  Coldplay. (Handout) |
More of music’s biggest stars have signed on to help Haiti. Including Canadians.
For Friday’s Hope for Haiti telethon, Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Shakira, Rihanna, Bono and The Edge will take part in the event, it was reported Wednesday.
Meantime, Canadian celebrities will be announced Thursday at noon for a domestic TV special, airing on many Canadian channels on Friday before the telethon.
Dave Matthews Band, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Sting, Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige and many others are also slated to perform on the telethon, which will be co-hosted by George Clooney in Los Angeles, Anderson Cooper in Haiti and Wyclef Jean in New York City.
In addition, Jay-Z has collaborated with Bono, The Edge and producer Swizz Beatz on a new benefit song which will supposedly go on sale via iTunes shortly.
“Last night we wrote a song,” The Edge told Ireland’s 2FM. “Bono got a call from a producer, Swizz. He and Jay-Z wanted to do something for Haiti ... So, Bono came up with the phrase on the phone, and last night we were here, we wrote a song — finished, recorded, and sent it back to them. So that might be the next thing you hear from us!”
Swizz Beatz Twittered about the song over the weekend, writing: “Me, Bono, Hova have something to say about Haiti. Stay tuned. I told you I was working on something amazing for Haiti. They need us!”
The two-hour Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief airs commercial-free at 8 p.m. EST on Friday on most major TV networks, including CBC, CTV, Global, MTV and MuchMusic.
Canadian celebrities taking part in Canada For Haiti — a one-hour, commercial-free special airing immediately before the New York telethon, on Friday at 7 p.m. EST — will be announced Thursday at noon. Cheryl Hickey, Ben Mulroney and George Stroumboulopoulos will play host to Canada For Haiti, which will air on the above-mentioned stations.
Performances from the New York event will reportedly be available for purchase on iTunes beginning Saturday. All proceeds raised will benefit Oxfam, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF and Wyclef’s Yéle Haiti Foundation.
The Caribbean island nation was devastated by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake on Jan. 12, along with a 6.1 aftershock Wednesday.
