Chris Martin and Katy Perry motivate crowds at Invictus Games opening ceremony
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Katy Perry were among the musicians who helped launch the Invictus Games in Canada by entertaining the crowds at the opening ceremony.
Canadian singer Nelly Furtado and Quebec alt-pop star Roxane Bruneau also performed at BC Place in Vancouver as the seventh edition of the games began on Saturday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex watched the ceremony, cheering on the performers and competitors when they took to the stage.
For his opening number, Martin delivered a moving rendition of the Invictus Games anthem, which he created in 2014 using the lyrics of the Invictus poem by William Ernest Henley, while accompanied by the Universal Gospel Choir.
He then picked up his guitar to play and sing Coldplay's hit Higher Power alongside four backing singers.
Between the songs he thanked Harry for inviting him to perform, saying: 'I'd like to say thanks, of course, to Prince Harry.
'When he called me he said, 'I've called every other musician in the world, they all said they're not available so I have to call you'. And I said 'Your royal holiness, I'm honoured.'
'But thank you Harry for being such an inspiring leader and kind and sweet man, and I hope you have the most wonderful games of all. And it's a pleasure to be here.'
He finished his set by playing the band's 2008 classic Viva La Vida while the backing singers provided harmonies before he was joined again by the choir.
The singer was proceeded by a bagpipe player delivering a solo performance before a full bagpipe and drumming band performed.
Perry kicked off her performance with a rendition of her motivational hit Roar after Harry delivered his speech to the arena.
The US pop star then launched into a high-energy medley of her tracks Dark Horse, Part Of Me and Lifetimes while dressed in a futuristic, silver cut-out outfit.
She thanked the ceremony for having her and the service personnel and veterans for their service before closing with her megahit Firework alongside a full marching band, a dance troupe and large yellow dancing figures.
The ceremony also saw British Columbia-born Furtado perform a medley of her hits including I'm Like a Bird, Turn Off The Light and Say It Right.
The singer, dressed in a black jumpsuit, encouraged the crowd to sing along to the performance as a dance troupe joined her on stage.
US singer-songwriter Noah Kahan took to the stage to perform a rousing rendition of his song Northern Attitude alongside his band which got members of the crowd chanting along.
Kahan said it was an 'honour' to be at the games before he launched into his viral hit Stick Season.
The ceremony opened with a performance by members of the traditional territories as the Invictus Games are being held on the land of indigenous nations Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh.
More than 500 competitors from 23 nations will take part in the games, which go on until Sunday February 16.
Harry, a former British Army captain, launched the Invictus Games in 2014 as an international sports tournament for injured service personnel and veterans.
The games aim to 'inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for those who have served their country', the Royal British Legion said.
The Invictus Games were held in London in 2014, in Orlando in 2016, Toronto in 2017, Sydney in 2018, The Hague in 2022 and Dusseldorf in 2023.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
TWICE reveals list of cities for upcoming tour
10 Jun - After previously announcing that they will embark on a new tour, TWICE recently unveiled part 1 of the upcoming "This is For" world tour. On 8 June, the group posted the list of cities that they will be performing in, which will begin in Incheon on 19 and 20 July, followed by several cities in Japan beginning 26 July to 17 September. The nine members will then perform in Macao, followed by Bulacan on 4 October and Singapore on 11 and 12 October, before moving to Sydney and Melbourne, Kaohsiung and Hong Kong. The tour will end in Bangkok on 13 and 14 December. However, this will only be part one of the tour and that TWICE will be revealing more dates and cities soon. It is noted that TWICE will also be performing at the Lollapalooza 2025 in early August. They were last seen on a concert stage opening for Coldplay back in April. (Photo Source: TWICE IG)
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
J-Pop Star Comes Clean on Claims She's Newest Musk Baby Mama
A Japanese performed dubbed the 'Empress of J-Pop' broke her silence Monday on rumors that she is a secret Elon Musk's baby mama. Ayumi Hamasaki denied the theory that she was one of the multiple women with whom Musk had fathered a child after an another baby mama told The New York Times that he had a child with a Japanese pop star. 'I've been keeping an eye on this, and I guess it's time for me to speak up. Elon Musk is not the father of [either of] my children,' Hamasaki wrote on her Instagram Story, according to Tokyo Weekender. Hamasaki, 46, has two sons with two different men, born in 2019 and 2021. The fathers' identities have not been publicly revealed. The rumors around the singer began to spread when MAGA author and influencer Ashley St. Clair—who gave birth to his 13th child, a son, last year—claimed that the billionaire had also told her that he had a child with a J-pop star. Musk has previously claimed that 'civilization is going to crumble' if people did not have children, stating that 'I do have a lot of kids, and I encourage others to have lots of kids.' 