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GRAMMYs

Missy Elliott 

Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Something in the Water

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5 Things To Get Excited For At ESSENCE Fest 2019 party-purpose-5-things-get-excited-essence-fest-2019

Party With A Purpose: 5 Things To Get Excited For At ESSENCE Fest 2019

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Check out the five events we're looking forward to at ESSENCE Fest's 25th Anniversary weekend
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jul 4, 2019 - 9:34 am

The 25th annual Party With a Purpose is upon us: ESSENCE Fest 2019.

From Friday, July 5 through Sunday, July 7, New Orleans' Mercedes Benz Superdome will once again become the hub where black culture is celebrated through music, food, and entertainment as well as uplifted through leadership events and more.

This year, the three-day festival is sure to be that much more spectacular as it celebrates a quarter century of moving black culture forward. And there could be no other way to do than what the fest has in store: Check out five major events happening at Essence 2019 that we can't wait to experience. 

Michelle Obama Will Be In The House 

https://twitter.com/LoniLove/status/1136681576807292928

It will be my first time hosting the main stage and @MichelleObama ‘s first time attending @essencefest ... Saturday July 6th join us in #neworleans!! #reunited #essencefest pic.twitter.com/soYnNHwbtO

— Loni Love (@LoniLove) June 6, 2019

What's the biggest indicator that this party will be like no other? Former First Lady Michelle Obama is invited! 

She stole the show earlier this year at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, and we can only expect that she'll do the same at the Superdome. Along with TV titan and journalist Gayle King, Obama will be a part of a special keynote conversation hosted by comedian Loni Love on the mainstage Saturday, July 6. 

"It will be my first time hosting the main stage and @MichelleObama ‘s first time attending @essencefest ... Saturday July 6th join us in #neworleans!!" Love tweeted. 

And she won't be the only familiar face from the political world Saturday; Democratic presidential candidates Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Beto O'Rourke and Pete Buttigieg have been added to the speaker lineup at the Power Stage Keynote.

Main Stage Music: Missy Elliott & More

There's nothing like the ESSENCE concert series. This year, Essence welcomes headliners and hip-hop and R&B legends Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, Nas, Big Freedia, Teyana Taylor, Timbaland, Ledisi and H.E.R to the main stage. 

This year, Elliott celebrates the 20th anniversary of the GRAMMY-nominated Best Rap Album Da Real World and was inducted in the Songwriters Hall Of Fame last month. 

The rapper took to Twitter to tease her performance at Essence:

https://twitter.com/MissyElliott/status/1012431866811551744

When we walk in the Essence Festival like ...🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/fEhheVvvyB

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) June 28, 2018

The Superlounges

BJ The Chicago Kid, Ginuwine, City Girls, Lucky Daye, PJ Morton, Luke James, Mase and JoJo are among some of the artists to perform at the festival's Superlounges, which will give fans an opportunity to see their favorite artists in a more intimate setting. The Playlist, Golden Era, Hot Right Now lounges and more will honor different genres and movements. 

Food Experiences With Big Freedia & More

NOLA icon Big Freedia won't just be performing, she'll also be a part of one of the many food events the fest has lined up for attendants. The Southern city is known for its culinary richness and you won't have to leave the Superdome to taste and learn from some of the most recognized chefs. Among the many food evets, fans can learn to remix dinner classics and create other yummy treats with special guests Big Freedia, Chefs Kenneth Temple, Ashley Jonique, Melissan Hinton and more. 

https://twitter.com/essencefest/status/1146189231833923584

Nobody does food like New Orleans! 🤤 Passport25 gives you exclusive access to perks at some of the finest Black-Owned Restaurants throughout the city all #EssenceFest weekend. 🙌🏾 Get your passport now: https://t.co/QLgkDMosNI pic.twitter.com/x5uYF6IPev

— ESSENCE Festival (@essencefest) July 2, 2019

Through ESSENCE's Passport25, the fest will also give event goers access to perks some of the finest black-owned restuarants in the city. 

