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Ayoinmotion

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

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Afrobeats Artist Ayoinmotion's Journey To ESSENCE Fest: "Hard Work Pays"

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The infectiously energetic entertainer tells us how he got connected with the festival and what fans can expect from his heart-racing live show
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 7, 2019 - 5:42 pm

Ayoinmotion has a vibe and a passion for music that is true to his name. The Afrobeats artist, who puts on a live perfromance that dares you to stay still, brought his music and energy to the 25th ESSENCE Festival. 

Afrobeats Artist Ayoinmotion's Rise To ESSENCE

"I got to ESSENCE Fest through a lot of work. And hard work pays," he said.  "As an artist sometimes you work in your own space. and you feel like 'no one's hearing me, no one's hearing me.' Trust me people are listening."

So what can you expect from an Ayoinmotion set? "It's a vibe," he says, describing his mission to get everyone on their feet and moving with each performance.

"My sound is super, super energentic," he added. "I want you to dance. I want you to figure out tomorrow morning, you may not even need to go to the gym because you've worked out so much."

His latest release, S.O.V.A. (Sounds & Vibes From Ayoinmotion), is out now and has amassed over 80k plays digitally. 

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GRAMMYs

Rotimi

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Rotimi On Performing At ESSENCE Fest, Growing Up African-American & More

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The Nigerian-American singer and actor sat down with the Recording Academy to talk about what inspired his latest album, 'Walk With Me'
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jul 8, 2019 - 11:04 am

In 2015, Rotimi stepped into the New Orleans Superdome for the first time to experience the magic of ESSENCE Fest. Four years later, in 2019, the "Love Riddim" singer returned to the celebration as a performer, something he said was spoken into existence.

"Last year me and my manager had a conversation and I said, 'Listen, I'm going to be on the [ESSENCE] mainstage this year. 365 days later, we did it," Rotimi told the Recording Academy at the 25th annual ESSENCE Fest.

Rotimi On Growing Up Nigerian-American

Rotimi, also an actor on Starz' "Power," has evolved since his last album, 2017's Jeep Music, Vol.1. The singer said he really hit home with its follow-up, the recently released Walk With Me, a project he worked hard for, putting in hours in the studio after filming on set.

"Walk With Me is the first time I actually felt like I was giving myself as an artist, and personally I feel like with everything else I have going on I wanted to show people that this is really what I do," he said. "I wanted people to understand who Rotimi is, who Rotimi was before, who I want to be and just understand my growth and the journey and my passion for what I do."

Part of why the album felt like such a representation of him is because it embodies beats of his African roots, something he said was very present growing up Nigerian-American. 

"I grew up with a lot of Fela Kuti and I grew up with Bob Marley," he said of his musical roots. "But I also grew up with Carl Thomas and Genuine and Usher, so there was a genuine mixture of who I am and what I've grown up to listen to. The actual Walk With Me project was a mixture of influences of Akon and Craig David."

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Taboo (L) and Will.I.Am (R) of The Black Eyed Peas perform in 2019

Taboo (L) and Will.I.Am (R) of The Black Eyed Peas perform in 2019

Photo: Sam Tabone/WireImage

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Japan's Supersonic 2020: Black Eyed Peas, Steve Aoki, Clean Bandit, Asian Kung-Fu Generation And More Confirmed

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The festival announced the lineup additions during the coronavirus pandemic, noting, "Under these difficult circumstances, the entire Supersonic staff is working to welcome the audience in the best form possible this fall"
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
May 20, 2020 - 9:43 am

Supersonic, the new multi-day, multi-city Japanese music festival, has unveiled its second artist lineup announcement for its first-ever edition this fall. The three-day event, taking place Sept. 19-21 in Tokyo and Osaka, has confirmed additional artists Black Eyed Peas, Steve Aoki, Clean Bandit and others. The festival has also added local Japanese artists including Asian Kung-Fu Generation, one of Japan's leading rock bands, Nulbarich, BiSH, chelmico and several others. 

They join headliners and other confirmed acts like Post Malone, The 1975, Skrillex, Wu-Tang Clan, Liam Gallagher, Fatboy Slim and Kygo, who were previously announced in early April.

The lineup news comes as the coronavirus pandemic has decimated the festival and live music industry since mid-March, essentially shutting down the global concert business. At the time of this writing, Japan has more than 17,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 778 coronavirus-related deaths, according to The New York Times. In early April, the country declared a state of emergency and this week fell into a recession for the first time since 2015, The New York Times reports.

