This year is no different from the last, seeing a star-studded selection of rappers from both sides of the Atlantic. Phase one of Wireless’ line up was announced today via the festival’s official Instagram. 2024’s event poster gives considerable weight to female rappers, both new and old. After exploding in popularity in 2022 after her single ‘Munch’, Bronx rapper, Ice Spice will be playing on the festival’s opening night alongside Trinidadian mega-star Nicki Minaj.

Known for her risqué lyrics, Up-and-coming Missourian rapper Sexyy Red will also be performing at Wireless. Finding her audience after Cardi B’s and Megan Thee Stallion’s WAP created an industry niche for tongue-in-cheek, sexually charged, female-led, rap music, Sexxy Red capitalised on this sub-genre, finding success with her 2023 single ‘Pound Town’.

Saturday the 14th of July will see LA rapper and singer Doja Cat headline the night. After her breakout YouTube single ‘Mooo!’, which currently has 129m views, Doja Cat has continued to make a name for herself through a steady stream of popular releases and her outlandish costume designs. Off the back of her fourth studio album, Scarlet, released in November of last year, Doja Cat has secured herself a top spot at London’s biggest music festival.

Wireless’ Saturday will be host to British-born Atlanta rapper 21 Savage. 21 Savage became widely known after his 2016 feature on XXL Magazine’s freshman cypher alongside, then upcoming rappers, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, Kodak Black, and Denzel Curry. Since his 2016 breakout, 21 Savage has gone on to release three studio albums, as well as three collaborative albums with Offset, Metro Boomin, and Drake. Fellow Atlanta rapper, Future will also be performing on the event’s Friday show. Known for his pioneering contributions to the American trap scene, Future remains one of the biggest names in the genre.

Although the setlist features only a couple of UK artists so far, with Digga D and J Hus joining the line up, Festival Republic is yet to announce the full line up, the second phase of which will be released next week. Early bird tickets for the festival will go live on January 31st at 10am. For those with either a Three Mobile or Barclay Card rewards scheme, a special pre-sale is currently available until an hour before the general ticket sale date.

The raucous weekend first came about in 2007 after a group of students decided they wanted to put together their own rave, aptly named the Mad Ferret Festival. The event kicked itself into gear in Platt Fields Park, Rusholme, but by the early 2010s it had relocated to Heaton Park and christened as Parklife. Since then, the event has witnessed a huge surge in popularity and has been crowned the UK’s largest metropolitan music festival, growing from a one-day event in a field to over 160,000 ticketholders rushing to north Manchester every year.

After today’s announcement, superstar rapper Doja Cat has no doubt cemented herself as the queen of the 2024 festival season, boasting headline slots across the globe for Coachella, Rock in Rio and Open’er Festival. The polarising singer and internet personality is most certainly set to bring the heat ahead of her European leg of The Scarlet Tour.

Festival-goers can also expect performances from powerhouse vocalist Becky Hill, DJ and singer Peggy Gou and Canadian producer Kaytranada, as well as unmissable sets from Anne-Marie, Nia Archives, Fourtet, Barry Can’t Swim, ANOTR, Camelphat, Rudim3ntal, Digga D and Sugababes.

Welcoming a multitude of different genres, the festival has since steered away from indie bands headlining in recent years, predominantly featuring dance, electronic and hip-hop acts to cater to its everchanging audience. This year is predicted to mark a new era for the festival, showcasing a brand new stage, jaw-dropping production, state-of-the-art tech and fewer line-up clashes.

Early Bird tickets sold out rapidly in December 2023, but an exclusive 2024 presale will be open from 10am on Thursday 25th January to anyone who has registered. Registration closes the night before at 6pm on Wednesday 24th January. Three Mobile customers will be able to purchase Saturday and Sunday tickets or full weekend tickets 24 hours before other customers on Wednesday here. Tickets including VIP access and coach travel are also available.

All remaining tickets will go on general sale from 10am on Friday 26th January which you can purchase from Ticketmaster. Both day and weekend tickets will be available either to pay in full or by deposit and signing up to a payment plan.

