In 2023, Release Athens and SNF Nostos from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) are joining forces to present three unique days of concerts on two stages. On Tuesday, June 20, we will welcome the Spanish superstar Rosalía at Plateia Nerou while Central Cee, the hottest hip-hop act in the UK will perform at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) Great Lawn.
Alongside them, three special artists of urban music. Tinashe (Plateia Nerou), one of the most unique figures of R&B/hip-hop, Ayra Starr (Plateia Nerou), a great talent in black music, and IAMDDB (SNFCC Great Lawn), one of the great up-and-coming acts in hip-hop/trap and neo-soul. Sidarta (SNFCC Great Lawn), one of the biggest stars of the local trap/rap scene, and Kandè, a rapidly rising neo-soul/R&B artist, completes the line-up.
Release Athens X SNF Nostos is taking place on June 20, 21, and 23, presenting acclaimed Greek and international artists at Plateia Nerou and at the Great Lawn of the SNFCC, giving us the chance to experience an electrifying three-day concert event that will be an integral part of Release Athens 2023.
Rosalía, the ultimate pop icon of our days, is coming to Athens for the first time on Tuesday, June 20th, at Plateia Nerou, to prove on stage that she represents everything that modern pop strives to be: a bold sonic mix without barriers and with a willingness to transcend every cultural and music boundary.
Putting the traditional rhythms of flamenco, salsa and bachata with the modern sounds of reggaeton, hip hop and R&B in the same sentence, Rosalía left unsuspecting listeners stunned with "El Mal Querer" (2018), a masterful album that has one foot in mainstream pop and the other in avant-garde. The result was an absolute triumph that swept the Latin Grammy Awards and was included in Rolling Stone's list of the top 500 albums of all time, ranking highest among Spanish-language albums.
In 2022 and with all eyes on her, she released the masterpiece "Motomami", which was praised by all major music publications as groundbreaking and was rightfully at the top of every list of the best albums of the year. She has already collaborated with some of the biggest names in contemporary music (The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, Pharrell, J Balvin, Travis Scott, Cardi B), she is getting ready to headline the world's biggest music festivals with appearances scheduled at Coachella, Lollapalooza, Primavera and Rock Werchter, among many others.
On Tuesday, June 20th, at Plateia Nerou, get ready for a show that the New York Times called "one of the best concerts we've seen in the last five years. Rosalía is a global pop icon à la Beyoncé or Rihanna."
Follow Rosalía:
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Central Cee was born in London in 1998 and started recording music at the age of 14. Within a decade, he has become the most famous British rapper, with over 8 million followers and more than 2 billion streams. His debut mixtape, Wild West, was an artistic and commercial triumph. Wild West became the highest-selling British debut album of 2021 with two Top 10 UK singles, and Central Cee was nominated for three Brit Awards and won two GRM Daily Awards for Best Male Artist and Breakthrough Artist of the Year. 2021 ended on a high note, as his UK headline tour sold out in just two minutes.
Early the next year, in February 2022, he released his second mixtape, 23, which went straight to No. 1 on the UK Official Chart and made clear that Central Cee now defines British hip-hop on his own terms. His introspection and social commentary, alongside innovative production, have already established him as one of the most exceptional musicians of his generation.
In 2023, he will embark on a massive world tour, with performances at all the major festivals in Europe (Primavera Sound, Reading, Glastonbury). We can't wait to welcome him to the SNFCC's Great Lawn and enjoy one of the greatest talents of modern hip-hop at the perfect moment.
Follow Central Cee:
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It’s not easy to describe Tinashe. She worked as a child actor and dancer, she’s been a frontwoman of a girl-group, and at the same time she became an extremely skilled musician who handles every aspect of her craft herself (composition, production, mixing). Nowadays, she releases her albums through her label, Tinashe Music Inc, and has become a role model for young women who want to create with total freedom.
