Big Boi performs at SXSW 2019

Big Boi performs at SXSW 2019

Photo: Jim Bennett/WireImage

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Big Boi Announces Inaugural Kryptonite Festival: Goodie Mob, EARTHGANG And Kneel'n Rey Confirmed

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The debut festival takes place in the rapper's Atlanta hometown and features an all-Atlanta lineup
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Mar 4, 2020 - 8:42 am

Big Boi, the six-time GRAMMY-winning rap titan and co-founder of legendary hip-hop duo OutKast, has announced his inaugural Kryptonite Festival. The one-day event, taking place Saturday, April 18, at Cadence Bank Amphitheater in the rapper's hometown of Atlanta, Ga., has confirmed the lineup for the first-ever festival. Goodie Mob, EARTHGANG and Kneel'n Rey, all groups hailing from Atlanta, are locked in for the debut festival. Big Boi will headline the event.

According to a post shared on Big Boi's official Twitter page, Kryptonite Festival has been a long time coming. "I’ve been waiting so long to have my very own festival," he tweeted. "To have it in my city is a dream come true and we can’t wait to share this family affair with you."

"Excited to light up Atlanta with some of my closest friends and collaborators, and also show out some fresh new talent at the first ever Kryptonite festival,” Big Boi announced in a statement, as reported by Rolling Stone. “We gonna bring all good vibrations to our fans who turn out in our home city. #Weoutchea #FestivalKillers.”  

Read: Rolling Loud To Expand To Portugal In July 2020: A$AP Rocky, Future And Wiz Khalifa Announced As Headliners

The forthcoming Kryptonite Festival follows Big Boi's fiery performance at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show, alongside Maroon 5 and Travis Scott. 

Big Boi received his most recent GRAMMY nomination at the 60th GRAMMY Awards, held in 2018. He was nominated for Best Rap Song for his performance on "Chase Me," from Danger Mouse also featuring Run The Jewels, which was one of three original tracks featured on the official soundtrack to the 2017 blockbuster action film, Baby Driver. 

Relive OutKast's 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'

While he's had a highly successful solo career, Big Boi counts all six of his GRAMMY wins to his work with OutKast, his iconic, highly influential rap duo alongside André "André 3000" Benjamin. The group's 2003 double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, won for Album Of The Year at the 46th GRAMMY Awards, held in 2004.

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Pre-sale tickets for Big Boi's inaugural Kryptonite Festival are available now, while general tickets go on sale Friday, March 6, at 10 a.m. EST. For more information, visit the festival's official website.

5 Questions With ... Big Boi

Crowd shot at Primavera Sound Barcelona 2019

Crowd shot at Primavera Sound Barcelona 2019

Photo: Xavi Torrent/WireImage

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Primavera Sound Barcelona 2021: Bad Bunny, Charli XCX, Tyler, The Creator, The Strokes, FKA twigs And More Confirmed

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Following a recent postponement, the celebrated Spanish festival has announced the first 100 artists for its 20th anniversary next June
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
May 27, 2020 - 1:24 pm

After its 2020 edition was postponed to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Primavera Sound Barcelona has today (May 27) announced the first 100 artists confirmed for its 2021 installment. The initial lineup features "a majority of artists who reconfirm their presence at the festival," according to a blog post shared on the event's official website announcing the 2021 artist roster, including Bad Bunny, Tyler, The Creator, The Strokes, Pavement, Bikini Kill and several other previously announced artists. Newly added artists include Charli XCX, Tame Impala, Gorillaz, FKA twigs, Jamie xx and Jorja Smith, among many others.

The five-day festival, now taking place June 2-6, 2021, in Barcelona, Spain, was originally scheduled to celebrate its 20-year anniversary next month (June 3-7). In late March, the festival was postponed to August due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this month (May 11), Primavera Sound Barcelona 2020 was ultimately postponed to next year, with the festival citing force majeure. The festival will now celebrate its 20th anniversary during the newly rescheduled dates in June 2021. 

More artists, including acts confirmed for the original 2020 lineup and new additions, will be announced over the next few months, according to the Primavera Sound Barcelona website. 

In the blog post, festival organizers addressed the impact the coronavirus pandemic has made on Primavera Sound Barcelona and the "hard times" it has caused for everyone involved.

"The entire Primavera Sound Barcelona team would like to acknowledge that we really appreciate all the messages of support, for the understanding and encouragement that we have received over the past few weeks," the post reads. "These are hard times for everyone and to feel that so many people are looking forward to collective events like our festival pushes us to work with more passion than ever …

"Whoever said that the second chances are never good did not imagine that we would experience something like what is happening this 2020. With the whole world on pause due to the evolution of the global pandemic and with the live music sector holding its breath facing a summer without festivals, we can only look forward: towards 2021, specifically, the year in which we are going to recover everything that will be pending from 2020."

Read: Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund

The 2021 installment of Primavera Sound Barcelona will debut Brunch -On The Beach, a brand-new closing party on the beach. The inaugural event, which was originally announced for the 2020 iteration of the festival this past February, will now take place Sunday, June 6, 2021, and will feature DJ sets from Disclosure, Nina Kraviz, Amelie Lens and Black Coffee. 

Tickets for Primavera Sound Barcelona 2021 will go on sale June 3 at 6 a.m. EST/noon CEST. All tickets purchased for the 2020 festival are valid for the 2021 edition. That same day, the festival will begin to offer exchanges and refunds for those who purchased tickets for the 2020 festival. 

