British-Lebanese glam-pop star Mika continues showing support to his birthplace of Beirut by hosting a benefit concert following the deadly blast at the city’s port earlier this month.
He will perform his special “I Love Beirut” livestream show on Saturday, Sept. 19 across four different time zones on YouTube. Tickets went on sale Monday morning (Aug. 24), starting at £10/ $10/ €10 on Ticketmaster. Additionally, fans can donate to the affiliated GoFundMe ” I Love Beirut” campaign, with 100% of the proceeds benefitting Red Cross Lebanon and Save the Children Lebanon equally.
“After years of civil war, political upheaval and financial strife, the news of the explosions in Beirut was unbelievable. Even from afar, my heart broke as I thought of all those people who had lost their homes, their livelihoods and even their loved ones,” Mika announced in a video announcement last Thursday (Aug. 20). “I wanted to do something in any small way that I can to help the people and the situation over there. For that reason, I’ll be staging a livestreamed concert in aid of the city of Beirut. Beirut and Lebanon is the place of my birth, it’s part of my life, it’s part of my family’s life. It’s part of my heart.”
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On Aug. 4, a massive explosion from a warehouse in the port area of Beirut, which held more than 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, killed nearly 200 people and injured nearly 6,000 others while leaving approximately 300,000 people homeless in the capital of Lebanon. Days after, Mika shared a heartfelt letter with Billboard to express his grief and anger with his fellow Lebanese people. His “Popular Song” collaborator Ariana Grande as well as Rihanna, Harry Styles, Halsey, LL Cool J, Ricky Martin, and more musicians also shared their thoughts, prayers and action items for Beirut.
Mika (real name Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr.) promises surprises from friends during the intimate performance. The four livestream slots are as follows: Livestream #1 – UK and Ireland (8 p.m. BST/IST), Livestream #2 – Europe (9 p.m. CEST/ 8 p.m. BST), Livestream #3 – North America & Central/South America (6 p.m. PDT/ 9 p.m. EDT) and Livestream #4 – Australia, New Zealand and Asia (8 p.m. AEST/ 10 p.m. NZST/ 7 p.m. JST and KST). The Australia, New Zealand and Asia slots technically fall on Sunday, Sept. 20.
Watch Mika’s video announcement ahead of his “I Love Beirut” livestream benefit concert below.