Her solo career began in 2012 with the mixtape In Case We Die, and in the following ten years Tinashe released three mixtapes, five studio albums and collaborated with the greatest stars of R&B, pop and hip-hop - including Britney Spears, A$AP Rocky, Usher, Charli XCX, Chance The Rapper, Travis Scott and Calvin Harris. Her latest album, 333 (2021), was applauded as her best work to date by major music outlets, like Pitchfork who described it as "the freest, most exuberant album of her career" while NME praised Tinashe for being "an artist who is always reinventing what pop is and blurs the lines as to what R&B can be”.
Follow Tinashe:
Official Website
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Spotify
Born in Benin Republic, West Africa, Ayra Starr was raised between its beach city, Cotonou and the cultural hub of Lagos, Nigeria. This mix of cultures inspires her global approach to music, art and life. The 20-year-old influenced by the earthiness of Angelique Kidjo, Rihanna’s confidence and the edgy aesthetic of emo-pop, explores with her songs topics such as love, relationships, empowerment and freedom.
Her first releases, the eponymous EP and the debut album 19 & Dangerous (2021, were a huge success and the single “Bloody Samaritan”, became the first song by a female solo artist to reach number one in Nigeria’s charts. In 2022 she achieved international recognition with the release of “Rush” that charted in several European countries, including Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom. This captivating single made history in Africa, with Ayra becoming the youngest African female artist to surpass 100 million views on YouTube and the first to do so within five months. Now, millions of fans are waiting for her next move and we’re thrilled to host one of the biggest talents in contemporary music.
Follow Ayra Starr:
Official Website
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Instagram
YouTube
Spotify
IAMDDB (born Diana De Brito) was born in Lisbon, Portugal and moved to Manchester at a young age. Blending a plethora of urban genres (hip-hop, trap, R&B) and absorbing influences from her Angolan/Portuguese roots, De Brito creates what she calls “Urban Jazz” that oozes originality and makes her stand out in the highly demanding world of hip-hop/trap.
Raised in a music family (her father is a prominent session musician in Angola), IAMDBB started writing at the age of seven but didn't release her debut single until 2016's "Leaned Out", which she posted online after dropping out of university earlier that day. Her first big hit was the thrilling "Shade" (2017), which went viral in the UK and racked up tens of millions of views on streaming platforms. Subsequent mixtapes Hoodrich, Vol. 3 (2017) and Flightmode, Vol. 4 (2018) continued to build buzz for the vocalist, resulting in third place at BBC's prestigious annual Sound of 2018 list, and an opening spot on the tour of the great Lauryn Hill.
2023 is expected to be another very important year for her, as new material is on the way, which "will reveal what I'm really capable of", as she said in a recent interview.
Follow IAMDDB:
Official Website
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Spotify
Born in Athens, Sidarta started making music at a very young age, initially playing the guitar, until he discovered hip hop and dedicated himself to it. He quickly conquered the local trap/rap scene and became one of its biggest stars, despite being only 22 years old.
Balancing between several different genres - such as rap, trap and drill - Sidarta showcased his unique melodic touch with diamond-certified singles like "Mediterranean", "Akomi", "Adrenalina" and "Erimo", cementing his status as a phenomenal artist, with over 150 million streams in 2022 alone. His debut album, "IPIZME", also earned diamond status and took him to the biggest live stages in Greece.
Follow Sidarta:
Official site
Instagram
Facebook
Spotify
Presale continues.
Limited VIP tickets are also available. This category includes the following benefits, only available at Plateia Nerou: a separate raised area with stands and stools for everyone, an open bar, private parking, separate toilets, and a souvenir of the event.
The above benefits will not apply, in their entirety, to the stage at SNFCC Great Lawn, due to the different setup of this particular space.
VIP ticket holders will have priority access to both venues.
The two headline shows (at Plateia Nerou and the SNFCC Great Lawn) will not overlap, and there will be sufficient time for the audience to move from one stage to the other.
For all information (prices, lineup, access, etc.), visit releaseathens.gr / www.snfnostos.org
*Ticket proceeds go exclusively to Release Athens. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is a philanthropic organization that makes grants to nonprofit organizations. SNF does not accept funds from private individuals, corporations, or any other organizations.
In parallel, SNF is making €500,000 in additional grants under the name SNF Χ Release Athens to nonprofit organizations whose mission is to support mental health, in line with the wider mental health theme of this year's SNF Nostos.