For those not wanting the party to end, Parklife’s official afterparties, ‘Afterlife’ have been unveiled, including an after-hours set from Kaytranada. You can grab tickets here.

The 23rd instalment of the festival will run across two consecutive weekends as it returns to the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California, on April 12-14 and April 19-21. Those seeking full weekend entry will be able to purchase three-day passes this Friday at 11am PT as part of Coachella’s pre-sale.

The Last Dinner Party were first formed in Hackney, London, in 2021 after their friendship circles collided during fresher’s week at university. Known for their Antoinette-style corsets, white Renaissance gowns and tumultuous lyrics, the group appear to have grown a loyal, underground fanbase overnight.

Seemingly the lovechild of Bram Stoker and Angela Carter, Abigail Morris is their unflinching lead vocalist, accompanied by the brilliant Georgia Davies (bass), Lizzie Mayland (guitar), Aurora Nishevci (keys), and Emily Roberts (lead guitar).

Snapped up by Island Records in 2022, the band went on to release their debut single ‘Nothing Matters’ in April of last year, followed by a second single ‘Sinner’ in June, and ‘My Lady of Mercy’ last October, all of which were produced by James Ford, known for his work with The Last Shadow Puppets, Arctic Monkeys, Blur and Gorillaz.

Despite such a slender discography, the band have expertly woven a coded folklore of feminist magic realism that has deeply resonated with their fans, offering up an irresistible concoction of sex, revenge and religion at its core.

The quintet is set to take the stage on Saturday 13 and Saturday 20; however, this isn’t their first rodeo across the Atlantic. The group are expected to attract an eclectic crowd of music lovers following their first North American tour last autumn, alongside an impressive string of shows with Irish folk singer Hozier, and a bucket list of support act positions previously secured with Florence + The Machine, The Rolling Stones and none other than Lana herself.

The band took to Instagram to make the announcement, while also hinting at future shows in the U.S. later this year.

From writhing theatrics on sticky pub floors to signing with one of the world’s most iconic record labels, it appears The Last Dinner Party won’t be the only British rising talent making a name for themselves across the pond this spring. They’ll be joined by the likes of Mercury Prize runner-up Olivia Dean, The Japanese House and electronic music project Jungle.

The festival also will feature a long-awaited reunion of Gwen Stefani-fronted No Doubt, as well as major performances by Blur, Deftones and breakout rapper Ice Spice.

Crowned as BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024 and Brit Award Rising Star winners at the end of last year, they are proving to go from strength to strength, riding a goldrush of critical acclaim from every corner of the industry.

In the face of all of the airbrushed glamour and looming controversies from the festival over the past two years, we can’t wait to see what The Last Dinner Party have up their sleeve.

Miley Cyrus led the way with her hit single “Flowers,” spending ten weeks at No 1. Other talented artists such as Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Kenya Grace, Raye, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift also enjoyed time at the top spot.

In fact, Goulding, Cyrus, Swift, Raye, SZA, PinkPantheress, and Libianca dominated seven out of the top 10 most popular tracks of the year. This achievement is the highest number of female-led tracks in the history of the Official Singles Chart, which spans over 70 years.

Goulding’s collaboration with Calvin Harris, “Miracle,” was particularly notable, and the rest of the top 10 featured artists like Dave, Central Cee, and Rema.

Dr Jo Twist, the chief executive of BPI, expressed her delight at this significant shift but also stressed the importance of not becoming complacent. She emphasised the need for continued efforts in the music industry, she said,“Our work in the music industry continues to ensure that this becomes the norm.” 

Furthermore, an impressive 48.5% of all songs that reached the Top 10 this year were either solo efforts or collaborations by female artists. This represents the highest annual share of Top 10 hits by female musicians in this century.

