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Home / We Are The World Release Celebs Record "We are the World" In Spanish. 21-02-'10 Emilio and Gloria Estefan and other celebrities gathered to record a Spanish-language version of "We are the World" on Friday to raise money for Haiti earthquake victims. Emilio Estefan said he was talking with Quincy Jones about the importance of the Spanish market when the idea developed. "You know, Latinos always want to do things in a positive way, to show the world that even we come from different places, we wanted to definitely help," he said. "I think now is the best time because people forget." Actor Andy Garcia was also participating and said that as soon as Estefan called him, he said he would take part. "You wish you wouldn't have to do a fundraiser for Haiti," he said. "It's going to need attention for quite some time ... It's not just a question of raising money today and everything is going to be all right." Other singers who were to participate in recording the track include Banda El Recodo, Carlos Santana, Chayanne, David Archuleta, Carlos Santana and Jose Feliciano. The song, "Somos El Mundo," was adapted by the Estefans, who partnered with Jones, Univision and the not-for-profit We are the World Foundation to gather the artists to record the song. Univision is underwriting, co-producing and doing distribution of the song, which goes on sale in March. All of the artists volunteered. "I just feel real good. I am not here as an artist. I am here as a human being," said Cuban-American singer and actor Jencarlos Canela. "I think that the world needs to realize that we cannot wait for a tragedy to happen to come together and to be united." Singer Chayanne said he was moved by the opportunity to work on the song. "You do it from the bottom of your heart and you really feel great to do something like this with Emilio and Gloria," he said. Singer Milly Quezada called it a chance to reach people who had not yet been moved by the events in Haiti. "It is a divine opportunity for us to stand together in solidarity. Obviously, this song is a beautiful song. Gloria made a beautiful translation," Quezada said. Singer Ednita Nazario said she was "flabbergasted" when she saw images of the quake's aftermath on TV. "I think you do what comes straight from your heart. Its important to keep Haiti in people's minds and heart. This is a long term situation because it's not rebuilding a building, its building a whole country that needs help," she said "The difference is that Haiti has nothing." David Archuleta said it was great to see how many celebrities were willing to come together for the cause. "I love this song. It's just great to be able to be a part of it in Spanish," he said. Jon Secada called it a "momentous recording." "As a music community to be able to have the opportunity to come together and to do something that really matters, and give something back, it's important," he said. Source: AP / Billie Jean cNoteArt Turns WATW Into Fine Art for Haiti. 19-02-'10 cNoteArt is donating the proceeds from a Special Collector’s Edition cNote of the Michael Jackson / Lionel Richie song, “We Are The World,” to Haitian earthquake relief charities, such as the We Are The World Foundation. A cNote is a musical image. It is Music turned into Fine Art. Each colored rectangle in this image represents a musical note. Wider rectangles equal longer note durations. A rectangle’s color indicates a note’s pitch. C notes are Green, D notes are Blue, E notes are Violet, etc.
Artist Erik Rosen discovered cNote when he was quarantined in a hospital room for 35 days for a stem cell transplant. While in the depths of the procedure, he "saw" music emanating from his stereo. There was no sound, just an opiate-laden kaleidoscope of colors on the wall. "I was obsessed with this project when I got out of the hospital," Erik said. "Everyone was there for me and now I would like give something back." Proceeds from this Special Collector’s Edition cNote will be donated to Haitian earthquake relief charities. - Museum Quality Print For more information on this really cool modern art, please visit www.cNoteArt.com Source: MJFC / PR.com / Billie Jean Lionel Richie Talks To Oprah About WATW25. 15-02-'10 On Friday, February 12, 2010 Lionel Richie sat down with talk show queen Oprah Winfrey to discuss the release of the We Are the World 25 to help benefit Haiti.
