Annie Lennox plans to fundraise and entertain at Rotary occasion in Italy. She doesn’t plan to retire

NEW YORK — Annie Lennox is just not retiring.

Though her companion within the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Eurythmics Dave Stewart lately posted that Lennox “ won’t be touring anymore ” and wouldn’t be a part of the “Sweet Dreams 40th Anniversary Tour” this fall, the “Here Comes the Rain Again” singer instructed The Associated Press that she’s going to proceed to carry out, particularly at occasions that assist causes she is keen about and her personal nonprofit work.

“I’m not retiring from anything,” Lennox stated. “I’m just stepping back because I spent decades on the road. And at the age of 68, I’m very fortunate in that I can do sort of one-off appearances now and then. But I think when it comes to an actual tour where you have like 73-date commitments night after night and traveling on the road, it’s incredibly intense. It’s arduous.”

Instead, Lennox plans on acting at extra occasions like “ Time for Change,” a fundraiser for quite a few nonprofits, together with Rotary International’s End Polio Now initiative. Lennox will carry out on the ground of the Colosseum on Sunday, accompanied solely by a piano, as a part of the profit.

Alberto Cecchini, member of Rotary International’s board of administrators and one of many occasion organizers, stated Lennox was a straightforward selection for headliner due to each her music and her dedication to ending polio. He stated holding the live performance in Italy will amplify the message of her efficiency.

“We are surrounded by beauty, by art and by history,” Cecchini stated of Italy. “And all this beauty has the power to inspire people.”

Jennifer Jones, outgoing Rotary International president and new member of its board of trustees, stated solely seven polio circumstances have been reported on this planet this 12 months, down 99.9% from 1988 when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative started.

“We have made a promise to the children of the world to eradicate this disease,” stated Jones, including that after there aren’t any extra new circumstances, youngsters will must be vaccinated for 3 years to make sure the virus doesn’t return. “We have never been this close. And we can’t take our foot off the gas because billions of children will be vulnerable if we don’t.”

Lennox stated she was impressed to become involved with End Polio Now as a result of they’re so near eradicating polio that she needed to do what she might to assist safe that victory.

“I’m very honored to be part of that,” she stated.

The AP lately spoke with Lennox about why she considers herself an artist and an activist and why these pursuits pair so effectively collectively. The interview was edited for readability and size.

A: There are simply infinite challenges on this planet. There have been for years. And I believe there at all times will probably be. There’s simply a lot want. So, initially, the Rotary Club – they do superb work. And then I discovered it’s to cease polio for kids. You know, I used to be vaccinated once I was a child again within the early ’60s with each different schoolchild within the nation and I’m simply so grateful that I by no means needed to have polio. I did see younger children in calipers again within the day, and so they have been those who didn’t have the chance to get the vaccine. Decades later, it’s appalling to me that there are nonetheless affected youngsters who don’t make it. That’s surprising.

A: Well, philanthropy is a phrase I’m not utterly comfy with as a result of in some ways I equate philanthropy with huge billionaires like Bill Gates. I imply, a few of these billionaires are philanthropic and a few of them aren’t. For me, I’m an activist and I’ve been an advocate for varied points. And I’m an artist at first. I really feel I’ve a really small platform, but it surely has alternatives to do fairly a couple of issues in my smaller method. So I just like the notion that I can use my platform as an artist to have interaction with totally different points that I’m keen about.

A: Every group is in search of methods to boost funding. That’s an important factor. And, after all, in the event you can have an occasion with an artist performing, the potential is that it will get the next profile. Comic Relief, who mixed the advocacy facet with leisure with a complete day of working movie clips and appearances from varied folks. Comic Relief has been in a position to increase thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of kilos and I’m undecided how else we’d have carried out, fairly truthfully.

A: Well, I’m a lady. And I’ve lived my life as a lady. I’ve given beginning and I’ve misplaced a baby. So I’ve had some actually profound life experiences and I establish with ladies all around the world. I describe myself as a worldwide feminist as a result of I really feel that the empowerment of ladies and women must be a very international difficulty. The Circle tries to bridge the hole – to assist grassroots organizations and ladies’s assist organizations who’re making an attempt to mainly get ladies their elementary human rights in nations the place they’ve only a few human rights.

A: As effectively as entertaining, there’s a facet of desirous to make a distinction on this planet. I’m just one individual among the many billions of individuals on the planet, but it surely’s a really heartfelt dedication from me to do what I can.

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