In 2023, the British music industry saw its ninth consecutive year of growth, with album sales and streams increasing by 10% to a total of 182.8 million. Streaming reached a record high with 179.6 billion audio streams, a 12.8% increase from the previous year. However, no new releases achieved platinum status, indicating a“crisis” in the industry according to music writer Patrick Clifton. He added,“A new generation of artists is not building fanbases that will buy gig and festival tickets in two, five, or 10-years’ time, and is not popularising songs that will have ubiquity in our culture once this generation of music fans reaches old age. The artists who succeed, he argued, are those who are able to cultivate a “two-way” relationship with fans on social media, and “don’t mind revisiting songs from their repertoire if those songs blow up”.

Vinyl records sales reached a remarkable milestone, surpassing 6 million units, marking the highest total since 1990. Additionally, CD sales remained strong with a staggering 10 million albums sold. Furthermore, cassette sales maintained their steady performance, exceeding 100,000 units for the fourth consecutive year.

However, it is undeniable that streaming has become the dominant force in the UK’s music landscape. Accounting for a remarkable 87.7% of the market share, streaming has experienced a substantial growth compared to 63.6% five years ago.

Beginning Monday, October 2nd, BBC Radio 1 hosts Rickie, Melvin and Charlie will air a new Live Lounge every Monday to Thursday throughout the month. Each performance will take place at 12pm. The Radio 1 trio announced the details of the new live lounge month, along with the line-up on air during their morning show on September 5.

Rickie, Melvin and Charlie are the new hosts of Radio 1’s iconic Live Lounge (Monday – Thursday, 10.30am – 1pm)!

Big up @RickieHW @Melvinodoom & @charliehedges. We know you’ll smash it! pic.twitter.com/0xze7rtyHW

— BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra & Asian Network Press Office (@BBCRadio1PR) April 20, 2021

  Yungblud shared a post on Twitter. He said “just wait you see what we got planned”

just wait till you see what we got planned@bbcradio1 #liveloungemonth pic.twitter.com/NlAjB3cNuv

— YUNGBLUD is a lowlife (@yungblud) September 5, 2023

Radio 1’s Live Lounge will be graced with the presence of some of the world’s most popular artists, performing both their own musical pieces as well as unexpected covers. We will have the pleasure of Olivia Dean’s performance, whose album Messy has been nominated for a Mercury Prize Award 2023.

Listeners of Radio 1 and BBC Sounds can tune in live to all performances from Live Lounge Month. They will also be able to view the performances on-demand on Radio 1’s BBC iPlayer and YouTube channels.

Olivia Rodrigo, whose new album GUTS  launches September 8, visited London and popped into the Radio 1 studio with host Melvin Odoom to make a very hot announcement. Melvin spoke to Olivia and said, “We are so excited to have you here today, because the real reason you’re in the studio right now is because you have a massive announcement, right?”

Olivia made here live lounge performance official and told the Radio 1 listeners in retort to Melvin “I’m so excited to announce, “I’m going to be kicking off Radio 1’s live lounge month 2023 and it’s going to be October. I’m very excited, I’m filming it in LA, and it’s going to be a ball.”

BBC Radio 1, invites listeners to test their expertise, in what they say is their “Ultimate Live Lounge Quiz.” Preparing listeners for an extravaganza of bejewelled performances for this coming October.

Below you can see the full line-up list for the Live Lounge Month 2023.

Artist Performance Date’s

Olivia Rodrigo –  Mon 2nd October
Troye Sivan  – Tues 3rd October
Jorja Smith  – Weds 4th October
Madison Beer  – Thurs 5th October
Declan McKenna –  Mon 9th October
Leigh-Anne –  Tues 10th October
Royal Blood –  Weds 11th October
Dominic Fike – Thurs 12th October
Holly Humberstone – Tues 17th October
YUNGBLUD – Weds 18th October
Becky Hill – Thurs 19th October
Usher – Mon 23rd October
Jax Jones – Weds 25th October
Doja Cat – Thurs 26th October

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The New York-based photographer made a name for himself within the late 90s and early 00’s with his timeless pieces featuring the era’s brightest stars. Johnson’s photos of Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, Biggie Smalls, Nas and Aaliyah sired the photographer a reputation for brilliance and placed him at the forefront of the music industry. Much like the musicians he snapped, Johnson’s talent has transcended through the decades. The icon award first winner’s recent work includes modern-day artists including Shygirl and Doja Cat.