'He made it seem like it was just his altruism and he generally believed these people should just have children,' St. Clair said. According to text messages reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Musk texted St. Clair in 2023 about a meeting he had with people he referred to as Japanese officials, saying that they wanted him to be a sperm donor for a high-profile woman. 'They want me to be a sperm donor. No romance or anything, just sperm,' Musk texted St. Clair, later telling her that he agreed to give his sperm to the unnamed woman. As social media users and J-Pop forums began speculating which Japanese star St. Clair could be referring to, Hamasaki quickly became the prime suspect. The singer admitted she could understand why this seemed like the 'sort of thing' she would do. 'Even my mom laughed when she heard the rumors, saying, 'This seems kind of Ayu-like,' and if I were someone else, I'd probably be saying 'Ayu is the pop star [St Clair] was talking about, right?' But it's just not true,' she said on Instagram. 'Setting aside my personal image, when my kids are old enough to start Googling things, I don't want them to run into the rumors and think they're true, so I'm firmly denying them,' the singer added. Hamasaki is the best-selling solo artist in Japan, having sold over 50 million albums. Her influence across Asia has earned her the title the 'Empress of Pop.' Musk's complicated family dynamics have long been in the spotlight. His first six children, the eldest of whom died as a baby, were with first wife Justine Wilson, and include transgender daughter Vivian Wilson, who has become a prominent public critic. He went on to have son X, now five, with Canadian musician Grimes, then two more children during an on-off relationship. But in July 2022, when the relationship with Grimes had apparently recently ended, he had twins with Neuralink executive Shivon Zillis. He then had two more children with Zillis, the latest born this year shortly after his son with St. Clair. On her end, St. Clair is currently in an ongoing custody battle with Musk over their son, Romulus, the MAGA influencer wanting full custody over their child. She officially announced the pair's secret child on X in February, asking for privacy from the media and to 'refrain from invasive reporting.' 'Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,' she wrote in a statement on X with the caption 'Alea Iacta Est,' meaning 'the die is cast.' In March, Musk also took to his app to claim that he had given St. Clair enough money to take care of their child, despite not knowing whether Romulus was his or not. 'I don't know if the child is mine or not, but am not against finding out. No court order is needed,' he wrote. 'Despite not knowing for sure, I have given Ashley $2.5M and am sending her $500k/year.' According to the Journal, the paternity test results from Labcorp revealed that Musk's 'Probability of Paternity' was 99.9999%.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Harry Potter 'series cast: Meet the new faces heading to Hogwarts, from Harry and Hermione to Draco and Dumbledore
HBO's upcoming series adaptation of J.K. Rowling's beloved book series is currently rounding out its cast of wizards, Muggles, and baddies. Newcomers Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout will lead the series as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, respectively. John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Johnny Flynn, and Nick Frost are just a few of the big names to join the supporting over a year of speculation, HBO has shared multiple casting announcements for the upcoming Harry Potter series, including its new Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Donning the robes made famous by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint are a trio of newcomers that, per a statement from showrunner Francesca Gardiner, were chosen from "tens of thousands of children" who auditioned after HBO issued an open casting call. They include Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. A press release emphasizes how the new series will serve as a spacious vessel for J.K. Rowling's beloved book series, claiming it will be filled with "fantastic detail" as it "[explores] every corner of the wizarding world." Mark Mylod, a key figure on HBO's Succession, will serve as an executive producer and direct several episodes. The series will be overseen by showrunner, writer, and executive producer Francesca Gardiner, a veteran of programs like Killing Eve and His Dark Materials. Rowling will also step into an executive producer role. Below is our comprehensive guide to HBO's Harry Potter cast. Read on to find out who's been cast, who they're playing, and where you've seen them before. Dominic McLaughlin will play series protagonist (and cultural icon) Harry Potter in the upcoming series. McLaughlin's only other screen credit is the upcoming film Grow, in which he'll appear alongside Nick Frost, the Harry Potter series' new Hagrid. When we first meet Harry, he's an orphan living miserably with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. On