On Saturday, June 1st, some of the world's most successful musicians will team up with leaders in human rights activism for the Sound of Change Live concert, a global charity event for female empowerment broadcast globally from London, England. Beyoncé is the headliner, along with Florence + The Machine, Jennifer Lopez, and Ellie Goulding; many other global celebrities will be there to join in the fundraising efforts as well.
The four-hour concert could fund at least 120 projects supporting women and girls in more than 70 nations, if all the tickets are sold, [organizers] said.
Organized by the Chime for Change campaign, started by Italian fashion house Gucci, every ticket buyer will be able to choose which project their ticket will fund in what the campaign said was a world first for such a venture.
In addition to performances and collaborations from artists, the concert, which starts at 1:00 p.m. EDT, will serve as a platform to broadcast inspirational and provocative films and stories highlighting women's issues around the world.
Legendary feminist activist Gloria Steinem and Bishop Desmond Tutu are also getting involved, as is Madonna, the pop diva who began empowering women decades ago and still has much to say.
"Sixty percent of the children in the world not in school are girls," Madonna said. "Two-thirds of the world's illiterate are women. I do not accept this. We need to change this and we will change this."
Madonna's involvement with Sound of Change comes with news of a reported new feminist single, preliminarily titled "Back of the Bus."
Madonna shot the video for her secret project last December and recorded a new song that deals with feminist power earlier this year. The name of the song was tentatively titled "Back of the Bus," but that could change in the final version. It is said to be one of the most powerful ballads Madonna has ever come up with. It compares the struggle women face around the world with the Civil Rights Movement that started in the 1950s.
The Sound of Change Live concert, along with this new song and video, are expected to reach at least a billion viewers and listeners worldwide this Saturday. With that kind of audience, change is possible.
