Chris Martin paid tribute to music icon Prince on Sunday, performing “Raspberry Beret” with a band of teenagers at a benefit concert in Santa Monica.
The Coldplay frontman joined the young band A-Side for “Chords 2 Cure,” a gig at Santa Monica’s New Roads School to benefit pediatric cancer research.
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The students closed the fundraiser with the Prince hit, but performed several other songs including some of Coldplay’s own chart toppers.
Jaxon Blumenthal, who was diagnosed with pediatric liver cancer at age 11, provided the vocals for first verse of Prince’s iconic 1985 hit, with Martin taking over vocal duties for the chorus. Blumenthal and his friends and fellow band mates organized the event.
According to Martin, the students weren’t familiar with “Raspberry Beret” until the day before the show.
“I said, ‘let’s do this song, it’s a very famous Prince song,’” the singer told the crowd.
Martin said the students responded with a not-so-surprising answer.
“’We don’t know it. We never heard of it. We’re like 14,’” Martin said to the laughing audience.
“They learned it in like three hours and now we’re going to play it,” said Martin.
With files from Associated press.