New York City will be in full concert mode this summer and Ghanaian dancehall artiste Shatta Wale together with Afropop artiste Wiyaala have been confirmed for this year’s edition of the SummerStage festival.
The two are expected to bring their incredible catalogue and take audiences on an artistic journey across the world with their highly-rated performances.
According to the organizers, all performances will be free and open to the public, except for benefit concerts, and select shows will also be live-streamed on SummerStageAnywhere.org.
The performance will turn up the volume in 12 NYC neighborhoods, celebrating NYC’s revival after the hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wiyaala
Showcasing a variety of genres, SummerStage will delight its attendees with jazz, salsa, hip-hop, reggae, soul, indie rock, pop, and many more.
“We are so happy to be back in local neighborhood parks after a two-year hiatus and to be able to once again build our newly refurbished flagship concert venue in Central Park,” Heather Lubov, City Parks Foundation’s Executive Director, said in a statement. “Parks have always been neighborhood gathering spaces, but the pandemic brought to light just how absolutely critical parks are to our city’s health. We are thrilled to be able to bring neighbors together in their parks to enjoy a diverse, representative line-up that is reflective of our city’s rich cultural fabric.”
SummerStage, a women-run festival, has always fostered inclusion, diversity, and equity within the music industry. It is one of the few local festivals to achieve a 50:50 ratio in gender balance, and in 2021, 52% of the artists who participated in the in-person festival were either women or non-binary.