John Legend kicks off James Corden's 'Homefest' as BTS, Billie Eilish, Finneas, Dua Lipa and others get candid
American singer-songwriter John Legend kicked off 'Homefest', the star-studded CBS special which seeks to raise money for those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. 'The Late Late Show' host James Corden video-called his friend Legend to perform as the first artist and entertain viewers from the comfort of his own home, on March 30 night.
Legend performed while sitting at the bench of his home piano in Los Angeles. He also spoke about the toughest part of being stuck at home and said while laughing, "You gain a new respect for what preschool teachers do for five, six hours a day… We're struggling."
Legend chose to perform 'Actions', his latest single which released on March 20, with a stripped-down piano ballad rendition.
Other performers who performed on the show included Andrea Bocelli, BTS, Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish and Finneas. Among an extensive list of top artists, 'Homefest' also featured appearances from David Blaine and Will Ferrell among others.
Before performing their 2019 single 'Everything I Wanted', Billie and Finneas spoke about how they are killing time at home in Los Angeles, according to Billboard. "Dude, life is weird, weird right now for everybody," Billie said. "It’s a weird time." Her brother Finneas said, "Sometime in the next few weeks I’ll feel the urge to write about all this. At the moment I’m listening to a lot of meditation music, taking baths."
Finneas and Billie also said that they had been watching a lot of TV, including the 2008 Jim Carrey movie 'Yes Man', Netflix show 'Love is Blind' and BBC Three's 'Fleabag', which they took in at least "two or three times", according to Daily Mail.
Bocelli, 61, spoke from his home in Tuscany, and said, "We are here together, all my family here in the house... Sometimes is nice, sometimes is boring, but… we must do it."
BTS performed 'Boy With Luv' from their practice room in South Korea while Dua Lipa performed 'Don't Start Now' from her home in London.
Dua Lipa appeared on the video screen accompanied by her band playing their instruments, backup singers and background dancers, all performing from their respective homes.
BTS, on the other hand, performed their 2019 track 'Boy with Luv'. When asked how they were doing, Kim Namjoon aka RM, 25, said, "We're so glad we can connect with you from here. It may seem like we're isolated, but we're still connected through our shared experiences, courage and laughter."
The show brings in a unified spirit while encouraging social distancing. The CBS official website describes the new show best, saying it "is bringing people together to keep people apart. And, naturally, it's helping out some great causes along the way!"
Due to the pandemic, 'The Late Late Show' has been off air for the past few weeks.
"Since 'The Late Late Show' came off the air, we have been thinking of different ways to try and make a show at this time," said the show's executive producers Ben Winston and Rob Crabbe. "With the help of some wonderful guests, we are going to try to put on the best show we can, to entertain, raise awareness, raise money, and hopefully lift spirits. Shooting from James' garage may be far from perfect, but under the circumstances we hope it can help someone, somewhere, who needs some cheer right now."
After the concert, Corden requested the viewers to donate to two charities he is supporting with the 'Homefest' special, namely Feed the Children and CDC Foundation. Feed the Children aims to help struggling children and families. The CD Foundation is a non-profit organization that helps serve all of the many needs that arise during an emergency response that the federally funded CDC cannot cover.