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Lenny Kravitz will get the ball rolling with a special performance ahead of next month’s UEFA Champions League Final.
The U.S. rock star will strut his stuff ahead of European club soccer’s showpiece event on Saturday, June 1, when he plays classics and debuts songs from Blue Electric Light (via Roxie Records/BMG), his forthcoming 12th studio album.
Kravitz will perform during the Kick Off show at London’s Wembley Stadium, ahead of the match between German heavyweights Dortmund and Spanish colossus Real Madrid. According to tournament reps, 90,000 fans will fill the stadium, and a global audience of 100 million will be watching on their screens.
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“It’s going to be such an exciting event ahead of a final that means so much to so many,” Kravitz says in a statement. “We can’t wait to show you all what we have in store.”
This is the eighth year that Pepsi and UEFA will raise the curtain on the Champions League final with the Kick Off program.
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To build the buzz ahead of match day, Pepsi releases a short film “Wembley Is Blue” starring Kravitz in full artist-mode, slapping some paint on the venue, cracking open a can of Pepsi and plugging in his Flying V for a performance of “Fly Away.”
The veteran musician has been a force on the awards trail this year, scoring a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, recognition from the CFDA with their Fashion Icon Award, and the Music Icon Award at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards, though he will need to wait a little longer to join the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.
Blue Electric Light is due out next Friday, May 24, and captures “celebration, life, humanity, sexuality, sensuality, spirituality,” he recently explained on late-night TV.
Kravitz will support the album with a summer European arena and festival tour, starting June 23 at Sporthalle in Hamburg, Germany.
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Pusha T is easily one of the sharpest lyricists in Hip-Hop today and knows a thing or two about being an entrepreneur. In a recent interview, King Push shared his thoughts on Black Business Month, the upcoming Pepsi Dig In Day in Washington, D.C., and more.
Pusha T recently sat down to speak with Blavity about Black Business Month, the inaugural Dig In Day in the heart of Southeast Washington, D.C., and even shared one of his favorite spots to dine in the DMV. The Virginia Beach, Va. native spoke with the outlet about Pepsi Dig In Day, which the brand launched in 2020 to support underrepresented communities and support Black-owned businesses. The event, which takes place this weekend, was at the top of the mind of Pusha T as he shared his thoughts on Dig In Day.
“I’m expecting for it to be a time for music, community and networking just to clash all at once,” Pusha T said. “The actual event space of Anacostia is one of my favorite event spaces. It’s where a lot of events are held where the creative and the business minds of the DMV come together. It can be kind of artsy, kind of techie; it can be whatever the mix calls for that evening. I’m looking for the event to be community building, networking and a good time.”
The Sandlot rests near the Anacostia River in the historic Anacostia community, which continues to see rapid development. The free event will surely bring a good crowd that the businesses nestled along nearby Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue will hopefully benefit from.
Pepsi is working in partnership with The James Beard Foundation, Fig. 8, Okra, Black and Mobile, and a number of other companies and brands. Pepsi has awarded over $2 million in grants to 200 Black-owned businesses and 500 restaurants since the start of the Dig In Day campaign.
“I think prioritizing Black-owned businesses is important because it gives specifically the Black community a sense of hope,” Pusha continued. “It gives us the ‘I can do it’ mentality from the ground up, and I always think that’s good to see. A lot of people where we’re from and some of the areas we’re from and a lot of the positions that we’ve been put in, we may think it’s a heavy lift to start your own. One might think it’s too heavy of a lift, but when they see how many people took that leap of faith and how many people were involved and actually succeeded from sheer blood, sweat and tears, I think it’s good for the community to see and it lets everyone know that we can do it.”
As noted in the interview, Push is familiar with the DMV region and says that African-Asian fusion restaurant Bronze is his top choice with Jerk At Nite, one of the businesses that will serve Dig In Day revelers, being another.
Pusha T will headline the Pepsi Dig In Day Block Party happening this Saturday (August 19) at Sandlot Anacostia in Washington, D.C. Joining Push will be Alex Vaughn, Black Alley, with sound support from DJ Money and DJ Five9.
Learn more about Dig In Day here.
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Photo: Scott Dudelson / Getty
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Pepsi has officially launched Pepsi Music Lab, an annual academy committed to shining a spotlight on the next generation of music superstars, the company announced Thursday (Oct. 20).
The new platform aims to foster talent career growth and provide developing artists with new performance opportunities, mentorship and coaching, brand-building workshops, professional content capture, radio amplification and more.
After unveiling the concept with a pilot program last year, Pepsi Music Lab has evolved into a full scale, multi-service platform with an array of opportunities and services for aspiring artists. The brand enlisted Steve Stoute‘s digital distribution company UnitedMasters to help identify musicians across a variety of genres, styles and regions across the U.S. who will take part in this year’s academy.
The Class of ’22-’23 is comprised of 12 aspiring artists from across the country, including five who were contestants on this year’s music competition series Becoming A Popstar, co-produced by Pepsi, MTV and TikTok. They are: AKINYEMI, Amira Unplugged, Brian V., Cain Lofton, GODBY, Kbthesinger, Lexie Hayden, Lynnea M, NOHEMY, Oompa, SERGIO and Tarik. Pepsi is also bringing Samy Hawk, the winner of Becoming A Popstar, into the Pepsi Music Lab family to continue supporting his career through new performance and brand partnership opportunities.
“Pepsi has a long history of helping great artists break through, reshaping pop culture and leaving an unforgettable impression on all of us,” said Steve Stoute, CEO and founder of UnitedMasters. “Now in partnership with UnitedMasters, Pepsi is empowering the next generation of creators, helping them hone their craft and develop their talent so that they can generate the next big moment. Connecting independent artists to a brand with this rich legacy is the formula for creating a new future of music.”
The yearly program will kick off with the Pepsi Music Lab bootcamp in New York City from Oct. 25–27, where artists will get the opportunity to learn from industry experts including Laurieann Gibson, LaRussell, Lenny S and Director X.
The artists’ partnerships with Pepsi will continue throughout the year with performances, event appearances and strategic programming to help grow their careers. Pepsi will also be hosting a two-day virtual summit with renowned music industry experts targeted at aspiring artists all over the country.
“Pepsi is a brand that has a proven global track record for minting music superstars and shaping some of the most iconic moments in music and pop culture. Now, we are excited to shine a spotlight on the next generation of artists with our new Pepsi Music Lab platform” said Todd Kaplan, CMO of Pepsi. “By removing barriers within the music industry, we can provide these talented artists with the resources, knowledge, exposure, and connections to help accelerate their growth as musicians and further enable their success – it will truly make a positive impact on the futures of the artists we believe will push the industry forward.”
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