Shawn Mendes will perform a special tribute at Sunday night’s Billboard Music Awards in honor of those affected by gun violence.
The Canadian singer will perform his single “Youth” alongside rapper Khalid and members of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School from Parkland, Florida. The students were victims of a school shooting back on Feb. 14, where a former student killed 14 students and three teachers.
Videos by PopCulture.com
TMZ reports Mendes and Khalid wanted to perform “to shed light on the recent tragedies.”
The news agency also reports the the award show’s producers were left scrambling after the school shooting at Santa Fe High School took place on Friday morning, which resulted in the deaths of nine students and one teacher.
“Production sources say rehearsals for the performance Saturday left those watching in tears,” TMZ reported.
Dimitrious Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old student at Santa Fe High School was arrested shortly after the shooting and admitting to committing the crime later that afternoon in a probable cause affidavit.
His family released a statement regarding the shooting on Saturday.
“We extend our most heartfelt prayers and condolences to all of the victims. We also wish to thank all the first responders from all over Texas that assisted in rendering aid and support,” the statement read. “We are as shocked and confused as anyone else by these events that occurred. We are gratified by the public comments made by other Santa Fe High School students that show Dimitri as we know him: a smart, quiet, sweet boy. While we remain mostly in the dark about the specifics of yesterday’s tragedy, what we have learned from media reports seems incompatible with the boy we love.”
The statement continued: “We share the public’s hunger for answers as to why this happened, and will await the outcome of the investigation before speaking about these events. We have been and will continue to cooperate with the authorities conducting the investigation, and ask for the public’s patience while it moves forward. We ask the public to please extend privacy, both to the victims and to our own family, as all of us try process these events, and begin the healing process.”
Sunday’s award show will be hosted by The Voice judge Kelly Clarkson.
Along with Mendes, some of the announced live performances Ariana Grande, Christina Aguilera with Demi Lovato, Ed Sheeran (performing on location from Dublin Ireland), Zedd with Maren Morris and Grey, Salt-N-Pepa, Macklemore with Kesha, the Korean pop band BTS, Camila Cabello, John Legend, Dua Lipa, Jennifer Lopez and Janet Jackson in her first televised performance in nine years.
