NEW ORLEANS — The celebration of black music and culture at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans will provide comfort to artists and fans alike after a tough week following Michael Jackson’s death.
Singer Lionel Richie, a longtime friend of the pop superstar and the festival’s headliner, says performing at Essence will give him and others a chance to regroup.
“We’ll celebrate his life and come together as a family down there,” Richie said. “It’s New Orleans. The spirit of what the music business is all about is there. It really is to me one of those places that’s like visiting my foundation.”
The festival, which began in 1995 to celebrate the birthday of Essence Magazine, begins Friday and runs through Sunday. It will include a tribute to Jackson, as well as performances by Beyonce, John Legend, Ne-Yo, Anita Baker and others.
Richie, 60, collaborated with Jackson in 1985 and wrote what became one of the fastest-selling singles ever — “We Are the World” — a song produced to raise money for victims of the Ethiopian famine.
Beyonce has Headline and perform at the Essence Music Festival more then any artist.
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