To view the full lineup and to purchase tickets for Primavera Sound Barcelona 2021, visit the festival's official website. 

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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.

Read: Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund

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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Lizzo performs during at the 2020 BRIT Awards

Lizzo performs at the 2020 BRIT Awards

 

Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

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Virgin Fest 2020 Lineup: Lizzo, A$AP Rocky, Anderson .Paak, Ellie Goulding & More Announced

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The inaugural festival boasts an all-inclusive lineup, composed of 60 percent female artists, and an eco-conscious approach
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Feb 20, 2020 - 9:10 am

Virgin Fest, a brand-new multi-genre festival debuting later this year, has announced its inaugural lineup. The two-day event, taking place June 6-7 across multiple stages throughout Banc Of California Stadium and Exposition Park in South Los Angeles, has confirmed recent GRAMMY newcomer Lizzo and rap giant A$AP Rocky as the headliners. The lineup also includes Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Diplo's Major Lazer outfit, recent Best New Artist nominees Tank And The Bangas and many more. 

Virgin Fest, which is promoting an all-inclusive environment—its tagline boasts "All Are Welcome"—features a diverse artist roster. As Rolling Stone points out, the 2020 lineup is composed of 60 percent female artists, which include acts like Ellie Goulding, Kali Uchis, Jorja Smith, Banks, Japanese Breakfast, Empress Of and others. 

Read: The 1975's Matt Healy Pledges Only To Play Gender-Balanced Festivals

The festival is also celebrating the LGBTQ+ fan and artist community. In addition to booking LGBTQ+ artists and allies, including Clairo, Trixie Mattel, singer-songwriter and former Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui and others, Virgin Fest is offering gender-neutral restrooms and is screening all vendors to ensure they align with the festival's values of inclusivity and positivity, with a focus on the LGBTQ+ community and an "emphasis on correct pronoun usage," according to PRIDE.

Read: 2020 Pitchfork Festival: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Run The Jewels, The National To Headline

In an interview with PRIDE, Virgin Fest CEO and founder Jason Felts discussed the festival's LGBTQ+-focused lineup and its approach to creating an inclusive environment.

"Being a gay man who loves music and loves people and loves diversity and loves humanity on the whole, I thought, 'Why don't we have a festival that celebrates all of that?'" he said.  

Read: Firefly Fest 2020 Lineup: Billie Eilish, Halsey, Rage Against The Machine, Maggie Rogers & More 

Virgin Fest is also taking an eco-conscious approach focusing on sustainability. The festival is "handpicking vendors who share its values and have policies that comply with their commitment to sustainability"; it will also be the "first festival in California to employ a reusable cup deposit system instead of single-use plastic cups," according to a post shared on the Virgin Group's, the festival's parent company, website. According to the event's website, the festival is also banning all single-use plastics onsite and will feature a "robust renewable energy and solar program," among other green initiatives.

To purchase tickets and to view the full lineup for the inaugural Virgin Fest, visit the festival's official website.

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Ms. Lauryn Hill

Ms. Lauryn Hill performs at Glastonbury Festival 2019

Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

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BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Festival 2020: Ms. Lauryn Hill, Alice Smith, Victory Boyd & More Announced

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The multi-day gathering, taking place during International Women's Day weekend this March, will feature multiple live events and speaker series
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Feb 15, 2020 - 8:52 am

BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Festival (BGR!FEST), the multi-day live event and speaker series that celebrates black women artists, thought leaders and creatives, has announced the lineup and event schedule for its 2020 edition. The four-day event, taking place March 5-8 during International Women's Day weekend across the John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts campus in Washington, D.C., has confirmed headliner Ms. Lauryn Hill, Alice Smith, Victory Boyd and many other artists and speakers for its second annual installment. 

BGR!FEST 2020 will feature multiple music-centric events across the weekend. The BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Concert Series, a two-day event (March 6-7) will feature eight-time GRAMMY winner Ms. Lauryn Hill and opener Alice Smith. The BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Unplugged Secret Shows, a series of intimate late-night concerts featuring surprise guests and performers, will take place nightly, except for Sunday. The BLACK GIRLS ROCK! WHO ROCKS NEXT shows, which spotlight emerging talents, will host soul-folk artist Victory Boyd on Friday and West Coast rapper ill Camille on Saturday. The weekend ends with the event's official closing day party and jam session, held on International Women's Day (Sunday, March 8), featuring BLACK GIRLS ROCK! CEO and celebrity DJ Beverly Bond and friends.

Read: City Girls' Yung Miami Talks Black Girl Magic, Cardi B & More At ESSENCE Fest

Beyond the music, BGR!FEST 2020 will present a free multi-part speaker series and panel presentation that will discuss entrepreneurship and business leadership; protection and advocacy for black women in the #MeToo era; and the importance of representation in Hollywood and media. The festival is also hosting the BLACK GIRLS LEAD Empowerment Circle, a private event featuring discussions with artist/activist Maimouna Youssef, aka Mumu Fresh, and Victory Boyd. 

The inaugural sold-out BGR!FEST last year featured Jazmine Sullivan, MC Lyte, Elle Varner, Leikeli47 and others.

BGR!FEST is an extension of BLACK GIRLS ROCK!, a multifaceted brand that focuses on the empowerment of women and girls of color. Last year, the BLACK GIRLS ROCK Awards, an annual award show broadcasted on BET, featured performances from Erykah Badu, Common, India.Arie, Ari Lennox and many others. 

For information on tickets, full lineup and event schedule for BGR!FEST 2020, visit the festival's official website.

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