his 11th birthday, he's visited by Hagrid, who whisks him away to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns about his family history, gets his first wand, meets his new best friends, and confronts He Who Shall Not Be Named for the first time. Arabella Stanton's role as Hermione, a clever but socially insecure Hogwarts student, marks the young actress' onscreen debut. Hermione is initially written off by Harry as arrogant, but the pair become close pals after they defeat a troll in the girls' bathroom along with Ron. Alastair Stout will make his screen debut as Ron Weasley, Harry's red-haired best friend with a massive family of fellow wizards. When we meet Ron, he's a shy boy with a sweet tooth and a knack for chess. That latter skill is especially useful when he joins Harry and Hermione on a search for the Sorcerer's Stone. John Lithgow elicits respect, fear, and laughter in equal measure, having scored Emmys for three very different roles — as Winston Churchill on The Crown (2016–2019), the Trinity Killer on Dexter (2009), and Dick Solomon on sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun (1996–2001). He's also a two-time Oscar nominee for turns in The World According to Garp (1982) and Terms of Endearment (1983). Lithgow remains a compelling figure on film and TV, having recently appeared in Oscar-nominated movies like Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) and Conclave (2024), as well as FX's The Old Man (2022–2024). Lithgow plays Albus Dumbledore, the wise Hogwarts headmaster and founder of the Order of the Phoenix. Richard Harris originally portrayed Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films. After his death in 2002, Michael Gambon stepped into the role. Jude Law later played a younger version of the character in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Lithgow opened up about the role on a recent episode of the Smartless podcast. "You know, Dumbledore, he's kind of this nuclear weapon," Lithgow said. "He only goes off very, very occasionally. And I don't think it's gonna be that hard a job." The 79-year-old Lithgow went on to say that playing Dumbledore across seven or eight years is "a wonderful way to grow old as an actor," adding, "I mean, the alternative is to just be hauled out once a year to play an Alzheimer's patient [with] an awful lot of weeping middle-aged children, you know." British actor Paapa Essiedu cut his teeth with the Royal Shakespeare Company and found success on the small screen opposite Michaela Coel on the BBC's I May Destroy You (2020). He received Emmy and British Academy Television Award nominations for his performance, and went on to appear in series like Gangs of London (2020–2022), Black Mirror (2023), and Black Doves (2024) as well as the films Men (2022) and The Outrun (2024). Essiedu will play Severus Snape, the Slytherin anti-hero famously played by the late Alan Rickman. In a note to Rickman, Rowling called Snape "my most complex character." It will be interesting to see how Essiedu's Snape manifests in this telling, as the actor will come into the role knowing his full arc. Rickman, who was given a key piece of information about the character by Rowling before the rest of the cast, often spoke about how that helped shape his performance, telling the Los Angeles Times in 2011, "I was always aware of my place in the story even as others around me were not.' Janet McTeer is the recipient of a Golden Globe, a Tony, and an Olivier Award, as well as two Oscar nominations for her work in Tumbleweeds (1999) and Albert Nobbs (2011). Her other notable credits include the films Velvet Goldmine (1998), Maleficent (2014), and The Menu (2022), as well as series like Jessica Jones (2018) and Ozark (2018–2020). This year, you can see her on the Paramount+ series MobLand and sprinting alongside Tom Cruise in the upcoming Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. McTeer plays Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts professor and head of Gryffindor House. The character is as loyal as she is strict, serving as a mentor while instilling a healthy fear in her students. Maggie Smith portrayed the character in the film franchise, while Fiona Glascott played a young Minerva in the Fantastic Beasts films. Nick Frost came up alongside his pal Simon Pegg on the comedy series Spaced (1999–2001) before appearing in films like Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013). He recently voiced droid SM-33 on the Star Wars series Skeleton Crew (2024–present), and will next appear in Disney's live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. The half-giant Hagrid is among the first characters we meet in the Harry Potter universe. A Hogwarts groundskeeper with a flowing brown beard, Hagrid was previously played by Robbie Coltrane, who died in 2022. Luke Thallon is a relative newcomer to the screen, with only a couple of small credits to his name. That said, he received rave reviews for his turn as Hamlet in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2025 production. He'll play Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Quirinus Quirrell, a key role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The role was portrayed by Ian Hart in the film franchise. BAFTA-winning performer Paul Whitehouse was a star and co-creator of the BBC comedy series