Afterdark Series

The party doesn't end when the last performer steps offstage. Essence's Afterdark Series are concerts and events at Republic NOLA, Howlin' Wolf and the Orpheum Theater bringing intimate groups of artists together for performances. From Women In Hip Hop, ESSENCE Underground to Beats & Bounce and Reggae X Afrobeats with acts like Estelle, Young M.A., Trina, Rhapsody, DJ Jermaine, Blackstreet, and more, you can expect even more exlusive access to local music and beyond. 

Meet Ericka Coulter, The Inspirational Music Exec Amplifying Rising Talent With TheBasement

GRAMMYs

Mary J. Blige

Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images

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ESSENCE 2019: "It's Like A Family Reunion" magic-essence-25th-anniversary-celebration-its-family-reunion-even-though-you-dont-know

The Magic Of ESSENCE 25th Anniversary Celebration: "It's Like A Family Reunion Even Though You Don't Know Everybody Here"

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"Being able to celebrate black culture at this magnitude means everything because we've never had anything like this," MC Lyte said
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jul 8, 2019 - 5:57 pm

New Orleans' Central Business District looked starkly different Monday morning as city locals hurried to work in ties and business attire. Gone were the crowds of people walking around in the heat of the southern city in their most fabulous summer outfits as R&B, hip-hop, soul and more took over the Big Easy's Superdome once again for ESSENCE Fest 25th anniversary. 

This year locals and those from far and wide came together to watch performances from iconic artists like Missy Elliott and Mary J. Blige and hitmakers like Pharrell Williams and Timbaland to emerging artists like Normani and H.E.R at the biggest festival celebration of black culture in the country that took place July 5–7. But the festival was more than just music, it was a space where conversations around food, politics, business and more.  

ESSENCE Fest 2019: Recording Academy On The Road

While the fest has happened in New Orleans since its inception, this year was different for great reason. The fest, born out of ESSENCE magazine aimed mostly to its black female readership, celebrated 25 years of brining different parts of black culture under one roof and the musical artists performing reflected on the milestone. MC Lyte, who curated one of the ESSENCE events that took over the venues all over the city, with women in hip-hop broke down why the fest means so much. 

"Being able to celebrate black culture at this magnitude means everything because we've never had anything like this. Growing up, we certainly didn;t at least in my era and even now to date. The ESSENCE Music Festival is truly one of a kind," she said. 

For some performers like New Orleans native  PJ Morton, the 25th anniversary was a very special moment as it brought him back full-circle.  

"I've been going to this festival since I was 14 years old and really changed my life as far as wanting to be a musician and seeing how it was presented, " he said. "When ESSENCE asked me to be a part [of the festival] again, I said 'I just don't want to play it again, I've played it before, let's do something special. Especially to kind of commemorate all these things, winning the GRAMMY award this year and me being able to come home. Part of winning that GRAMMY and writing those songs and making that album was me leaving L.A. and moving back home to new Orleans three years ago, so for me it was just a perfect full-circle moment to do a recording."

The singer made history during the night of his performance by recording a live album at the fest for the first time ever.

Not at #EssenceFest this weekend? We've got you covered. https://t.co/RIcT1LLNfK

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) July 8, 2019

But he wasn't the only local with special ties to the fest. Rising star Normani, also a big easy native and first time performer at the fest, shared why the fest is so special to her.

"I'm grateful that I can finally be a part of it. For as long as I can remember growing up ESSENCE was ESSENCE and it's just really coolfor me to be a prt of it. My grandmother, she came, my nanny came,  my uncles they came out too and it's beautiful for me to be able to really represent my city in such a way, she said."

The opportunity to talk and have conversations with other women in particular is what excites singer Mumu Fresh the most about the festival. "[Women] who are affirming you and just sharing their stories."

"It's like a family reunion even though you don't know everybody here.They've shared your experience and everyone's just loving and gorgeous, all day long I've been walking by strangers who have been like 'YES hair, YES shoes YES face' and I'm like 'Awww heeyy, you too.' It's really fun, it's really beautiful."