Johnson has spoken about the win, “It’s super surreal being the first recipient of the Abbey Road Studios Music Photography ICON Award. I’m super low-key by nature and through all of these years it never dawned on me that after taking all of these pics that ultimately it would all come back to me. That people would be curious about me. I kinda knew that my photos would stand the test of time but being considered an ICON wasn’t anything I really thought about. Wow!!! I’m into it.”

The legendary shutterbug continued to discuss his work, “Having such a diverse group of talented artists recognise my work is really what it’s all about. This is a curious industry we’re in. It’s been like a rollercoaster ride and this acknowledgement is such a high. It makes me feel like ‘Wow, I’ve really been right and onto something from the beginning and people are really recognising this. It’s AWESOME and inspires me to keep pushing even more. I wanna keep creating imagery that the culture really feels.”

Johnson concludes with advice for aspiring photographers, “I hope this all inspires emerging talents to try and stay as true to yourself as possible. There’s potentially something great just around the corner. Don’t sweat the industry like that. Keep working on your craft.”

Isabel Garvey, Abbey Road’s Managing Director has also given a statement concerning the award, “The judging panel wanted the recipient of our first MPAs ‘Icon Award’ to be a photographer whose impact and contribution to the art of music photography has been pronounced and unparalleled and we have no doubt that Eric meets these criteria. We’re delighted that Eric has accepted the award as his work throughout his career to date has been some of the most vital and memorable in music photography.”

The historic studios are holding the new awards as part of their birthday celebration, the ceremony will join the various events planned to observe the studio’s 90th anniversary. A statement provides further information, “The MPAS honour the images that capture the magic of live music, the creative process, and the exciting music scenes and movements taking place across the world. The awards will recognise photographers at all levels – whether established, emerging or undiscovered – via open-entry categories, as well as categories chosen by an esteemed judging panel made up of artists, photographers and influential names across the global music and photography industries.“

American rapper Megan Thee Stallion, Nigerian singer Burna Boy and US artist Doja Cat are all set to join the already star-studded line-up, with headliners including the likes of Tyler, the Creator, Cardi B and Nicki Minaj. If you want to see a full list of the line-up, you can go to the festival’s website here.

The festival will take place across three different venues; London’s Crystal Palace Park, Finsbury Park and Birmingham’s NEC, the latter of which was last involved with the festival back in 2014. Artist ASAP Rocky is set to start things off at Crystal Palace Park, and it’s an especially significant event for his UK fans, what with it being his first concert in the country for six whole years.

Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and SZA will be headlining the following week at Finsbury Park, with a historic all-female line-up taking place. It will also be a significant moment for SZA, being her first-ever UK headline festival appearance.

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Other significant artists making an appearance include British rapper Dave, who recently was awarded Best Hip Hop/ Grime/ Rap Act at the 2022 BRIT Awards. Despite Storm Eunice forcing him to make some changes to his touring schedule, he should be back in the full swing of things this July when he headlines at the Birmingham NEC. Last year, the headlining acts included the likes of Future, Skepta and Migos.

If you can’t make it to any of the shows, no worries; the BBC has you covered. BBC Radio 1Xtra will be airing the performances, as well as giving us exclusive interviews, so you’ll be getting the best of both worlds either way. Some of the station’s DJs will also be given the opportunity to host stages and perform their own sets across the festival’s duration. It’s the first time Wireless Festival has worked with the station, but we can hope it’s a promising sign of things to come.

If you’re interested in getting tickets, best act fast. They’ve gone on sale today already, having started at noon, but you can get there quick by following this link.

pic.twitter.com/imsVC4WVOu

— doja cat (@DojaCat) January 31, 2022

The 26-year-old artist is included within this year’s nominations. Doja Cat is shortlisted for International Artist Of The Year and Best International Song for her collaboration with SZA entitled “Kiss Me More”. The single was released on 9th April 2021 and sired the rapper great success along with three Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The multi-talented artist is no stranger to accolades, however this year marks her first nomination for a Brit award and this year’s ceremony would also have been her first performance at the awards event.

