R&B phenom H.E.R. showcased her vocal range and guitar skills during an acoustic livestreamed concert in her living room in New York as part of the "Together At Home" virtual series on Wednesday.
H.E.R. took requests from the audience, sang covers such as John Mayer’s "Daughter" and Keyshia Cole’s "Love," and played hits including "Best Part," "Hard Place," "Fate," and "Comfortable." The Grammy-winning artist urged her fans to stay inside to help flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic and said that music can help ease people’s loneliness.
"We’re here for Global Citizen and the World Health Organization," she said. "Music heals, and I’m just happy you guys are with me and keeping me busy and entertained."
"I hope you guys are staying inside and staying safe, this is very critical. There are over 25,000 cases in New York right now," she said.
H.E.R. talked about her love of performing live, and teased new songs that might show up on her next album. She also encouraged her fans to use the public shutdowns as an opportunity to reflect on humanity’s place in the world.
"The world is healing," she said, referring to how environments are recovering as global travel and commercial exploitation slows down during the pandemic. "The dolphins that came back, things are growing, and pollution is lower."
"You just have to look at the bright side of things and be positive," she said. "I’m happy that we have music and I’m happy that we have this [campaign] so we’re not alone. Music brings people together."
In her career, H.E.R. has become a champion for education and women’s empowerment. She performed at the 2019 Global Citizen Festival in New York, where she joined other artists in calling for an end to extreme poverty.
The "Together At Home" campaign was launched on March 16 by Global Citizen and the World Health Organization (WHO). Dozens of artists, actors, and health experts have united around the campaign to support the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Through the campaign, you can take actions on a number of topics, including calling on the US to help fund the WHO’s relief efforts.
Globally, more than 413,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus and 18,433 people have died from it, according to the WHO. Health care systems are being overwhelmed as they experience a rush of patients needing intensive care. The WHO is working to confront this pandemic by looking for ways to strengthen health systems by supporting health care providers and researching treatments and vaccines.
By visiting Global Citizen’s "Together At Home" campaign page, you can learn more about the coronavirus and find ways to get involved in your community.
"Shout out to Global Citizen and the World Health Organization for doing so many important things around this coronavirus and our current situation, and putting together this series that's really great for people to watch their favorite artists at home," H.E.R. said.
The "Together At Home" series has featured dozens of artists and influencers, including Chris Martin, John Legend, Charlie Puth, Camila Cabello alongside Shawn Mendes, Lindsey Sterling, Kerry Washington, Chloe X Halle, and more.
There are many more virtual events to come this week, including these sets on Thursday:
Kygo at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET
Jon Batiste at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
Ty Dolla $ign at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET
You can see all of Global Citizen's COVID-19 coverage here.
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