Band Aid 30: One Direction and Ed Sheeran confirmed for Bob Geldof's charity Ebola single
Bono and Chris Martin have also confirmed they will take part
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Bob Geldof has announced the line-up for his new Band Aid song, which will raise funds to help fight Ebola in West Africa.
One Direction, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Bastille, Foals, Elbow, Ellie Goulding, Emelie Sandé, Sam Smith, Olly Murs, Bono and Chris Martin are among the artists confirmed to take part in the charity single, which has "nothing to do with nostalgia".
More musical "giants" are still to be announced, including possible vocals from David Bowie.
The lyrics "Do They Know It's Christmas?" will be tweaked and modernised to address the recent outbreak of Ebola, described by Geldof as "a pernicious illness which renders people untouchable".
Speaking at a press conference in London, Geldof said: "This is the worst kept secret in the world. We will reconvene nearly 30 years to the day.
"Three weeks ago I got a call from the UN saying they required a 20 per cent increase across the board. They are very concerned about the situation in West Africa.
"We called up some giants and they said they would come again to the party."
Geldof added that he and singer Midge Ure felt they had a duty to raise money with sales from the single, which will feature an album cover designed by Tracey Emin.
"[Ure] and I both feel, the Irishman and Scotsman, should gather the pop crow together again and do our thing," he said.
"It really doesn't matter if you hate this song or you don't like this song, you have to buy this thing."
The new Band Aid 30 single will be recorded on 15 November and released to buy two days later. To ensure that maximum funds are raised for charity, it will not be available to stream on Spotify until January.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments