Entertainment
FIFA Club World Cup Performer Emmanuel Kelly on Being First Differently Abled Halftime Star: ‘It’s Pretty Extraordinary’

When Emmanuel Kelly was 11 years old, he put a note on his mirror that he looked at every day manifesting his dream of sharing a stage with Coldplay. And now, after checking that bucket-list item off after opening for the band in his native Australia last year on their Music of the Spheres Tour, the singer who first rose to prominence with a breathtaking cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine” on The X Factor Australia in 2011 has ticked off another major lifetime goal.
“It’s pretty extraordinary,” Kelly told Billboard a few days before performing with Coldplay at Sunday’s (July 13) 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final halftime show. Kelly, who was found in a box in a park during the height of the Iraq War as a baby, severely injured by chemical warfare, is the first differently abled pop artist to perform at a halftime show, and he is more than happy to take credit for blazing that trail.
“It’s a market that has never been represented on this scale and someone always has to be the first and for me to be that is a sign of the times,” he said of singing alongside fellow pop icons Tems, J Balvin and Doja Cat and duetting on”Sky Full of Stars” with Coldplay from the roof of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during the match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain.
Billboard chatted with Kelly about the halftime show curated by Coldplay singer Chris Martin — co-produced by Global Citizen, in partnership with Live Nation, Done+Dusted and DPS — and how he turned his childhood dream into a globetrotting reality.
This is the first time a person with a disability will headline a global event or halftime show of this magnitude. How does that feel to hear that?
Extraordinary… the wall and barriers are breaking down and we’re living in a society that recognizes that talent is talent and a gift is a gift. It’s an honor and a privilege and I feel like the luckiest person in the world. I’m a huge fan of FIFA and a huge fan of people being seen for who they are and I get to show that to 2.5 billion people on Sunday.
Have to ask, what’s your team?
I’m a Chelsea fan in general, but for a long time I was a Real Madrid CF fan, but I felt they got too rich and got too many players. But I’m also a fan of players and I gravitate towards individuals who are awesome human beings in whatever form, because all humans have the capability to be great.
Talk about performing with Tems, J Balvin, Doja Cat and Coldplay at the Club World Cup final. That’s a pretty epic stage to be on for what will likely be most of the world’s first exposure to you.
It’s not bad. I like to say they’re all taking the lineup with me. [Laughs] I’ve been a huge fan of J Balvin since he globally popped on the scene 10 years ago and I’m a big Latin music fan in general. Reggaeton was going to be a start for me at one point. … I’ve done a few Latin tours. Doja, she’s a class act and has this unassuming nature but is so cool and vibey. And then Tems, I’ll be honest, I was new to her music until Chris introduced me to her. I’m in love, she has a really cool vibe. I’m in great company with Chris, though I’m not even sure why he’s singing with me. [Laughs] He should be grateful he’s allowed to sing with me.
How did you end up on this bill? What’s your relationship with Chris?
He’s a brother to me. It started in 2016 when we first met.
What was the connection?
Energy, positivity, love. I’m a believer that everything in this universe has its way and there are random acts, but those acts lead to cause and reaction. Where Chris was at in his life and his career and where I was at in my life and career created a random act and the cause of that was Chris learning about me and the reaction was Chris taking action to want to meet me and become my mentor. I told him he’s been an inspiration to me since I was a little kid. One of the first songs I learned when I came to Australia [at 8-years-old Kelly and his brother were brought to Australia by humanitarian Moira Kelly and underwent life-saving surgeries] and could barely speak English was [Coldplay’s breakthrough 2000 hit] “Yellow.” I can only shine so bright, but everybody’s brightness shines because they have electricity around them that fires those bulbs and lights them up.
What was the spark from Chris?
Chris has an electricity that allows me to shine as bright as I can be and he has people around him who do that for him and now we kind of do that for each other. When I was 11-years-old I put a sign on my mirror and looked at it every day and it said I would tour with Coldplay one day. During a dark time when I was homeless in L.A. and lost hope and love for myself, I found a way out by remembering all the good in my life. I let go of ego and pride and asked for help and I took that sign from when I was a kid and put it on the wall again and said, “this dream cannot end.” [Coldplay’s] “Yellow” was the first song I ever learned, before “Imagine,” and I sang it to my mom, who had no idea who they were. Chris is an extraordinary individual who has an electricity that fires a lot of people up. I was going around Hollywood asking everyone — from Snoop Dogg and the Quincy Jones camp to random Joe Blows — if they knew Chris Martin. I asked 1,500 people in the span of six months and the 1,499th person connected me with Dr. Habib Sadeghi [co-founder with Martin of the Love Button Global Movement]. He said “it will happen when it’s supposed to happen.”
You opened four shows in Sydney with Coldplay last year and now you’re jumping up to the biggest stage there is, so describe the plans for the FIFA gig.
Chris will be coming out as my special guest, even though it was all planned by him! [Laughs] We will come together to sing “Sky Full of Stars,” which is a beautiful sentiment for anyone who wants to reach out to the stars and grab them. I believe that this will be one of the greatest halftime shows from a spectacle point of view we’ve ever seen. The way the MetLife stage is set up we’re on the third floor up on the roof and singing in the sky.
You’ve achieved so much against such major odds. If you had a message for other aspiring singers, of whatever ability, what would you tell them?
Be your version of an outlier. Be an outlier and don’t be afraid to be different. Being different is cool. I’ve had labels and execs and shows turn me down because I’m an outlier, and that’s never stopped me. Don’t complain about the situation; fix it yourself. If you don’t like how things are rolling, do something about it. Be the change. You be the change and be the best version of yourself and don’t be afraid to be different.
Entertainment
No ‘Good’ Deed Goes Unpunished for Ariana Grande’s Glinda in Final ‘Wicked: For Good’ Trailer

In the final trailer for Wicked: For Good, Ariana Grande‘s character learns that a big price comes with being Glinda the Good.
Released on Wednesday (Sept. 24) — about two months before the Wicked sequel finally premieres in theaters on Nov. 21 — the preview shows how the blonde leading lady wrestles with her new role as Oz’s spokeswoman, as Cynthia Erivo‘s Elphaba attempts to expose the Wizard’s evil agenda while living in hiding. At first, Glinda is “obsess-ulated” with the gorgeous gown, tiara and mechanical flying bubble her public-facing life affords her — but everything quickly comes crashing down when she realizes that she’s on the wrong side of history, and that she just might be too late to save her former schoolmate from the wrath of Oz’s brainwashed citizens.
“I’m a public figure now, people expect me to …,” Glinda tells Elphaba at one point, with Dorothy’s fallen house and the Yellow Brick Road visible in the background.
“Lie?” the green-skinned witch cuts in, to which Glinda says defensively, “Be encouraging.”
Grande’s character is less sure of herself when she is confronted by Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero, who accuses, “You can’t resist this.”
“Who could?” Glinda asks, to which the Winkie prince replies, “You know who could.”
Arriving one year after the first Wicked hit theaters and shattered movie-musical box-office records, For Good will serve as the film adaptation of the second act of the Broadway musical on which the live-actions are based. The soundtrack will also drop on Nov. 21, complete with two brand new songs sung by Grande and Erivo.
As revealed when the tracklist dropped a week prior to the new trailer, the title of Glinda’s bonus song is “The Girl in the Bubble,” while Elphaba’s added balled is called “No Place Like Home.”
Watch the final trailer for Wicked: For Good above.
Entertainment
Priscilla Presley Says That Leaving Elvis Presley Was ‘The Only Way to Survive’ in New Memoir ‘Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis’

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Priscilla Presley was with Elvis Presley for around 14 years before they split; however, the pair had known each other for years before they wed in 1967.
The time in between and following Priscilla and Elvis’ divorce was a tough spot for Priscilla, and one she wasn’t super open about — that is, until now. In her new memoir Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis, the actress shares the difficult but inspiring journey beyond the walls of Graceland post-split with the King, choosing to put herself and her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, first.
