US soul star Alicia Keys hosted MTV Asia Aid Global pop stars teamed up with chart-topping singers from across Asia to raise money for the tsunami aid effort at an MTV concert on Thursday. US soul artist Alicia Keys hosted MTV Asia Aid in the Thai capital, Bangkok. It was held instead of the TV network's annual Asia Awards. US band Linkin Park and former Boyzone star Ronan Keating also appeared. They joined Asian stars such as Thailand's Tata Young, Taiwan's Jay Chou and Asha Bhosle from India. MTV offered the show free to broadcasters around the world in an attempt to raise as much money as possible from viewers' donations. Vaness Wu of boy band F4 was among the stars at the event Proceeds are going to the United Nations children's charity Unicef and local charities. The concert was also used to persuade foreign viewers that south-east Asia is a safe place to go. Ronan Keating filmed a segment on the Thai island of Phuket, which was badly hit by the tsunami on 26 December. "The spirit in the people I've met today is fantastic," he told fans. "Their optimism is incredible. Come and see for yourselves." Thai star Thongchai "Bird" McIntyre closed the show, while Vanness Wu of Taiwanese boy band F4, Slank from Indonesia, Namie Amuro from Japan, and Siti Nurhaliza from Malaysia were also at the event.