Skip to content
News

Coldplay, Blink, Bloc Party Call for Haiti Relief

mark-hoppus-chris-martin-bl.jpg

Tuesday, Jan. 13, a massive earthquake hit Haiti, flattening its capital city, Port-au-Prince, killing up to 50,000 people and leaving 2 to 3 million survivors in dire need. In the aftermath, musicians like Coldplay and Blink-182 are donating to the relief cause, asking fans to do the same, and releasing statements about the disaster.

“I visited Haiti with Oxfam a few years ago,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin wrote on Coldplay’s website, urging donations to the internation aid organization. “It’s a country of extreme poverty and brutal living conditions. Most people in Port-au-Prince live in tin shacks. The earthquake that has struck Haiti will have turned the city into an unimaginable hell. The people of Haiti will be desperate for help and assistance.”

Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke also issued a statement in support of Oxfam. “Bloc Party supports Oxfam American because they save lives, help people overcome poverty, and fight for social justice,” Okereke said. “They help our fans become activists, by showing them how take action to change things for the better.”

Blink-182, meanwhile, released limited edition t-shirts to their online merchandise shop, featuring their trademark Blink bunny carrying a Haitian flag. Buy one here. All proceeds will go to the Red Cross‘ efforts in Haiti.

Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean has raised more than $750,000 since the quake with his Yéle Haiti text messaging campaign (just text “Yele” to 501501 to instantly donate $5), promoted on his Twitter page. In a statement posted to Yele.com, Jean wrote: “I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now.”

Many more musicians have also shown their support. Alicia Keys, Arcade Fire, and Grizzly Bear have posted statements urging fans to donate on their websites, while Adam Lambert, Wilco, Nada Surf, Yoko Ono, and the Roots are among the artists who have been supporting the relief on Twitter.