After the devastating Haiti earthquake, Lionel and Quincy decided it was time to bring back "We Are the World." More than 80 of the world's most talented singers joined the project—including Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, The Jonas Brothers, Pink, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Jay-Z, Jennifer Nettles, Jennifer Hudson and Lady Gaga. "I've never seen so much excitement—Tony Bennett, Snoop Dog talking to each other. Lil Wayne, Barbra Streisand talking to each other," Lionel says. "Everyone stepped up, and it's beautiful. When the original single was recorded in 1985, there was a sign at the studio that read, "Check your egos at the door." This time, Lionel says everyone's egos disappeared once they were reminded why they were there. "It lasted for about 20 minutes," he says. "Once you see the kids standing on top of their homes, on top of their families—because they're still in the rubble. ... Now, the egos stop. You absolutely know what you're supposed to do when you're there." Despite the amazing talent in the room, Lionel says many of the performers were actually nervous. "You get in there and realize the new group can't really perform in the circle. In other words, they're nervous," he says. "We had to have three separate rooms [for soloists to record in]." The plan, Lionel says, was for the new recording to remain a secret.. "Right after we finished the first verse, everybody's Twittered." Lionel was rattled, but Michael was excited. "[He says]: 'Oh, there he is, Lionel. I found the snake,'" he says. "It's an albino python that he couldn't find in the house." To honor his friend, Lionel found a way to put Michael in the video. "He had to be in it," he says. "So what we did was we have Michael singing [his] exact same part with the footage, and Janet, his sister, singing along with him. Source: Oprah / Billie Jean "We Are The World" New Video. 13-02-'10 Recorded on February 1st, 2010, in the same studio as the original 25 years earlier (Henson Recording Studios, formerly A&M Recording Studios) "We Are The World 25 For Haiti", in which Jones and Richie serve as executive producers and producers, was created in collaboration with executive producers Wyclef Jean, Randy Phillips and Peter Tortorici; producers Humberto Gattica and RedOne; and co-producers Rickey Minor, Mervyn Warren and Patti Austin to benefit the Haitian earthquake relief efforts and the rebuilding of Haiti.
Academy Award-winning writer-director Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby), whose own personal efforts as well as those of Artists for Peace and Justice have already saved countless lives in Haiti, filmed the private recording session to create the accompanying video and behind-the-scenes production, and serves as Film Director and as an Executive Producer with Jones, Richie, Jean, Phillips and Tortorici. The 25th Anniversary recording features over 80 artists and performers. The recording of We Are The World 25 For Haiti embodied the same enthusiasm, sense of purpose and generosity as the original recording 25 years ago. Every one of the artists who participated, regardless of genre or generation, walked into the room with their hearts and souls completely open to coming together to help the people of Haiti. Source: Billie Jean Michael Jackson Has Cameo In New 'We Are the World' Video. 12-02-'10 Track the action song by song, mingle with fellow fans and keep current with Brian Mansfield's updates at our American Idol community. The late Michael Jackson has a prominent role in the revamped version of We Are the World. "We left the original footage of that part, but now he is singing with his sister," Richie said. "It's something we wanted to see, but his mother requested it too, for Janet to sing with Michael," said Quincy Jones, who produced the original track and helped orchestrate the re-recording. "It was perfect. It was meant to be." The video is set to make its debut Friday during coverage of the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics. We Are the World — 25 for Haiti features 80 artists, including Pink, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Kanye West and Jennifer Hudson. Proceeds from sales of the song will benefit earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti. Source: usatoday / Billie Jean Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones Spill 'We Are the World' Secrets. 10-02-'10 Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones dish to ET's Mary Hart about producing the star-studded re-recording of "We Are the World," and they reveal more details about Michael Jackson's role in the upcoming music video! Lionel and Quincy tell Mary exactly how Michael, who co-wrote the original charity anthem with Lionel and appeared in its music video, will be inserted into the remake's video.
"In his original spot," Quincy reveals. "It's exactly like his original spot. And you'll also have an image of Janet there with him." "When you're doing the song again, the only person that I was missing in the room that I really, really missed was Michael's presence, and I'm sure Quincy felt the same way," Lionel says. "So, to have him singing that part again was just comforting I think for both us because it needed to be there." Keep watching the video for Lionel and Quincy's take on overseeing the "organized chaos" of the star-studded re-recording -- and for the dish on whether they had to deal with any divas! Plus, see ET's exclusive, first look at newly released behind-the-scenes footage of the session!
