With live music and events indefinitely on halt while the COVID-19 epidemic continues to escalate in the U.S., the latest consolation comes from TikTok, which on Monday announced a five-day music and entertainment livestreaming series that includes sets with Alicia Keys, Megan Thee Stallion, and DJ Khaled among many others.
Called #HappyatHome: Live!, the series will air this evening at 5 p.m. PST and will conclude with “Sound Check Friday.” Along with Keys, Megan and Khaled, the set will feature Jason Derulo, Troye Sivan, Meghan Trainor, Yungblud, Hailee Steinfeld, Lauv, Kelsea Ballerini.
Outside of the music, TikTok’s series will be broken into four separate days: “Motivation Monday,” “Kick Back Tuesday,” “Show & Tell Wednesday” and “EduTok Thursday.” Celebrities and popular TikTok creators like Tyra Banks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Loren Gray, Charli D’Amelio, Dr. Phil, and Bill Nye will appear.
While TikTok is more known for its short-form 15- to 60-second videos, the livestream sets aren’t stuck to the minute limit and will all be about 30 minutes long, a spokesperson for TikTok tells Rolling Stone. Along with donating to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Fund and partnering with After-School All Stars, TikTok has already been livestreaming Q&A sessions with the World Health Organization since last week, and those sessions will continue this week, according to the company.
“As the world comes together to fight the spread of COVID-19, we’re confronted with the cruel irony that one of the most important ways to combat the virus — social distancing — requires us to physically isolate ourselves from our fellow human beings,” said Greg Justice, head of content programming for TikTok US in a statement to Rolling Stone. “The goal is simple: share in a bit of levity, provide some comfort, and embrace the responsibility we all have to do the right thing by staying inside and stopping the spread. There’s a lot we can’t do right now, but this is one small way we can all help each other during these trying times.”
Livestreaming has quickly grown popular among bands and artists looking to connect with fans as their concerts and tours are suspended. Livestreaming companies are seeing a surge in interest from artists looking to make up for lost revenue, too.
Last week, artists including Chris Martin, John Legend, Charlie Puth, Camila Cabello, and Shawn Mendes took part in Global Citizen’s “Together at Home” concerts, and the series will continue this week. Yungblud, set to perform on the TikTok stream, aired a live concert featuring Machine Gun Kelly and Bella Thorne on YouTube last week. Keith Urban put on a 30-minute set from his basement in Nashville, and Neil Young performed a six-song acoustic set for his livestreamed Fireside Session in his Telluride, Colorado home. Young said he wants to make the session an ongoing series.