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In a blog post shared on the festival's website announcing the lineup additions, organizers addressed the "difficult circumstances" the COVID-19 pandemic has caused.

"Under these difficult circumstances, the entire Supersonic staff is working to welcome the audience in the best form possible this fall while exploring a new form for the festival from now on," the post reads. "We thank you for your understanding and cooperation."

Supersonic is produced by the team behind Summer Sonic, one of Japan's biggest music festivals that's held annually over the summer in Tokyo and Osaka. Festival organizers postponed this year's installment of Summer Sonic to 2021 due to the 2020 Summer Olympics and Summer Paralympics, which were originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo this summer before the global sporting event itself was also postponed to next year, and instead introduced Supersonic for this year only, Japan Web Magazine reports.

Last August, Summer Sonic celebrated its 20-year anniversary with a lineup that featured Red Hot Chili Peppers, BLACKPINK, The Chainsmokers, Weezer and more. Attracting 135,000 visitors over three days, Summer Sonic become Japan's biggest outdoor music festival last year, IQ reports.

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Primavera Sound 2019

Primavera Sound 2019

Photo: Jordi Vidal/Redferns/Getty Images

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Primavera Sound Barcelona Postponed Until 2021 Due To COVID-19 Force Majeure

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The 20th edition of the eclectic music and arts festival, originally scheduled for June 2020, was initially postponed until August but will now be taking place June 2-6, 2021
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
May 11, 2020 - 1:44 pm

Today, May 11, Primavera Sound announced the 20th anniversary edition of their flagship Barcelona music and arts festival will be postponed until June 2021. The legendary fest was originally scheduled for June 3-7, 2020 and then, in late March, postponed until Aug. 26-30 due to coronavirus concerns. Now, after continuing to consult with Spanish health officials and the increasing uncertainty of festivals being able to be safely held anywhere this year, Primavera is citing force majeure.

The upcoming Primavera Sound Barcelona will now be taking place June 2-6, 2021—all previously purchased tickets will be valid for the new dates, as well as be eligible for refunds. The organizers will begin to reveal lineup updates on June 3.

In a message shared on their social channels (read it in full above) today in Spanish, English and Catalan, the fest wrote: "Primavera Sound announces the most difficult decision in its history: finally we will not be able celebrate the 20th anniversary during 2020. In the face of the evolution of the COVID-19 health crisis, we find ourselves obliged to postpone the next edition of Primavera Sound Barcelona, for reasons of force majeure, until next year: from 2nd to 6th June 2021.

We are devastated and are terribly sorry for the inconvenience caused, but the health and well-being of our audience and of all the people involved in the festival has always been and still is our absolute priority. We cannot thank you enough for your patience, love and understanding in this very uncertain scenario. We will never forget this."

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They also note that ticketholders who keep their tickets for the new 2021 dates will receive "special benefits." Tickets will alternatively can be refunded, beginning June 3—everyone who has bought tickets will be emailed with more details soon. The first round of lineup updates will also be revealed on June 3, as the fest works with artists to confirm availability for the new dates.

"On that same day [June 3] we will announce the first artists for Primavera Sound Barcelona 2021, whose lineup will still celebrate the 20th anniversary of the festival embracing the #bestfestivalforever philosophy thanks to the great commitment and effort of the artists themselves, who have also been greatly affected by the current situation and who will do everything possible not to miss this event. It doesn't matter when it is: this will be our anniversary party and we want to celebrate it with everyone who was going to come this year," the announcement on their website added.

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"Until then, please take good care of each other and follow the advice of the authorities at all times. The festival team continues to work intensively in order to be able to celebrate something more than just Primavera Sound's 20th anniversary: seeing each other again, and dancing together again."

Bad Bunny, Tyler, The Creator, Lana Del Rey, Maggie Rogers, Iggy Pop, Massive Attack, the Strokes, Mavis Staples, Koffee, BROCKHAMPTON, Bikini Kill, Beck, Disclosure, Caribou, Kacey Musgraves and many more were previously announced for the eclectically stacked Primavera Sound Barcelona 2020 lineup.

Primavera Pro, their music professionals meeting will still be held this year, although completely online. More details will be announced soon, but it will be taking place on July 21-24, "with the aim of analyzing, reflecting and debating about the innumerable challenges facing the sector in this new paradigm."