NAO Talks Vulnerability & Being Black And British At ESSENCE Fest

HAIM | Women In The Mix

Haim attend Women In The Mix during GRAMMY Week 2021

Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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Relive The Inspiring Women In The Mix 2021 Event grammy-week-2021-women-in-the-mix-recap

Women In The Mix 2021 Recap: How Female Powerhouses Convened To Close The Wage Gap And Amplify Women's Voices Across The Music Industry

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Predicated on a platform of supporting and encouraging women in the music industry, the inaugural Women In The Mix event featured moderated panels, performances, high-profile guests and interviews by female leaders in multiple industries
Pamela Chelin
GRAMMYs
Mar 9, 2021 - 7:12 pm

What better way to kick off GRAMMY Week 2021 and International Women's Day than yesterday's inaugural Women In The Mix virtual celebration? The two-hour event, hosted by Rocsi Diaz, celebrated women's contributions to the music industry, seeking to amplify their voices. With moderated panels, performances, high-profile guests and interviews, Women In The Mix was informative and celebratory and exemplified the importance of women working with and supporting each other in the music industry.

Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, and Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer of the Recording Academy, introduced the program. Mason jr., who ran for his position "on a platform of change and understanding," said closing the gender gap in the music industry is a top priority for the Recording Academy. Butterfield Jones then announced the Recording Academy's $25,000 donation to charities and organizations that support women’s growth in production and engineering.

Pumping up the festivities, classical pianist Chloe Flower, who blew everyone away in 2019 when she accompanied Cardi B at her GRAMMY performance that year, gave a stellar delivery of her song "No Limit." Seated at her mirrored piano adorned with vases of colorful flowers, Flower also appeared later in the program, with an exquisite performance of "Flower Through Concrete."

Chloe Flower | Women In The Mix

Chloe Flower performs at Women In The Mix during GRAMMY Week 2021 | Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Political activist and author Dr. Angela Davis introduced current GRAMMY-nominated jazz drummer Terry Lyne Carrington, founder of The Berklee Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice, whose motto is "Jazz Without Patriarchy." Carrington expressed gratitude to the Recording Academy for its donation and said she grew up with the desire to be a driving force behind the scenes to help young women reach their musical goals. With racial and gender justice comprising her initiative's guiding principles, Carrington said, "A cultural transformation is needed for the music itself to reach its potential."

Multi-GRAMMY nominated artist and percussionist Sheila E. had a lively chat with GRAMMY-nominated rapper MC Lyte. Referencing the gender gap in music, Sheila E. said, "I think it's getting better, but I think it should be way better than it is now."

Current three-time GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Ingrid Andress answered a series of questions about her career, revealing that her Best New Artist nomination is "pretty mindblowing to me because I definitely just started, and some of the people in that category are people I listen to all the time."

Current GRAMMY-nominated Emily Lazar (mastering engineer and founder of The Lodge) was introduced by current multiple GRAMMY-nominated rock trio HAIM, with whom she's worked on three albums. Lazar discussed "We Are Moving The Needle," the non-profit organization she recently launched to elevate the number of female audio engineers and producers in the music industry. Lazar thanked the Recording Academy for its donation and said, "I'm excited to go beyond just talking about this gender disparity and actually effectuating some real measurable change."

Related: Listen: GRAMMY.com's Women's History Month Playlist Featuring The Nominees From The 2021 GRAMMY Awards Show

Maureen Droney (Senior Managing Director, Recording Academy Producers and Engineers wing) led an informative panel comprised of Ebonie Smith (producer, engineer, singer-songwriter and founder of Gender Amplified), Piper Payne (mastering engineer) and EveAnna Manley (President of Manley Laboratories), each of whom passionately discussed their careers.

Elaine Welteroth and Sweetie | Women In The Mix

Elaine Welteroth and Saweetie attend Women In The Mix during GRAMMY Week 2021 | Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

New York Times best-selling author and journalist Elaine Welteroth interviewed rapper and songwriter Saweetie, who said her wishlist for 2021 consists of her desire to collaborate with both Missy Elliott and Rihanna.

Tina Tchen (Time's Up CEO and President) and former Chair of the Recording Academy's Task Force of Diversity and Inclusion expressed gratitude for the Recording Academy's donation to Time's Up, emphasizing the necessity of female engineers and producers in the studio. "It makes a difference who's in the booth, who's in charge of the atmosphere in the studio who will say no when there's unacceptable behavior that's exclusionary or bullying or belittling that happens," she said.

