R&B and hip hop fans, do you have your tickets for Safe & Sound Music Fest 2018?
The festival returns to Westminster Pier Park for two days of non-stop music and fun on Friday, Aug. 24 and Saturday, Aug. 25. Tickets range from $59.99 to $249.99, with one- and two-day pass options for both general admission and VIP entry. See www.safeandsoundfest.com.
Here’s who’s headlining:
ANDERSON .PAAK
After a handful of releases under the name Breezy Lovejoy, singer-rapper-drummer-producer Anderson .Paak broke through with six songs on Dr. Dre’s 2015 album Compton. Paak’s second proper album, Malibu, was issued in early 2016 and debuted at number 9 on the Billboard R&B/hip hop chart – and also earned Paak two Grammy nominations. He followed that up nine months later with the full-length album Yes Lawd!
VINCE STAPLES
Vince Staples has come a long way from a trying upbringing in Long Beach, California’s Ramona Park Neighbourhood – one involving gang violence and poverty. The then-20-year-old released his critically acclaimed debut Summertime ’06 in 2015 and has been on the upward rise since. His most recent LP, Big Fish Theory, delves into the confusion of sudden fame and getting used to the new lifestyle.
ALINA BARAZ
Born in Cleveland, Ohio to Russian parents with classical training, Alina Baraz has been around music all her life. She released her debut project, Urban Flora, in 2015, with Danish producer Galimatias. It sat on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart for more than 125 weeks, peaking at No. 2. In 2017, she released the viral single Electric, featuring Khalid, which has been streamed more than 130 million times and counting. She headlined a sold-out U.S. tour in the spring and joined Coldplay on their Head Full of Dreams tour in the fall.
SABRINA CLAUDIO
Sabrina Claudio unveiled her debut EP Confidently Lost in 2016 on Soundcloud, amassing more than three million plays in under six months. It was eventually released commercially and shot to No. 3 on the iTunes R&B chart, behind only Khalid and The Weeknd. Most recently she was featured on the Fifty Shades Freed original motion picture soundtrack, with Cross Your Mind.
GOLDLINK
Twenty-three-year-old GoldLink released his debut studio album, At What Cost, in March 2017. It has received critical acclaim, with its lead single Crew (ft. Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy) charting on the Spotify Viral 50 chart. They performed the song together for the first time when GoldLink performed at Coachella in April 2017.
SONREAL
Canadian-born rapper-singer-songwriter SonReal has earned multiple Juno Award nominations, including Rap Recording of the Year for Everywhere We Go in 2014 – not to mention racking up millions of Spotify streams and YouTube views. The Vernon native worked as a carpenter after high school and worked on his songwriting and recording at home in the evenings, releasing a series of mixtapes that began with Where’s Waldo in 2011, followed by Words I Said and Good News a year later. Everywhere We Go saw him launch into the public spotlight, and he toured North America and signed to Capitol Records before beginning work on his debut international release One Long Dream.
