Pharrell, Fantasia, Lionel Richie & More Celebrate Juneteenth

Tessa Thompson wears a cool mask while attending the Juneteenth Pop Up event held at Bloom & Plume in Los Angeles over the weekend.

Lionel Richie tapped his three kids for their honest feedback on his new perfume.The 70-year-old music legend launched the line of his and hers scents, called Hello by Lionel Richie, back in February, and enlisted the help of his children, Nicole, Miles, and Sofia Richie. However, he refused to tell them it was his perfume they smelt when he tried to get their seal of approval.

Joel Madden is wishing Lionel Richie a happy birthday!

Beyoncé has surprised fans with the release of a new song called Black Parade.The track was dropped via her Instagram page with a simple black square and the title in bold white font with a 30-second snippet. Moments after the teaser, the full 4 minute 41 second track was released on her YouTube channel as well as other streaming platforms on Juneteenth, a day that marks the anniversary of the end of slavery in the USA on 19 June 1865.

Toya Johnson celebrated Juneteenth in a special way and she made sure to mark the event on her social media account as well. Check out her post below.

On Juneteenth, Michelle Obama took to social media to talk about the important holiday and explain what it really means to her. Furthermore, she had some advice on how people should celebrate it, which is by using their ‘voices and votes’ to enact positive change in America.

celebration of Juneteenth — marking the freeing of the last enslaved Americans, on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas — black artists have exercised their creative freedom with new music.And with June also being Black Music Month, it reminds us that music has always been an important part of the black experience in America — from slavery through the civil rights movement to today’s Black Lives Matter mission.From never-before-heard Aretha and Alicia Keys to Teyana Taylor, here are six reasons to

Taylor Swift has opened up about the importance of Juneteenth in a series of posts on Twitter.The 30-year-old ME! singer shared an article from The Root that included a video of the history of the holiday – when the Emancipation Proclamation was read to Texan slaves on June 19, 1865, after the South lost the U.S.

mourn the loss of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and more victims of police brutality, many celebrities have taken this moment to advocate for making Juneteenth a nationally recognized holiday. In a lengthy Washington Post op-ed, Usher detailed how the significant day should be widely celebrated.“We could observe it, as many black Americans already do, by celebrating both our first step toward freedom as black people in America and also the many contributions to this land,” he wrote.

Filmmaker Oge Egbuonu, a producer on the film , makes her directorial debut with the documentary on . The film—which was nearly three years in the making—features Black female scholars and authors sharing stories of struggle and celebration throughout American history.

day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were made aware they were free. Amid a new awareness of Black issues and Black life, the day that was once observed as a holiday only by a small group is gaining greater attention, with big brands like Amazon and Uber recognizing Juneteenth as a paid day off.

Spotify has announced it will celebrate Juneteenth and Black Music Month by featuring black artists only in this Friday’s (June 19) edition of its flagship playlist, ‘New Music Friday’.The weekly playlist is one of the most streamed on the platform with over 3.5 million followers. It updates every Friday at midnight EST/Thursday 9pm PST.In addition, Spotify’s ‘New Music Friday’ billboards in Times Square will be dedicated solely to black artists on June 19.

Lionel Richie has confirmed an original movie-musical based on his songs is in the works.

Variety reports. The live-action project is tentatively titled after his 1983 song, “All Night Long,” and will utilize some of his greatest hits.According to the report, the artist pitched the concept to the studio, where it was accepted in January and the artist is on board as the film’s producer alongside his manager Bruce Eskowitz as well as Calvary Media’s Dana Brunetti and Matt Del Piano.