A hardcover version of the book is now on sale and can be purchased now on Amazon for $22.38, while paperback will run you $32. A Kindle version retails for $15.99. If you’re a superfan of Priscilla and the Presley family, you can also snag a signed version of the memoir via Barnes & Noble for $32. The piece makes a great gift for the avid Elvis collector in your life. If you’d rather listen to the memoir, we won’t judge, you can do so with Audible via a subscription which costs $7.95 a month, a price tag less than a physical copy.
Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis
A new memoir by Priscilla Presley.
If you didn’t know, Priscilla met Elvis when she was just 14 and he was 24. The singer was serving in the U.S. Army in 1959 in Germany. The pair remained romantically connected for years, even with distance between them and in 1967, they were wed in a simple and very secret ceremony in Las Vegas. While their separation in 1973 was painful for Priscilla, this novel highlights why it was so important for the Naked Gun star to leave.
It seems that Priscilla lost touch with herself throughout her relationship with Elvis. Leaving allowed her to find herself again. Through the book, we are treated to snippets of Priscilla’s life pre- and post-Elvis and how she had to reinvent herself a second time as the single mother after the performer’s death in 1977.
Today, we are taken through how Priscilla was able to transform Graceland into an international destination and helped guide the development of Elvis Presley Enterprises, turning the King’s legacy into a full-on business. If you are an Elvis fan, this gives readers a unique perspective on his life, as told by his ex-wife. It also gives Priscilla’s story more context for those who aren’t too familiar with her life and career.
Entertainment
Calvin Harris’ Ex-Business Manager Denies $22M Fraud Claims: ‘Categorically False’

Calvin Harris‘ former longtime business manager is firing back against bombshell fraud claims, saying he never stole from anybody and that the Scottish DJ willingly agreed to invest in his Los Angeles real estate development project.
Thomas St. John, an entertainment industry-focused accountant who runs the eponymous firm Thomas St. John Group, is currently wrapped up in thorny arbitration proceedings with his former client Harris (Adam Wiles). He’s accused of abusing his access to Harris’ accounts in order to fund his side venture: the construction of a recording studio and office space complex in Hollywood.
Harris claims that St. John tricked him into investing $22.5 million in the project, known as CMNTY Culture Campus, which he says turned out to be a “complete boondoggle” that he “has not received a single penny in return for” — while suggesting that St. John pocketed much of the money for himself.
However, a representative for St. John says in a new statement that the allegations are “categorically false.” The rep denies that St. John engaged in any self-dealing, adding that Harris is one of nine above-board investors who “knowingly signed investment agreements” to get involved in CMNTY Culture.
“Not a single dollar has been misappropriated, all investor entitlements remain intact, and the project continues to advance within the normal entitlement timeline,” says St. John’s rep in the Tuesday (Sept. 23) statement. “We will continue to take every necessary step to set the record straight and to ensure that these malicious, bad-faith attacks are recognized for what they are: entirely without merit.”
While CMNTY Culture was initially designed to house a recording studio and office space, St. John has since shifted the plans and is now developing a residential apartment complex on the same tract of land in Hollywood. According to his rep, the project is proceeding apace and “is expected to approach a $1 billion valuation” upon completion.
“While the entitlement process has naturally taken longer than initially projected due to unprecedented interest, macroeconomic conditions and significant city red tape, it remains firmly within its promised schedule and is now on the verge of securing final entitlements, an important milestone that will unlock substantial value,” adds St. John’s rep.
Thomas St. John Group has offices in Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam and Stockholm. The management firm’s U.S. arm recently filed for bankruptcy, citing hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid rent in L.A. and multiple pending legal actions.
One creditor listed in the firm’s bankruptcy papers is Philip Lawrence, a songwriter and producer who made his name collaborating with Bruno Mars. Lawrence used to be a client of St. John’s and at one point invested $10 million from the sale of his catalog into CMNTY Culture Campus, according to court filings in Lawrence’s own personal bankruptcy case.
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