Source: ET/ Billie Jean Artists Talk About Michael Jackson and "We Are The World". 07-02-'10 In this video artists, Akon, Jordin Sparks and Celine Dion talk about the recording of the new version "We Are The World", Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. Original collaborators, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie decided to ask a new generation of artists to rerecord the song to benefit those in Haiti. The original "We Are The World" was recorded 25 years ago and was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie with Quincy Jones producing the recording. The original recording generated over $30 Million to help impoverished people in Africa. Clich here for the video. Source: michaeljackson.com / Billie Jean
Janet is expected to participate in a new version of "We Are The World" that is being recorded for Haiti earthquake victims, according to a report from Reuters. Most of the singers participating in the song, which included Barbara Streisand, Kanye West, Celine Dion, Tony Bennett, LL Cool J, will.i.am, and Josh Groban, recorded their vocals together on Monday at the same Hollywood studio where the original version of the song was made. Janet, however, was not present at the session on Monday but co-producer Lionel Richie told MTV that Janet Jackson would be laying down her version of Michael Jackson's part on Tuesday, and he hinted that some other artists might also be added over the next few days. Quincy Jones is saving perhaps the most touching moment for last. At the request of Katherine Jackson, Maya Angelou penned a poem to be read at the end of the song. Quincy is going to speak to Michael's children about reading that narration. Source: Reuters / MTV / ET / Billie Jean 'We Are The World' Remake To Include 3x As Many Stars. 01-02-'10 We Are the World, the 1985 all-star anthem that raised funds for famine victims in Africa, will be re-recorded Monday in Los Angeles with a fresh batch of artists. "We'll have three times as many people as we did the first time," says Quincy Jones, who returns as producer. Plans were already underway to mark the song's 25th anniversary, but the Haiti earthquake created an urgency and vital purpose. Proceeds will benefit relief efforts there. Helping those in need "is why we did it in the first place, so why not do it now?" says Jones, who predicts the new version will have as much reach and fundraising success as its predecessor. "I have confidence, always. I'm so excited." Lionel Richie, who co-wrote the song with Michael Jackson, will coach singers at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M) in the same studio where the original was taped. Music director/composer Rickey Minor is on board, and the project will be filmed. Jones says no participating artists will be identified until Monday. "I'm planning to be there," Smokey Robinson revealed Saturday. "It's a wonderful idea, not only because it's needed, but as a tribute to Michael Jackson." The song, he said, "will hold up forever." Source: MJFC / USA Today / Billie Jean ‘We Are the World’ Sequel Set to Aid Haiti. 21-01-'10 EXCLUSIVE: This column has learned that Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie are planning a massive 25th anniversary re-recording of “We Are the World.” The timing couldn’t be better, sadly enough. The duo is summoning lots and lots of talent from Grammy weekend to stay an extra night — Monday Feb. 1 — and come to the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. There, they will celebrate a quarter century since Ken Kragen, Richie and Michael Jackson organized the original “We Are the World” with Quincy. This time the artists invited include Usher, Natalie Cole, and John Legend. But you can bet that more names will be added shortly and that all the Grammy nominees and participants will be asked to come as well. Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich will produce the event, which will then be turned into a video and single just like it was in 1985. Don’t be surprised if Wyclef Jean joins in, along with Sting, Fergie, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake and other distinctive voices.
It’s hoped that as in 1985, everyone will “leave their egos at the door.” Originally, this anniversary celebration was to be held on Jan. 28. But when the Haiti earthquake happened, sources tell me, the whole deal changed. Now proceeds will go to Haiti relief. In 1985, “We Are the World,” which begat Live Aid, raised money for Africa relief. Plans are still sketchy, but one thing’s for sure: In some way, the song’s co-author Michael Jackson will be invoked. AEG is co-producing this event. They’re also putting together a 3D tribute to Michael for the Grammy show from elements Jackson was going to use for his tour. Jackson recorded “We Are the World” for what became “This Is It.” Surely he’ll be included here as well, which will make the whole project even more poignant. Stay tuned. PS: Quincy Jones is about to release what has been described to me as a landmark new album that he’s made with contemporary R&B and hip hop artists. He was responsible for the original “We Are the World” and will guide the new one. He is not a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in case you were wondering. Source: Showbiz411.com / Billie Jean |
Updated: 02/25/2010 9:56 AM
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It's been 25 years since Lionel Richie wrote "We Are the World" with Michael Jackson to help end hunger in Africa. With producer Quincy Jones on board, musicians like Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen were eager to lend their talent to the cause. The single skyrocketed to the top of the charts, won four Grammy's and raised millions to help those in need.
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