Lanre Gaba (Atlantic Records General Manager/SVP A&R) moderated a fascinating conversation with current three-time GRAMMY-nominated record producer and songwriting duo Nova Wav (Brittany "Chi" Coney and Denisia "Blue June" Andrews) and R&B singer/songwriter IV Jay.

Cyndi Lauper | Women In The Mix

Cyndi Lauper attends Women In The Mix during GRAMMY Week 2021 | Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

The queen of girls who want to have fun, two-time GRAMMY-winner Cyndi Lauper talked about what it meant to win her Best New Artist GRAMMY in 1985. "Usually what they used to say that is if you won the best new artist, 'Oh my god, the second album was going to be a problem,' Looking back now, I think it was a blessing because my career spans forty years."

Read More: Cyndi Lauper Is Still The Feminist Pop Star We Need

Current GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Joanie Leeds closed out "Women in the Mix" performing a stunning acoustic rendition of her appropriately titled song "All The Ladies."

Here are five things we learned about making it in the music business as a woman.

Don't Be Discouraged By Rejection

Sheila E.: "You're going to get a lot of nos, but no doesn't mean you can't do it or you're not able. Maybe this opportunity wasn't for you. However, it opens the door for something else that you probably didn't even imagine you were going to go that way… Don't be discouraged when a door shuts because sometimes that door may be shut as protection. Maybe you're not ready or prepared yet."

MC Lyte: "I'm a firm believer in [the idea that] if a door shuts or doesn't remain open it's just not for you. All it means is go back to home base and practice, rehearse, create, do all of the things you need to do to better your craft, and this way when that next door opens, you're ready… don't get discouraged."

Believe In And Stay True To Yourself

Ingrid Andress: "You need to be your biggest cheerleader. At the end of the day, if you don't believe in what you're doing, nobody else will… We, as women, are programmed to think we have to compare ourselves to one another. Don't do that. Just believe in what you do separate from what everybody else is doing. You have to be the one to show people that what you have to say matters...Keep after it and stay true to yourself."

Saweetie: "You shouldn't try to be like me. You should try to be like you. Hopefully, I can inspire you to be the best version of you because I know what it feels like to be a little girl wanting to be something else. It takes away the focus from the true prize which is yourself, so earn your strengths, perfect your weaknesses and be you because that's the only person you can be."

Self-Care Is Essential

Saweetie: "I really encourage the go-getters who want to be in music to really take care of their body and their health because if your body isn't working, your music's not working. I'm grateful to have time to recharge, breathe, and get my body right."

MC Lyte: "It's resting, it's water, it's working out, it's getting in touch with nature and taking walks for no good reason at all except I want my feet to hit the pavement, or walking in nature to be in the grass… It's understanding that there's more to life than just entertainment or more to life than just what it is that I do."

Sheila E.: "I'm so much older, so what I have to do for self-care is constant just to even maintain what I want to do. Right now, it is just drinking water, nature, taking the time to rest, really eating the right foods, and taking care of myself, so I can do what I love to do."

Read: Designing Women In The Mix: How Music Inspired The Artwork Behind The Debut GRAMMY Week 2021 Event

Don't Let Fear Stop You

Brittany "Chi" Coney: "When I used to be personally fearful, there's something I used to do. I used to go into the bathroom, and you hold up your hands and hold your head up high for two minutes and it raises testosterone levels by twenty percent."

IV Jay: "I started meditating and I did therapy and there's nothing wrong with that. I feel like a lot of women feel ashamed of getting help but I just think it's worth it. If you need it, you need it so I personally feel like that helped me grow. I feel a lot better now."

Lanre Gaba: "I always dealt with it by being as prepared as possible so there's not even a moment of 'I don't belong here' because I've done the work, I've put in the time, I've done my research."

It's A Blessing To Have Female Mentors and Inspiration

Ingrid Andress: "I am fortunate because I met Kara DioGuardi, an iconic songwriter when I was in college… Kara was the first woman I met who really encouraged me to get better at songwriting.  She was a huge inspiration. As a young songwriter, having women like that to look after each other is important because I don't think I would have had the courage or enthusiasm to try and get better at what I did if she hadn't been so encouraging to me."

