Jessie J, Emeli Sande and Rita Ora grace memorial concert

British pop stars Jessie J, Emeli Sande and Rita Ora led a high-profile line-up at a memorial concert for a murdered teenager on Sunday night (29Sep13). The big-name cast, which also featured British musicians Jamie Cullum, Tinie Tempah, Rizzle Kicks, Labrinth and Plan B, gathered to perform at London’s O2 Arena in memory of Stephen Lawrence, a black teenager who was stabbed to death in a racially motivated attack in 1993.
The concert marked 20 years since the 18 year old’s slaying, and proceeds from the event will go to The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, which was set up following the murder to aid underprivileged young people.
After her performance, Jessie J told British newspaper the Daily Star, “I want people to walk away thinking: ‘What can I do to make the world a better place to live in?'”
Emeli Sandi took to Twitter.com to write, “I feel so blessed to play a part in todays (sic) concert in memory of Stephen Lawrence. Let the music strike & inspire unity and justice.”
Two men, Gary Dobson and David Norris, were convicted of Lawrence’s murder last year (12) after the initial investigation into five suspects collapsed amid allegations of racism within London’s Metropolitan Police.