This recent cancellation is the hitmaker’s third termination of a live performance due to COVID. On 11th December 2021, the singer was forced to withdraw from several shows from the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, the cancelled shows were scheduled for New York and Boston. Doja Cat confirmed the cancellation was due to members of her road crew receiving positive tests for COVID. At the time of the confirmation, the singer took to Twitter to post a full statement.

iHeart update…I love you guys so much and I’m so sad this is happening but I will see you all soon pic.twitter.com/kwcmdGJTe4 — doja cat (@DojaCat) December 10, 2021

On 12th December 2021, the singer confirmed that she could not finish the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour as she had tested positive for the virus herself. The “Woman” singer had six dates remaining and was forced to cancel shows in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlanta and Miami. To announce the cancellation, the singer also took to Twitter to share an emotive statement confirming the news.

pic.twitter.com/N1mMiFHQRV

— doja cat (@DojaCat) December 12, 2021

This year’s BRIT Awards will be a historical event in music and cultural history, for the first time, the awards will feature genderless categories. The 2022 ceremony will also include four new genre-based awards, Alternative/Rock Act, Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap Act, Dance Act and Pop Act. Speaking on the British institution’s changes, co-president of Polydor Records has stated, “It is important that the Brits continue to evolve and aim to be as inclusive as possible.”

Hosting responsibilities for this year’s event have been bestowed to Mo Gilligan. the comedian will be replacing veteran host Jack Whitehall who stepped down after four years at the helm. Gilligan is best known for his chat show The Lateish Show, a Channel 4 production which debuted in 2019. The remaining performers for the event are still scheduled to take the stage, Brit icon Liam Gallagher, Ed Sheeran, Dace, Sam Fender, Little Simz and 2022’s Brits rising star award winner Holly Humberston are all billed to perform at the ceremony.

pic.twitter.com/bP2z0Ftsol

— Coldplay (@coldplay) December 11, 2021

Coldplay wasn’t the only band to pull out of the Jingle Bell Ball, with American rapper Lil Nas X having to cancel an appearance for similar reasons. He had this to say: “Hey guys, sorry I couldn’t make it, a few of the members of my team got Covid and we just don’t want to be irresponsible and risk it. Hope you guys have an amazing time. I love you and I’ll see you soon.”

Wishing you and your team all the best @LilNasX #CapitalJBB pic.twitter.com/pFRK8Ww8ce — Capital (@CapitalOfficial) December 11, 2021

Capital FM was of course upset to lose such famous names for their event. Their own statement gave their best wishes to those affected, saying “We’d like to wish the very best and a speedy recovery to Coldplay, Lil Nas X and their teams. Of course, everyone at Capital is absolutely gutted, but the show must go on…“.

Some #CapitalJBB news for you https://t.co/MJgYyqXgju pic.twitter.com/m11XOHxK03

— Capital (@CapitalOfficial) December 11, 2021

To make up for the loss, the sets of other notable performers were extended, being good news for fans of Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran. Also, artists ArrDee and Tom Grennan were recruited to replace Coldplay and Lil Nas X. Other artists who appeared at the O2 Arena included YouTuber KSI, X-Factor runner-ups JLS, Brit Award-winning pop-star Griff and Little Mix’s Jesy Nelson.

This isn’t the only time an artist has had to drop out of an event recently due to covid, with US rapper Doja Cat cancelling an appearance for Boston and New York City’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball a few days ago, after some of her team members tested positive. She told Twitter that “For the health and wellbeing of the rest of our crew, we are following all the appropriate safety measurements and necessary precautions, which means I won’t be able to perform at iHeartRadio’s New York Z100 and Boston KISS FM Jingle Ball. I’m extremely disappointed, Jingle Ball has a great line up for you all, wish I could be there.“

iHeart update…I love you guys so much and I’m so sad this is happening but I will see you all soon pic.twitter.com/kwcmdGJTe4 — my sick sad ass (@DojaCat) December 10, 2021

For Coldplay fans still eager to see the band perform, they will be embarking on a worldwide tour next year, seeing places such as London, Berlin, Paris and Glasgow in support of their latest album, Music of the Spheres. For more information on the band’s activities, you can look here.