The Recording Academy Partners With Berklee College Of Music And Arizona State University To Conduct Study On Women's Representation Across The Music Industry

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Obi Asika & SMADE

Photo: Courtesy of Afro Nation

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Afro Nation Founders On Uniting African Diaspora afro-nation-co-founders-smade-obi-asika-talk-festival-origins-uniting-african-diaspora

Afro Nation Co-Founders Smade & Obi Asika Talk Festival Origins, Uniting The African Diaspora & Celebrating Diversity

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Afro Nation Puerto Rico, taking place March 18-21, is the first-ever American edition of the swiftly expanding event
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Mar 5, 2020 - 10:23 am

With Afro Nation Puerto Rico around the corner on March 18-21 (and a second Afro Nation Portugal in July), the fast-growing new music festival is bringing its vibrant energy to the U.S. for the first time. The first-ever American iteration of the fest—taking place beachside at San Juan's Balneario de Carolina—will be the third event in total since its launch last summer.

Nigerian superstar singers Burna Boy and WizKid, American rap kings Fabolous and Rick Ross, Jamaican reggae act Chronixx, Nigerian Afropop songstress Yemi Alade and Trinidadian soca hero Machel Montano are among the headliners for this month's event. Those are just a few of the names within the epic lineup, which has been rolled out in waves over the past four months.

Each Afro Nation fest highlights the biggest players—and up-and-comers—in Afro-fusion, reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, soca and other black-led musical movements. As cofounders SMADE and Obi Asika share, the idea for the event came from what they saw as a lack of representation in the event space for Afrobeats artists they worked with.

https://twitter.com/AfroNationPR/status/1234500294148608002

The diaspora united! 🌍 @ChronixxMusic performing in Kenya 🤩 ⁣
⁣
See him live at #AfroNationPuertoRico 🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷 ⁣ pic.twitter.com/k1vm7m3Hnw

— AfroNationPuertoRico (@AfroNationPR) March 2, 2020

We caught up with the two Nigerian-born, London-based music industry powerhouses over the phone recently to discuss their groundbreaking Afro Nation movement. Read on to learn about the story behind this successful partnership, how they're learning as they go, their hopes and vision for the future and more.

The next Afro Nation fest is coming up soon, the first-ever Puerto Rican event. What are you most looking forward to with this one?

SMADE: We're on our third edition now. The first one was in Portugal in August, and then we've just finished the second one in Ghana in December. We're moving on to Puerto Rico next month, which I'm excited about. I'm looking forward to enjoying the beautiful sandy beaches in San Juan and having fun, as we always do. I'm also looking forward to seeing people from different races and cultures coming together to celebrate African music and seeing the unity that Afro Nation brings to people.

Obi: SMADE and I are both Nigerian, so obviously we do these events to give a platform to artists from the African diaspora. We've done Portugal and it was a lot of the European diaspora. Then, we've done Ghana which is more like the brand coming home. But for me, I'm really looking forward to seeing America because we sold so many tickets to Americans interested in the brand, the music and culture, and the diaspora there.

Also, Puerto Rico is a really interesting place because it's America, but it's also the Caribbean. I can't wait to see how people are going to vibe there and what's going to happen. Every festival we've done so far in different places, they all have their own feel. I think that this is going to be a really interesting one. We've literally got people coming from every part of America. I think it's going to be super interesting and really cool.

Wave 1: Afro Nation Puerto Rico: Patrice Roberts, Beenie Man, 2Baba, Afro B & More

You've been announcing the Puerto Rico lineup in several waves, and it just keeps getting better! How did you choose who to work with?

Obi: When we kick off the lineup, SMADE and I always have a chat and go, "What do we think? Who do we think our crowd's going to be? What are they going to want to see and be interested in?" One of the reasons why we don't announce everything at the beginning is that we want to read the crowd. We read a lot of the messages, we get a lot of the DMs, have all our team telling us what they hear and we do adapt things on the fly. We say, "Okay, let's add that."

