NEWS
LETSGETFR.EE unveiled the lineup for its inaugural festival on Tuesday (March 1), and it includes Missy Elliott, Wizkid, Jhené Aiko and more.
The fest, which organizers are calling “a conscious carnaval,” will take place Aug. 20 and 21 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York. Additional performers on the lineup include Jorja Smith, Major Lazer Sound System, Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals, Ozuna, Kali Uchis, Flatbush Zombies, Beenie Man, Tiwa Savage and more, with additional artists to be announced soon.
“Carnaval is the world…And the world resides in Queens. Get ready for a real diverse lineup and show that breaks the mold,” LETSGETFR.EE captioned the post announcing the lineup and revealing the colorful poster on Instagram.
According to a press release, the mission of the event is to “close the equity gap for Black, Brown, Asian, and other underrepresented people in the entertainment industry, with the aim of achieving a diversified workforce across all levels in the industry by 2030,” as well as to “drastically shift and empower the advancement of the next generation of…thinkers, artists, activists, and innovators.”
Tickets for the two-day festival go on sale to the general public March 9 at 10 a.m. ET via ticketing platform DICE. Meanwhile, local residents of Queens can register for an exclusive pre-sale beginning March 1 through the event’s official website.
Back in December, Timbaland teased that he was working with Elliott on a new album, which would serve as the artist’s first full-length studio set since 2005’s The Cookbook. Wizkid, meanwhile, is also set to take part in the in-person return of The Roots Picnic this June with Mary J. Blige, Kirk Franklin and more.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
