Pharrell Williams, Corinne Bailey Rae and KING to join Stevie Wonder at BST Hyde Park
More special guests announced:
Stevie Wonder
Songs In the Key of Life Performance
at Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park
Sunday 10th July 2016
Last 500 Tickets Remaining
New special guests added:
Pharrell Williams, Corinne Bailey Rae and KING
#BSTHydePark
@BSTHydePark
Following the announcement that Stevie Wonder will take to the stage in Hyde Park to perform his masterpiece Songs In the Key of Life in its entirety, Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park are excited to announce three spectacular new additions to the Sunday line-up.
But fans should act quickly as this amazing show is nearly sold out and the last few tickets are going fast.
Considered to be one of the world’s most prolific producers and performers, Pharrell Williams is the first new addition to the Sunday billing. The force behind so many incredible smash hits, including Kelis’ “Milkshake”, N.E.R.D.s “Lap Dance” and of course 2014’s Grammy-Award winning and feel-good track of the year “Happy”. Pharrell has worked with music legends from Britney to Justin Timberlake, Daft Punk to Snoop Dogg, and will be sure to drop it like it’s hot this summer.
Of Stevie Wonder, Pharrell has said - "Stevie Wonder was a fixture in my life as a child. His music is probably the closest thing to auditory transcendence."
Joining Stevie and Pharrell on the main stage is soul-singer extraordinaire Corinne Bailey Rae. The BRIT-nominated and two-time Grammy-Award winning artist rose to prominence with her breezily beautiful singles “Put Your Records On” and “Like A Star”, and has since released two albums, her multi-million-selling eponymous debut and the Mercury Prize-nominated The Sea. With her brand new studio album The Heart Speaks In Whispers out for release on May 13th, Corinne’s uplifting and charismatic performance - described last week as “mesmerizing” by the Evening Standard - will be the perfect soundtrack to a Sunday evening in Hyde Park.
Corinne Bailey Rae says, “I have been a fan of Stevie Wonder my whole life and saw the 'Songs In The Key of Life’ show at Madison Square Gardens. I cried, I danced and I had massive smile on my face throughout the show. It’s a dream come true to be asked to join Stevie Wonder when he brings this amazing show to Hyde Park, and also to be on the stage with Pharrell, who is a huge inspiration to me, and KING, who are my friends and musical collaborators.”
Also taking to the stage with their “nu-soul” sound is Los Angeles-based KING. The trio is composed of sisters Paris and Amber Strother and Anita Bias, whose whooshing synths, spiraling harmonies and detailed songwriting create a truly unique and jazzy sound – one that has been compared to the likes of Solange Knowles and Estelle.
Pharrell Williams, Corinne Bailey Rae and KING will all join Stevie Wonder to form an incredible line-up for the day of soul and R&B. The hot new additions to the line-up follow the announcement that Stevie Wonder will perform his masterpiece Songs In The Key of Life in its entirety, for a truly epic, must-see show from one of the most prolific artists of all time.
Hugely acclaimed in the US, Songs In The Key of Life Tour has run for 18 months, having been extended many times due to phenomenal public demand. Coming to the UK for the very first time, there is extra reason for celebration because 2016 is the album’s 40th Anniversary year.
Released in 1976 on the legendary label Motown Records, featuring the hits Sir Duke, Isn’t She Lovely and I Wish, it is cited as an influence on many of the world’s biggest stars, Elton John, Prince, Michael Jackson and Pharrell to name a few. It was crowned Grammy Album Of The Year in 1977 and is widely hailed as a true work of art.
It followed an unsurpassed trilogy of albums that graduated Wonder from teenage Motown prodigy to true artist - Talking Book, Innervisions and Fullfillingness' First Finale - all released in the first 4 years of the 1970s. Wonder spent 2 more years on 'Songs', producing a double album of enthralling music and cementing his position as a musical genius.
Together, the albums made the 25-time GRAMMY winner the only artist to have ever received Album Of The Year awards in three out of four consecutive years.
Praise for the album over the years has come from all quarters:
Elton John - "Let me put it this way: wherever I go in the world, I always take a copy of Songs In The Key of Life. For me, it's the best album ever made and I'm always left in awe after I listen to it. When people in decades and centuries to come talk about the history of music, they will talk about Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder."
Barack Obama (on his musical heroes) - "If I had one, it would have to be Stevie Wonder. When I was just at that point where you start getting involved in music, Stevie Wonder had that run with Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Innervisions, and then Songs In The Key of Life. Those are as brilliant a set of five albums as we've ever seen."
Kanye West - "I’m not trying to compete with what’s out there now. I’m really trying to compete with Innervisions and Songs In The Key of Life. It sounds musically blasphemous to say something like that, but why not set that as your bar?"
Praise for Songs in the Key Of Life US tour:
Rolling Stone – “Fitting an album that attempted to capture the nuance of existence, the show is possibly 2014's greatest testament to the limitless potential of American music itself.”
Hollywood Reporter –“You just wanted it to go on forever, for it was yet another song in the key of Stevie Wonder’s magical life.”
Consequence Of Sound – “After three hours of playing, people were still hoping he’d do a second encore. You can tell it’s not 1976 by looking at him, but you’d never know if you were only listening. Some things get old, but Stevie Wonder barely ages.”
Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park hits its fourth year in 2016, firmly established as the essential London summer event.
James King, Senior Vice President, AEG Live comments: “The response to this show has been breathtaking. We have seen a phenomenal reaction from fans all over Europe in what has been the fastest selling Hyde Park show in years. It’s shaping up to be one of the talking points of the year and with only a few hundred tickets left, we will have a huge crowd sharing in this unique experience. It will be a privilege to witness and we’re so glad Stevie is doing it at Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park.”
Daniel Mathieson, Head of Experiential and Partnership Marketing for Barclaycard, said: “The line-up for Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park just gets better and better. We’re thrilled that music legend and multi Grammy award winner Stevie Wonder, who has been performing to worldwide audiences for more than 50 years, is joining the stellar list headlining on the 10 July.”
Alun Mainwaring, Head of Events at The Royal Parks, said: "It is a massive honour for Stevie Wonder to choose Hyde Park as the only UK venue to perform “Songs In The Key of Life”. July 10 is set to be a fitting finale to what will be another unforgettable 10 days of entertainment at Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park. This is the fourth year for the event which has created so many memorable moments for hundreds of thousands of fans and in turn raised vital funds which go back into conserving and enhancing this iconic park."
Tickets for the Barclaycard VIP Summer Garden, the Terrace, the Ultimate Bar and other hotel and premium ticket packages are still available.
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