The official lineup for this year's South by Southwest Music Festival has just been released and five of the nine festival days will feature British artists.
This year's SXSW will be held at The Gatsby in Austin, Texas. The lineup includes indie, pop, R&B, hip-hop, and country musicians. The event will kick off on March 9 and will wrap up on March 18. The five-day event hosted by the British Embassy will feature Pale Waves, Not3s, Jade Bird, Frank Turner, Bugsy Malone, and more.
The five shows that will feature British artists will also be hosted by the BBC. The gigs are being supported by the Association of Independent Music, the Department of International Trade, PRS Foundation and more.
"We're delighted to be supporting over 25 artists to take their first steps into the US," said Vanessa Reed of the PRS Foundation.
Pandora To Host 2018 SXSW
Pandora will also be hosting the shows from March 13 to 15. The artists that will perform during their event include Amy Shark, Dashboard Confessional, Jaden Smith, Caitlyn Smith, Kelela, Cuco, Nikki Lane, Sunflower Bean, Walker Hayes, Salt Cathedral, Mt. Joy, SYML, Karol G, Harry Hudson, Demo Taped, Liza Anne, and more.
"Entering the seventh year of Pandora at SXSW, the program has grown to a highly-anticipated musical showcase spotlighting the year's hottest emerging talent on the verge of mainstream success. We are excited to introduce Pandora listeners to this year's diverse lineup of talent and continue connecting emerging artists with new fans during one of the largest live music showcases at South by Southwest Music Festival," said Aimee Lapic, chief marketing officer of Pandora.
Troye Sivan, SZA, Fetty Wap, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Walk the Moon, Halsey, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are all products of the SXSW. Arctic Monkeys also played their first significant gig in the United States at the SXSW in 2006.
SXSW Controversies
This year's SXSW is also plagued with a slew of controversies. Prior to the announcement of this year's lineup, Peter Thiel, a tech billionaire, backed out of the panel. However, details about his decision are still being kept under wraps.
OMD Worldwide will no longer host its annual Bootstrap Barbecue at the SXSW. Doug Rozen, the chief digital and innovation officer of OMD said that the music event is no longer critical to the agency's efforts to connect with clients and startups.
"It began to get more corporate. The intention of SXSW was always for the people versus these corporate presences," said Rozen.
