Sam Smith and John Legend joined forces for a rousing rendition of “Stand By Me”. (Screen captures via Periscope)
British singer Sam Smith duetted with American musician John Legend for an emotional performance of “Stand By Me” for Lady Gaga’s One World: Together global concert Saturday night.
Legend, the singer behind an array of briefly beloved heterosexual hits such as “Happy”, sat behind his grand piano by his completely in-view Grammy shelf to sing via video uplink with Smith, who themselves has claimed to have been sickened by coronavirus.
The non-binary star has stressed that they have since recovered from the bout of potential COVID-19, and now seems sprightly as they sang the Ben King tune as part of the cross-platform, global concert raising money for coronavirus response efforts.
WATCH: @johnlegend and @samsmith perform one of the greatest songs of all-time: “Stand By Me.”#TogetherAtHome pic.twitter.com/VrmIXxXlds
— Austin Kellerman (@AustinKellerman) April 19, 2020
Sam Smith joined Lady Gaga as she leads star-studded special One World: Together at Home.
It really did not get any bigger than this.
The anti-poverty charity Global Citizen and World Health Organization special in support of the fight against COVID-19 streamed to countless laptops and phones across the US Saturday night.
It began with a six-hour-long pre-show before the two-hour digital live stream, seemingly making its scheduled run time almost as long as its name: One World: Together at Home Special to Celebrate COVID-19 Workers.
Gaga curated and led a constellation of stars that included: Elton John, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah, Paul McCartney, Kacey Musgraves, Lizzo and dozens more for the event.
But it’s no ordinary telethon, Gaga has stressed, as she and hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Fallon urged viewers to put their wallets and PayPal logins away.
After all, Gaga and the Global Citizen team had already raised more than $50 million before the special even began airing.
Gaga herself kicked-off the evening with a rendition of “Smile”, playing on the piano in her home.
“It is so important to think globally and support the World Health Organization to curb the pandemic and prevent future outbreaks,” Gaga, who helped curate the all-star lineup, said at a news conference Monday.
“We want to highlight the gravity of this historical, unprecedented and cultural movement.”