NOS Primavera Sound, the offshoot festival in Porto, Portugal, was rescheduled for September 2020 at the same time the flagship fest was, but no further updates on the Portugal fest have been revealed at this time. The inaugural Primavera Sound Los Angeles is also, at the time of this writing, slated for September 2020.

Last week, on May 7, Primavera announced the special Iron Maiden "Legacy of the Beast" show they were throwing in Barcelona would be postponed until June 19, 2021. On May 8, Sónar, another major Barcelona summer music festival, revealed their 2020 event will now be taking place in 2021 as well.

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Grammys Newsletter

Crowd shot at WOMAD Festival 2017

Crowd shot at WOMAD Festival 2017

Photo: C Brandon/Redferns

News

Peter Gabriel's WOMAD Festival 2020 Canceled Due To Coronavirus Pandemic

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In a statement, Gabriel said many of the artists originally confirmed for this year's festival "have already offered, or agreed," to return for 2021
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Apr 8, 2020 - 9:35 am

WOMAD (World Of Music, Arts And Dance) festival, the international music and arts festival from Genesis founding member Peter Gabriel and others, has canceled its 2020 edition in the U.K. due to the growing coronavirus pandemic. Originally scheduled to take place July 23-26 at Charlton Park in Wiltshire, England, the festival, which featured headliners The Flaming Lips, Angélique Kidjo, Kate Tempest and Fatoumata Diawara, among many others, is confirmed to return next year (July 22-25), according to the updated dates on the event's official website. 

Festival organizers announced the event's cancellation via statements from Gabriel and the WOMAD team, both shared on the festival's official website and social media accounts today (April 8). In his statement, Gabriel said many of the artists originally confirmed for this year's festival "have already offered, or agreed," to return for 2021.

"Like many others, we have been hoping, waiting and watching the Coronavirus situation," Gabriel wrote. "Finally, we have been told that we will not be allowed to hold WOMAD this year at Charlton Park.

"Safety for all of our festivalgoers, artists and our own staff surpasses everything.

All of us involved with WOMAD have already been really touched by the help and generous offers of many of those we depend on to make the festival come to life. Many of the artists have already offered, or agreed, to play for us next year and we will now put our energies into making a great WOMAD 2021."

"We hope to see you all at Charlton Park next year for a big celebration, when we've put this meanie back in the bottle," he continued, alluding to the festival's return in 2021. "Your love and support for the dream that is WOMAD, has always meant a lot to us, but especially now."

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"Following a meeting with the Licensing authority, the combined emergency services and taking fully into account the government advice on halting the spread of the virus, it is clear, that in order to meet our goal of protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of the whole community there is no way we can go ahead with WOMAD 2020," a statement from the wider WOMAD team read. "We are devastated but confident that this is the right and responsible decision and that we have to play our part in helping the country stay safe and to recover."

For ticket holders for its canceled 2020 U.K. edition, WOMAD is offering a transfer of tickets for the 2021 edition or full refunds. For those who paid for their tickets in installments, the festival is allowing a temporary pause on payments to be picked up again next year for WOMAD 2021 or refunds for the face value of the tickets. More information about ticket transfers and refunds is available on the festival website.

The festival, which originally announced its initial lineup this past February, posted an update about the event's U.K. edition last month (March 19). "At WOMAD we are examining the advice of the government, other authorities and of course the healthcare professionals before making a final decision on what actions we should be taking to lead by example and help to keep everyone in the WOMAD community safe and well," the statement read. 

In February, WOMAD postponed what was to be its first-ever edition in Mexico, originally scheduled for March 27–29, "due to events outside of our control," according to a post shared on the festival's website. While no new dates have been announced, WOMAD Mexico will return "later in the year," the post reads. 

WOMAD has already completed three international festivals in 2020, including installments in Chile in February and in Australia and New Zealand in March. 

WOMAD is the latest festival to be canceled or postponed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since March, Governors Ball, Glastonbury, Isle Of Wight, Download, All Points East, Lovebox and Parklife, Bonnaroo, New Orleans Jazz Fest, BottleRock Napa Valley, the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Coachella and Stagecoach, Ultra Music Festival, SXSW, Lollapalooza Argentina, Something In The Water, Treefort Music Fest, Afro Nation Puerto Rico, Brussels' Listen! Festival, Record Store Day and several other major events and festivals around the world were called off or rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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