Eliot's One Song Foundation to change the world - VIDEO
ELIOT Kennedy has a dream – to change the world one song at a time.
The Sheffield singer songwriter aims to make it a reality with superstar pals backing his One Song Foundation to raise millions of pounds for needy causes, as The Star's Digital Editor Graham Walker has been finding out.
VIDEO: Click the play button to watch our full video interview with Eliot.
MUSIC is the ultimate backstage pass to everybody's soul. It can change lives. It can make a difference.
The words are more than poetic. They are emotionally charged.
But you would expect that, because they belong to one of the greatest lyric writers on the planet – Sheffield's own Eliot Kennedy.
He's written and produced hit after hit for superstar pals Bryan Adams, Take That, The Spice Girls, Boyzone, Celine Dion, Donny Osmond, Blue, SClub and many, many more.
Now he is calling on them to help him change the world. And they're starting to queue up to give support to his One Song Foundation.
The power of music brings fame and fortune. But, as Bob Geldof and Midge Ure proved almost 25-years ago, it can do far more than that.
Their Live Aid concert raised an estimated 150 million for famine relief and saved lives.
Eliot's One Song Foundation, with similar star-studded concerts and recordings, now aims to help change the world – but by giving help for lots of charities, at home and abroad, on an ongoing basis.
And the idea is to start by doing it one song at a time.
It's a simple idea, which has already won over Bob Dylan, Bon Jovi and support from other giants of the music world, explained Eliot.
They donate a song to the Foundation and when fans download it they will indicate where they want their money to go – from a choice of worthy domestic and international causes.
There will be fundraising concerts and Eliot would like to see an annual One Song Day, with performances staged in every country around the world.
He believes it will become a "global phenomenon".
A spectacular launch is planned at his Dennis Hobson promoted Eliot Kennedy and Guests concert, a One Song Foundation gig starring Peter Kay, members of Blue, SClub and other big names, helping Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity and Cavendish Cancer Care, at Sheffield City Hall, on December 16.
One Song is being managed by South Yorkshire Community Foundation and a board of directors will be announced soon. But Eliot will lead from the front.
The first commercially available song will be the Foundation's anthem, called Amazing, the debut from one of his new breaking acts - Siobhan Dillon, a finalist in Lord Webber's How To Solve A Problem Like Maria.
She will perform it live on stage at the City Hall concert.
But the first track – backing the Foundation – is his charity song World At Your Feet, adopted as the official anthem for Sheffield's 2018 Back The Bid campaign to bring World Cup matches to the city.
World At Your Feet is now available by download now, with a donation request, from The Star's web site - for details and track CLICK HERE.
It can also be downloaded from the official One Song Foundation web site, where you will find updates, latest news and more, at www.onesongfoundation.org
Sheffield's 2018 Back The Bid official web site also has the download, latest news and more, at www.sheffield2018.co.uk
Eliot told The Star how his Foundation will work. He said: "The idea is really simple. I have artistes who are going to donate a song that they want to change the world with and we put the record out. If you buy the record, or a OneSong T-shirt, a baseball cap, or whatever you buy that is One Song branded, you will get a special code to use on line to say where you want your money to go, to a domestic or international project and help to change the world, one song at a time.
"People will be able to nominate charities. The International projects will be run by major charities. They will be big projects, like building a village in Sudan, or such. Domestic projects could be building an inner city playground or a new wing at a hospital.
Eliot, who turned 40 earlier this year, added: "I've reached a point in my life where I just want to make a difference. If it's by writing songs, then so be it.
"The exciting thing for me is that I can personally have a direct impact on my own community and then internationally, as it gets bigger.
"I have been out in the community working with homeless projects. I spent a day recently working with a soup kitchen organisation and a homeless project in Rotherham. It's not just where I live. I want to have an effect wherever we possible can.
"Music is so powerful. It's part of everybody's lives and people tell me about songs I've written that have changed their lives or, in some cases, have saved a life. It's the most humbling thing you can ever hear, as a songwriter.
"At that point I realised by doing nothing more than what I do every day, we can start directing that energy and moving more positively.
"So rather than just making records, like I have done fore the last 20-years – now it feels like it has a little bit more meaning to it.
"The idea is to set up right here in England. One Song is a UK based Foundation and we are going to make records, do performances and gigs, that will be One Song events. The idea after that is to take it internationally, so there will be One Song USA, One Song Canada, Australia, etc.
"And my dream at the end of this – a kind of three to five year plan, is that everyone has their event on the same day. We have a One Song Day around the world – like Live Aid. But we have one in every country. I just don't see why we can't do this every year.
Eliot said the inspiration for the OneSong Foundation name was sparked by an interview he did with The Star last year to promote his first charity concert at the City Hall – which saw him perform with Bryan Adams and Peter Kay.
"You asked me, as a songwriter, how I get to play a part in making things better. We were talking about the power of music and how songs just manage to get in where nothing else does. I always call music the ultimate backstage pass to everybody's soul. I realised, after the question, I can only do it one song at a time. So I decided to call it the One Song Foundation – changing the world one song at a time."
DONATE: Click here to make a donation now to the One Song Foundation. It's easy to do, using the Just Giving site.
For One Song Foundation updates, latest news and downloads, visit the official web site at www.onesongfoundation.org
Sheffield's 2018 Back The Bid official web site, for latest news, downloads and mores, is www.sheffield2018.co.uk
Tickets for Eliot's City Hall concert, now heading towards a sell out, are 24.50 and 29.50 each, may be subject to a booking fee. Call 0114 2 789 789 or book on line, and get updated details, at www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk
READ MORE: Peter Kay to host Blue and SClub reunion in Sheffield - VIDEO
READ MORE: Sheffield 2018 Back The Bid song World At Your Feet - DOWNLOAD and DONATE
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