Stars Join Forces To Benefit Planned Parenthood

In the current political climate, the future of Planned Parenthood is uncertain. The reproductive health organization provides valuable care for both men and women across the United States, offering STD testing and treatment, cancer screenings, and birth control. Despite providing crucial services, Planned Parenthood has been a longtime target for conservative lawmakers, and under the current administration there is talk of defunding the organization. In response, musicians, comedians, and artists are coming together for a benefit to support Planned Parenthood, planning two 7" vinyl releases available as a digital download and a boxed set. The Planned Parenthood benefit will feature stars like John Legend, Feist, and the Foo Fighters, and fans can look forward to some exciting collaborations on the release.

The project, titled 7 Inches For Planned Parenthood, will donate money to the organization, but the creators also hope to educate people on its role in society.

"Lawmakers with extreme views are working hard to shut down Planned Parenthood. If they succeed, millions of Americans will lose access to basic health services, including STD testing and treatment, birth control, and life-saving cancer screenings," reads a statement on the project's Facebook page. "7-inches for Planned Parenthood is a response to this threat. This curated series of 7-inch vinyl records is being made by a group of people who believe that access to health care is a public good that should be fiercely protected."

The project will feature exclusive releases, comedic performances, and original music from its many contributors. To promote the project, St. Vincent and John Legend shared a cover of Minnie Riperton's "Lovin You", with some funny, not-so-helpful, notes from Zach Galifianakis.

It's unclear which musicians intend to write new material for the project or rework old recordings, but Bon Iver, Sleater-Kinney, Foo Fighters, Feist, Common, and Mitski are among the many exciting contributors. Artists from every career stage, genre, and style of music are taking part in the effort, demonstrating the universality of the Planned Parenthood cause. According to Spin, the new material will be released digitally over the next few weeks, and then compiled into the vinyl collection. 100 percent of the proceeds will go to Planned Parenthood.

While fans need to wait to find out the exact nature of these releases or how many collaborations are in store, a few projects have been confirmed. According to Entertainment Weekly, John Legend and St. Vincent will write some original tunes. Kristen Stewart is also debuting a music video she directed for the band Chvrches, a collab fans have been patiently waiting for more details on since K. Stew dropped the news in a March interview with the LA Times.

The project also features a comedy segment. EW reports that most of these performances were recorded at the California's Largo Club, and major names like Margaret Cho, Jenny Slate, Janeane Garafolo, Sarah Silverman, and Tig Notaro will be featured.

“All the proceeds go to Planned Parenthood, but more importantly, I’m hoping 7-Inches for Planned Parenthood can exist in some way in popular culture and maybe make people who hadn’t previously thought of Planned Parenthood as an organization start to consider how essential it is for so many people,” Brandon Stosuy, the Editor-in-Chief of The Creative Independent and the project's creative director, told Entertainment Weekly. “Money’s important, obviously, but the more people are thinking about Planned Parenthood, and understanding it, and realizing it needs to survive, the better.”

A compilation of musicians, comedians, directors, and visual artists this extensive would be exciting on its own. The fact that fans can enjoy these surprising collaborations and new releases for a good cause makes it all the more powerful. Keep an eye on the 7-Inches for Planned Parenthood collective's Facebook page for further deets.