This year’s Global Citizen Live will take place in Rio de Janerio, London, Seoul, Los Angles, Sydney, Lagos, France’s capital city Paris and US city New York City and will include various artist’s live performances as well as pre-recorded sets. The worldwide concert aims to promote unity whilst rallying citizens of the world to urge major conglobates, governments and politicians as well as philanthropists to band together to help the world’s poverty-stricken communities and help rectify the recent global issues.

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The global event has been dated to take place this September to match with the UN General Assembly which is also taking place this September. Global Citizen Live will also coincide with other important meetings and summits including the G20 and COP26 set to take later on in 2021. Each act performing will be taking part in a 24-hour historic musical event, the concerts will be aired over many broadcasted mediums including ABC, ABC News Live, BBC, FX, IHeartRadio, Hulu, YouTube, TIME, Twitter as well as many more social media and televised channels.

Ed Sheeran will join the impressive list of artists billed to perform in Paris, joining the ‘Shape of You’ singer are hitmakers Black Eyed Peas, H.E.R., Dj Snake, Christine and the Queens and ‘Kiss Me More’ singer Doja Cat.  The line-up featured in Lagos include musician Femi Kuti, singer-songwriter Davido, Made Kuti and MTV Europe music award winner Tiwa Savage.

New York City’s event will take place at the famous landmark, Central Park, Global Citizen has been hosting events at the famed landmark since 2012. Performing at the city’s venue includes a vast array of artists such as ‘Bad Guy’ singer Billie Eilish and former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello. Also included to play the city that never sleeps are British hitmakers Coldplay, legendary artist Jennifer Lopez, ‘Good as Hell’ singer Lizzo, Shawn Mendes and rapper Meek Mill. New York City’s event will also see performances by special guests Burna Boy and Lang Lang, also set to take the stage at Central Park is 80’s pop icon Cyndi Lauper, known for her ‘Girl’s Just Want To Have Fun’ mega-hit.

Other artists donating themselves to the cause include Queen + Adam Lambert singer Adam Lambert, Alessia Cara, Opera tenor singer Andrea Bocelli, Angélique Kidjo, BTS, Demi Lovato, legendary 80’s band Duran Duran, iconic punk rockers Green Day, Hugh Jackman & Deborra-Lee Furness, Jon Batiste, Country music artist Keith Urban, ‘Royals’ singer-songwriter Lorde, The Lumineers, thrash metal pioneers Metallica, Rag ‘ n’ Bone Man, Ricky Martin, The Weeknd and Usher with even more acts to be announced.

Global Citizen’s Head of Music, Entertainment and Artist Relations, Katie Hill, has provided the following statement describing the organisation’s mission statement whilst expressing the organisation’s excitement to work with the host of artists. “Over the last year and a half, we’ve seen music bring communities together and inspire action during one of the most challenging times of our generation, We’re excited to join these incredible artists to unite people across the globe on September 25 as we hold world leaders and business leaders accountable to rectify the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we carefully resume Global Citizen’s live events, we couldn’t be more grateful to each of these artists for donating their time and performances to make an impact through this urgent campaign.”

Potential ticket-holders must earn their way into the amazing event by winning their tickets and each location has its own draw. You must begin by downloading the Global Citizen app and creating an account, within this app users can sign petitions, write letters to government officials and politicians, share news and messages via social media plus many more actions. These actions can earn users points, which they can then use to enter to win tickets to the event. The first collection of actions was released on 10th August 2021, fans have until 24th August 2021 to fulfil enough actions to place them in the competition to receive tickets. The lucky winners will be selected at random and will be notified via email, once the email has been received, ticket winners have 48 hours in which to claim their tickets.

Click here to learn more about the event.