Names and faces

■ Kelly Clarkson said she was supposed to lead a moment of silence on Sunday night as she hosted the Billboard Music Awards in the aftermath of yet another school shooting — this one at Santa Fe High School in Texas, in which 10 people were killed. But she had something else in mind. “I’m so sick of moments of silence,” Clarkson said, as she fought through tears. “It’s not working, like, obviously.” She continued: “So why don’t we not do a moment of silence? Why don’t we do a moment of action? Why don’t we do a moment of change? Why don’t we change what’s happening? Because it’s horrible.” Clarkson, a Texas native, didn’t mention exactly what action she meant. But it was a notable statement. Clarkson is a gun owner herself and has spoken publicly about it several times. Billboard did not seem to have an issue with Clarkson’s going off script, as it posted video of her monologue on social media. The awards show returned to the subject of school shootings when the singers Shawn Mendes and Khalid were joined on stage by a choir from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where a gunman killed 17 people in February. But it was Clarkson’s speech that generated the most buzz from the night. “Mamas and daddies should be able to send their kids to school,” Clarkson said. “To church. To movie theaters. To clubs. You should be able to live your life without that kind of fear. So we need to do better.”

■ Pop singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has a message for anti-abortion campaigners in Ireland: He doesn’t approve of them using his song “Small Bump” to advocate for their cause. The Grammy Award winner posted a statement to his Instagram story Friday saying he had been informed the song was being used to promote a “Pro-Life campaign.” “I feel like it’s important to let you know I have not given approval for this use, and it does not reflect what the song is about,” Sheeran wrote. “Small Bump,” which is from Sheeran’s 2011 debut album, was reportedly being played by anti-abortion activists campaigning in Dublin’s city center, The Guardian reported. The country is days away from voting in a referendum Friday to repeal the Irish constitution’s eighth amendment, which prohibits abortions. When “Small Bump” was released, anti-abortion activists, such as The Pro Life Campaign, an Irish organization, praised the song for its “beautiful life-affirming lyrics.” However, in 2011 the singer told Interview Magazine the song was about a friend who had experienced a miscarriage. The lyrics, he said, were “from the perspective of actually being the parent” who lost a child.

Clarkson

Sheeran