These events are something that haven't been done before. We have such a complex and layered culture in terms of from the east, to the south, to the west of Africa, and obviously all the diaspora as well. SMADE and I were saying, we need to go and do a trip to Angola and go and hang there, understand what's going on, so we can understand what the Portuguese side is at.

SMADE: Also, we research and see the best acts to be on the stage. The platform is a huge one. Our stage is one of the biggest stages in the world for the acts, to be honest. What we try to do is research, look out for people that deserve to be on that stage, both from Africa and the diaspora and everywhere really. There's so much talent.

Obi: It is a bit of a voyage of discovery for us. There's so much talent and we want to include everyone, and we want to include everyone for each destination, but it's a process even for us. We are constantly learning about new music and new artists. One thing that we're very fortunate in what we're doing right now is that there's just so much talent. It's a constantly evolving process.

Our crowd is very active on social media. You have some people like, "Why can't we have this person?" and it's always the same names. But we try and give other people opportunities. SMADE and I were laughing the other day because we can't wait to see a performance, I won't say who it is. We wanted to put these two acts together because when we know when they get on the stage, it's just going to be crazy and make new fans. They might be overlooked on social media, but we know that they will be one of the highlights. We try not to make it about booking the same people at every show. We really want to give a focus for everyone. Particularly in Puerto Rico, we are going to add some local acts but expect that year two, there'll be even more local acts.

It's funny, year one of Portugal, everyone was like, "All you guys are about is West Africa." We are West African, so we're understanding things as we go along. SMADE and I spent a lot of time in France this year, because a lot of French people are coming to our show and we didn't even push it for France that much. It was organic. Then we had a couple of shows in France. It was crazy. We realized the market is massive. So, we were like, "We've got to include more French acts next year."

Sometimes we need to push our customers to new things. You don't have to worry about maybe someone doesn't speak the language, because with music you can feel it. When people are on stage, even if they're singing in Spanish or Portuguese or French, we don't actually see an issue in mixing everything up. It can be quite powerful. It's not a worry for us if we think it breaks those barriers.

Watch: Burna Boy Talks 'African Giant,' Damian Marley & Angelique Kidjo Collab, Responsibility As A Global Artist

It sounds like it really keeps growing naturally as you meet more people and explore different scenes. Do you have any plans or ideas for future locations this year or next?

Obi: Yeah, it does. We've already confirmed another location for this year that will be announced in another month or so. We want to always let people focus on what's next. Right now it's Puerto Rico and Portugal, but yeah, we've got another really great location.

SMADE & Obi Asika at Afro Nation

SMADE & Obi onstage at Afro Nation | Photo Courtesy of Afro Nation

Looking back a bit, can you tell me a little more about what inspired you to start Afro Nation together?

SMADE: I think Obi and I, we noticed a lack of representation of our acts. We know how talented they are and how much work they put into their music, but we weren't seeing them on the big stages. So Obi and I came together and we were like, we're just going to do it ourselves. We didn't even think it was going to be this big.

Obi: It's exactly what SMADE said. I'm a talent agent and he is a promoter. One of the things you do as a talent agent is headline shows in order to get your artists on big stages at the festivals. We struck up a partnership quite quickly, because SMADE is incredible. He was selling tickets for Afrobeats where all the big promoters weren't able to do it. We both obviously had a passion for this music, this genre, the culture because of our background. We struck up a partnership and we started having real successes, selling big tickets in London.

It wasn't really translating to the major festivals booking the acts. They wouldn't give them what we perceived as the respect they deserved, and I know a lot of these guys, they're my friends. It was like, "Obi, man, we just got our heads around hip-hop a few years ago, and now you're telling us to put these Afrobeats acts and give them serious, high up billing? We started off as a rock festival." They were also like, all those Afrobeats fans, they won't come to the festivals. They don't buy tickets. Everyone said it's not possible and I was like, how can we be selling out the O2 Arena with WizKid or SMADE selling them out with Davido, and then you're telling me that they can't play this?

