popularity to the tune of 100 million-plus YouTube views and just shy of 800,000 subscribers. She went on to star in the ABC/CMT smash Nashville as Maddie Conrad for six years. In 2018, she lent her voice to Jonas Blue’s “Polaroid” with Liam Payne, which clocked 200 million total streams and counting. Kickstarting her solo career, the songstress introduced a singular style on the 2018 Love, me EP. It bowed in the Top 5 of the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart as the single “La Di Da” amassed more than 90 million Spotify streams and counting. After selling out dates on her first North American headline tour, she shared the stage with Anne-Marie and recently supported The Chainsmokers and 5SOS. She also lent her voice to “Takeaway” by The Chainsmokers and Illenium, which exploded as a phenomenon with 100 million Spotify streams and 37 million views in under eight weeks. Most recently, Stella released “Summer Feelings” featuring Charlie Puth as part of the SCOOB soundtrack. Her debut album was released in April 2020.
