American rapper Snoop Dogg announced his first-ever e-concert — Snoopadelic in the(da) Pandemic on Sept 12, 2020 – to support the fight against Coronavirus by raising funds for the International Medical Corps. In an exclusive interview with Nivi Shrivastava, he shares notes from his lockdown diaries.
1. Please tell us something about Snoopadelic in the(da) Pandemic – the fight against Coronavirus (COVID-19)? Couch Concerts approached me with this great idea to use music as a way of supporting the world and those suffering from the effects of COVID 19 global crisis. The idea was conceptualized as live concerts were cancelled around the world and we wanted to bring some fun and excitement, and connect with worldwide audience whilst staying safely at home. It is a live stream event straight from my compound and people can buy tickets at www.couchconcerts.tv to get access or they can even watch it on demand with their ticket.
2. As an artist, how do you feel about your first e-concert? This is the first of its kind ‘concert on the couch’ live stream concept and I was up for being the first to work with Couch Concerts, especially as it was to support the fight against COVID 19. It’s different but thanks to technology, it would be great to connect with my fans worldwide.
3. Would you miss out on the energy that one gets to experience at a live concert, for an artist how important is it? Would you get to interact with your fans online? Yes, I do miss out on the live concert energy, but we got this virus, this pandemic and young people can get it, they can transmit it to old people, so it’s important that we all stay safe. The stream is interactive, so some lucky fans might get a shout out from me.
4. How would the money collected from this e concert be utilised to fight covid19? Would you too be actively participating to reach out to various NGOs and groups to oversee the help? The 25% of ticket and merchandise sales will go towards International Medical Corps. Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11th 2020, cases have continued to increase rapidly. The International Medical Corps works closely with international, national and local charities and health organisations, providing medical expertise, equipment, training and triage & treatment services. Its goal is to ensure that at-risk countries and regions can prepare for and respond to outbreaks of coronavirus quickly and safely.
5. Please tell us how you have been spending the lockdown period (with your family and where etc)? Did you get time to write or work on any new album / songs? I just chill, watch tv, listen to music, be with the family- that’s what I have been doing! The more we go out, the longer we stay in, so I just do my thing at home and make music. Lots of interesting upcoming projects for my fans across the world. It’s going to be very exciting, the gig will be smoking hot, and will help support a good cause. So, buy your tickets now!
Guest Author