"At our events, all the fans are very passionate. It's more than just going to a festival. I feel like it's the pride in their heritage and their culture and in their identity." - Obi Asika

We were just like, "Look, we're just going to do ourselves." And when we did it, it just felt—we weren't expecting it. We just wanted to prove a point, and within 24 hours, all the tickets were gone. People decided to buy a flight, buy a hotel, buy the ticket and go to another country, all for their love of Afrobeats. That's not small, it's a real commitment. I think that's why at our events, all the fans are very passionate. It's more than just going to a festival. I feel like it's the pride in their heritage and their culture and in their identity. It's driven us to keep going. We're having so much fun with it.

It's a very unique situation. Our people are everywhere in every part of the globe and the fans are everywhere. The biggest thing is if you just went on the norms of our industry of music and you say, "Oh, this person isn't on the charts or that person isn't signed to that label," but Afrobeats doesn't actually move to that. One of the things, obviously the success of Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido, all the younger guys coming through is now shining a light on that in the records world. In the live music world, I think Afro Nation has shocked a lot of people that this crowd will buy tickets in advance and [pauses] I don't know many festivals that most of the crowd are female. In Portugal, we had 85 percent female.

Afro Nation

The crowd at Afro Nation Portugal 2019 | Photo Courtesy of Afro Nation

That's so cool.

Obi: I tell you, they are really amazing. Watching, I felt, "This is girl power going on." It was crazy. We'd never seen anything like it. It's a very powerful statement. It was a very unique festival. [Afro Nation] is such a positive event and is very special to us. We're very proud of it.

When you think of Afro Nation, what song comes to mind?

SMADE: For me, it's Fela [Kuti], any sound that comes from the legend Fela. Because a lot of these new acts now and the ones that have done great, from Wizkid to Davido to Yemi Alade to Burna Boy, when you see them on stage, that right there, for me, is Fela. That reminds me of Afro Nation. It's not just in West Africa alone. If you look at the highlife artists or the dancehall artists in Ghana, Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, the way they present their performances and all the stuff that they do on stage just reminds me of Fela.

https://twitter.com/afronation/status/1232726873614028800

🇬🇭 Afro Nation is all about celebrating & promoting our culture. Not only do we want to have fun, we also want to make sure that we do a little something extra for the beautiful countries who host us.

Thank you to everyone involved and thank you Ghana. 🙏🏾 ⁣#TogetherWeMove 🌍 pic.twitter.com/JL5bxJfn47

— Afro Nation (@afronation) February 26, 2020

From your perspective, what you think real diversity and inclusion looks like in the music event space?

SMADE: Honestly with this, it's hard to define because everyone's got a different perspective of what equality looks like. However, right now in the music industry, I think we are heading in the right direction although we still have a long way to go. There needs to be more recognition of all types of genres.

That's the beauty of Afro Nation. Even though the most [focus is on] Afrobeats and African music and the culture, we also infuse the Jamaican acts. Like in Portugal, we had Busy Signal, Buju Banton. And there's the different genres, there's your Afroswing, soca, bashment, reggae, and then Afrobeats. There's also hip-hop. We bring everybody together as one on our stages. We had acts from the U.S., the U.K. and then also from the Caribbean and Africa. Bringing them all together to celebrate the African culture and music in Portugal was a great experience and feeling. The way everybody just connected, I felt like it was part of it.

Obi: I really agree with what SMADE said. To be honest with you, as we said before, it's ever-evolving. As an event and as a brand, we are constantly learning about new genres and what different parts of the world are listening to. It's just about trying to push the envelope. There's a lot of people involved in Afro Nation, from all different parts of the world, putting the show together. We're a very diverse brand and company, but we're always trying to do more. We all have to strive to include everyone and just give everyone an opportunity to do their thing. I think we're a very diverse event. I don't think there's many events that have French, Portuguese, Spanish and English speaking artists.

At our first couple of events, we were very aware that we didn't have enough female acts. There's a lot more female acts for Puerto Rico, and that is something that we have to check ourselves on a little bit to make sure. You just can't be lazy with it. Sometimes, you have to just take your time and find new acts. Maybe if your first choice wasn't available, take a risk on a younger act or newer act. It's important.