The Fast Show (1994–1997), as well as a collaborator with popular comedian Harry Enfield. He's also appeared in several popular films, including Corpse Bride (2005), Alice in Wonderland (2010), and The Death of Stalin (2017). Interestingly, Whitehouse previously played a role in the Harry Potter film franchise, having shot material for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that didn't make the final cut. He played Sir Cadogan, a knight who appears in a painting in Hogwarts' Divination corridor. In the Harry Potter TV series, Whitehouse will play Argus Filch, the feline-loving caretaker of Hogwarts. David Bradley played the role originally. Newcomer Lox Pratt is involved in two upcoming adaptations of iconic books. The first, obviously, is HBO's Harry Potter series. The second is a new take on William Golding's Lord of the Flies from Jack Thorne, the in-demand writer behind the buzzy 2025 Netflix series Adolescence. (In a fun coincidence, Thorne also wrote the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.) Pratt will play Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin bully who goes on to play a major role in the story. Draco was previously played by Tom Felton, who recently reprised the role for a Broadway run of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Johnny Flynn is best known as the star of Netflix's Lovesick (2014–2018) and for his portrayal of David Bowie in 2020's Stardust. His other credits include the films Song One (2014) and Emma (2020), as well as the acclaimed Netflix series Ripley (2024). He'll next appear in Kate Winslet's upcoming directorial debut, Goodbye June. Flynn is also an accomplished musician, with six studio albums, multiple stage musicals, and several soundtracks under his belt. He serves as the lead singer and songwriter of Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit, which is among the most British band names we've ever heard. Related: Johnny Flynn on writing an original song for Emma and the Emma in his life The actor will play Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, one of the series' most malevolent characters. Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus) played Lucius in the original films. Katherine Parkinson is a two-time BAFTA winner for her turn as Jen Barber on The IT Crowd (2006–2013), as well as an Olivier Award nominee for the 2018 play Home, I'm Darling. Over the last decade, Parkinson led AMC's Humans (2015–2018) as Laura Hawkins, and starred on BBC series such as Defending the Guilty (2018–2019) and Here We Go (2022–present). Parkinson takes over the role of Weasley matriarch (and Hogwarts alum) Molly from Julie Walters. Bel Powley's screen career began on the CBBC series M.I. High (2007–2008). Her profile rose considerably when she starred opposite Kristen Wiig and Alexander Skarsgård in Marielle Heller's The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015). The role earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination and the Trophée Chopard at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Since then, she's appeared in films such as White Boy Rick (2018) and The King of Staten Island (2020), as well as series like The Morning Show (2019–2021) and Masters of the Air (2024). Powley plays Harry's cruel Muggle aunt, Petunia Dursley, a role originally played by Fiona Shaw. BAFTA winner Daniel Rigby broke out as a star of 2011's Eric and Ernie, a BBC TV movie about the early career of English comic duo Morecambe and Wise. He's been a familiar face on U.S. and U.K. television in the years since, appearing on series such as Jericho (2016), Sick Note (2017–2018), and Landscapers (2021). Parents may also recognize Rigby's voice from his gig as a narrator on Teletubbies (2015–2018). Rigby will next appear alongside Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer in Blade Runner 2099, Amazon Prime's miniseries sequel to Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 (2017). On the Harry Potter series, Rigby will play Harry's uncle, the magic-hating Vernon Dursley, previously played by Richard Griffiths. Bertie Carvel is a prolific stage performer with two Olivier Awards under his belt. He also played the key role of Banquo in Joel Coen's Oscar-nominated The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). Carvel played Jonathan Strange on the BBC's acclaimed Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell adaptation in 2015 and had leading roles on Doctor Foster (2015–2017) and Dalgliesh (2021–present). You may also recognize Carvel for playing former U.K. prime minister Tony Blair on The Crown (2022–2023). The actor will next appear as Baelor Targaryen on HBO's upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a Game of Thrones spinoff. On the Harry Potter series, Carvel will play Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Leo Earley's portrayal of "half-and-half" Seamus Finnigan marks the young actor's first onscreen role. A Gryffindor student at Hogwarts, Seamus is an ally to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Devon Murray portrayed the character in the original films. In her screen debut, Alessia Leoni will play Parvati Patil, a Gryffindor with an interest in Divination. Sienna Moosah, another newcomer, will play Lavender Brown, a close friend of Parvati with an eye for the original article on Entertainment Weekly