Band Aid 30

Band Aid 30 is the 2014 incarnation of the charity supergroup <a href="spotify:artist:35S20clEkkSNUo23ViaslZ" data-name="Band Aid">Band Aid</a>. The group was announced on 10 November 2014 by <a href="spotify:artist:6bvtY9dkfSa5yKuogd2aLU" data-name="Bob Geldof">Bob Geldof</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2N4isf5pypyuDVpBofqEN8" data-name="Midge Ure">Midge Ure</a>, with Geldof stating that he took the step after the United Nations had contacted him, saying help was urgently needed to prevent the 2014 Ebola crisis in Western Africa spreading throughout the world. As in previous incarnations, the group covered the track &#34;Do They Know It&#39;s Christmas?&#34;, written in 1984 by Geldof and Ure, this time to raise money towards the Ebola crisis in Western Africa. The track re-tweaked lyrics to reflect the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, and all proceeds went towards battling what Geldof described as a &#34;particularly pernicious illness because it renders humans untouchable and that is sickening&#34;.

The song was recorded by some of the biggest-selling current British and Irish pop acts, including <a href="spotify:artist:4AK6F7OLvEQ5QYCBNiQWHq" data-name="One Direction">One Direction</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2wY79sveU1sp5g7SokKOiI" data-name="Sam Smith">Sam Smith</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6eUKZXaKkcviH0Ku9w2n3V" data-name="Ed Sheeran">Ed Sheeran</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7sfgqEdoeBTjd8lQsPT3Cy" data-name="Emeli Sandé">Emeli Sandé</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0X2BH1fck6amBIoJhDVmmJ" data-name="Ellie Goulding">Ellie Goulding</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5CCwRZC6euC8Odo6y9X8jr" data-name="Rita Ora">Rita Ora</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:7EQ0qTo7fWT7DPxmxtSYEc" data-name="Bastille">Bastille</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2j3K3e7Jnnmd2KwlFgCC5u" data-name="Guy Garvey">Guy Garvey</a> of Mercury prize-winning band <a href="spotify:artist:0TJB3EE2efClsYIDQ8V2Jk" data-name="Elbow">Elbow</a> were also on board, along with <a href="spotify:artist:0LQoZQIV0mIs0y0XQb0Sw2" data-name="Chris Martin">Chris Martin</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:4gzpq5DPGxSnKTe4SA8HAU" data-name="Coldplay">Coldplay</a>) and <a href="spotify:artist:0m2Wc2gfNUWaAuBK7URPIJ" data-name="Bono">Bono</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:51Blml2LZPmy7TTiAg47vQ" data-name="U2">U2</a>)—the third time he has contributed to a Band Aid recording.