Read: Beyonce Shares Epic Track List For 'The Lion King: The Gift:' JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Eazi, Shatta Wale & Many More

What is your biggest hope, for the next five or so years, in connecting the African diaspora through music and entertainment?

SMADE: My biggest hope is to connect and to use this platform to unify not only the Africans in the diaspora but also for other races as well to also experience and know the African culture. I'll give you an example. We just finished Afro Nation Ghana, and we had people from different races and different culture come down to Ghana. We had [Jamaican act] Popcaan buy a house in Ghana, and shown interest in Africa. We have people that never ever thought they would be in Africa celebrating, leaving their homes, or coming with their families to celebrate in Africa during the festive period.

Obi: Yeah, you were right, SMADE. It was crazy, wasn't it? We'd see the tickets sales and be, "Russia?" Russia, Australia, Ukraine…

SMADE: Right. It was amazing. This is what Afro Nation is doing. This can bring unity amongst everyone, every one of us. I hope the generation coming behind can also be inspired by the growth of the industry, and we can have many more superstar talent like Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade. And even the French-speaking and the Portuguese—there's Afro Portuguese now. From Afro Nation Portugal there are people trying to connect with the [Portuguese] culture, people going back home to check their DNA and all that stuff. This is what we're doing. This is what Afro Nation stands for, unifying.

Obi: I know for me, to be honest with you, I've got two real hopes. I want more, like SMADE's saying, of all these young artists coming through. I just want them to get through and become superstars, so we can have more headliners to keep pushing the industry forward. Now, in Europe anyway, every festival is booking Afrobeats, so half of our job's done. We want to see more commercial festivals booking Afrobeats. Those like Coachella, Reading and Leeds, Lollapalooza, we want to see them booking these acts. That helps the whole machine of it.

We got Ghana done and we're very proud of all we achieved because it's very difficult, as there's no infrastructure of the industry. Ghana is an amazing place. A lot of things work in Ghana like the roads, the airport. It's a safe place, it's super cool, but the entertainment industry, they've got lots of artists but there's no festival. You can't just call up someone and say, "Oh yeah, bring me this fence in and bring me this sound." It was really tough and we really put ourselves on the line because it's very expensive doing these events. But, we came through it, we produced something that we're proud of but we want to build it. We want to help keep building the African entertainment industry, because there's so much potential, there's so many acts.

Burna Boy Announces 2020 'Twice As Tall' World Tour

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Governors Ball 2019

Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images

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Governors Ball 2020 Lineup: Missy Elliott & More governors-ball-2020-lineup-revealed-missy-elliott-tame-impala-vampire-weekend-flume-3

Governors Ball 2020 Lineup Revealed: Missy Elliott, Tame Impala, Vampire Weekend, Flume, Solange & More

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Stevie Nicks, H.E.R, Portugal. The Man, Dominic Fike, Carly Rae Jepsen and more to appear at the festival, taking place from June 5–7 at Randall’s Island Park
Onaje McDowelle
GRAMMYs
Jan 16, 2020 - 11:47 am

For its 10th annual New York City-based music festival, Governors Ball has officially announced its 2020 lineup.

The festival is set to host 2020 GRAMMY nominees Steve Lacy, Flume, Vampire Weekend and others across three days and multiple stages in New York City’s East River Randall’s Island Park.

https://twitter.com/GovBallNYC/status/1217854118653460481

Music makes you lose control💥
Tickets on sale tomorrow, Jan 17 at 12pm est at https://t.co/0EBwnWm744.
Very limited Early Bird & Advance tickets will be available. pic.twitter.com/jqJq1UiI0r

— The Governors Ball (@GovBallNYC) January 16, 2020

Visitors to the festival will also have the chance to catch performances from artists including budding r&b songstress Summer Walker, dream-pop singer-songwriter and producer BANKS, five-time GRAMMY nominee Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd and "Slide Away" singer Miley Cyrus, in addition to Ellie Goulding, Portugal. The Man, Jon Bellion, Bleachers, Khruangbin, Danny Brown, Cuco and more. The full lineup is available here.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Jan. 17 at 12 p.m. EST on governorsballmusicfestival.com.

Gov Ball 2019: What Went Down Before Mother Nature Took The Headline Slot

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.