Katy Perry makes surprise appearance at benefit for mudslide survivors

Katy Perry made a surprise appearance at a benefit for the survivors of the deadly mudslide in Montecito, California, on Sunday (25Feb18).

The 33-year-old singer hadn’t been on the line-up for the One 805 Kick Ash Bash fundraiser, named after the area code where the natural disaster first hit, but turned up to perform a set for the 2,000-strong crowd and speak to first responders and survivors.

“This means the world to me,” Katy, who grew up in nearby Goleta, California, told CNN. “This is where I flourish. My heart was broken by the tragedy, the mudslide. I’ll do anything to help this community.”

Backstage before her performance, Katy met 14-year-old Lauren Cantin, who was pulled from the mud and debris back in January (18). She lost her father in the mudslide, while her 16-year-old brother is still missing, but her mother survived. Katy encouraged the teenager to take to the stage, telling her “you can sing”, and Lauren performed an emotional rendition of God Bless America before the Swish Swish star began her performance.

Other famous faces at the event included TV host Ellen DeGeneres who, along with wife Portia de Rossi, had to evacuate her home when the mudslides began last month.

“The news has moved on, but we have not moved on,” Ellen said, promising the crowd she would continue to raise awareness of the tragedy on her daily talk show. She added that the aftermath of the mudslide is similar to what she experienced in her hometown of New Orleans following the hurricanes last year.

“And it’s not just rich people and billionaires, it’s everybody,” she stated.

Wilson Phillips, Katharine McPhee, Kenny Loggins and Dishwalla were among the other performers at the event, which raised nearly $2 million (£1.4 million), according to organisers. music-news.com