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FIFA Club World Cup Performer Emmanuel Kelly on Being First Differently Abled Halftime Star: ‘It’s Pretty Extraordinary’
Emmanuel Kelly, the first differently abled pop star, talks about performing with Coldplay at halftime of 2025 FIFA Club World Cup finale.
“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. 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.
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