Roblox secures 24kGoldn for next virtual concert

Roblox and Sony have announced a virtual concert experience starring Billboard chart-topping recording artist, 24kGoldn.

The 24kGoldn El Dorado Concert Experience will feature the rapper’s debut performance of new single In My Head, as well as metaverse-spanning pre-concert quests and exclusive verch (virtual merchandise).

The American rapper and singer follows in the footsteps of artists such as Lil Nas X, Twenty One Pilots, Royal Blood, David Guetta and Ava Max

“I grew up on Roblox and have been a big fan my whole life,” says 24kGoldn. “It’s been amazing to be a part of the full experience to make this virtual concert come to life. From coming up with the storyline and transforming my hometown to designing verch, I wanted to give my fans a one-of-a-kind experience.”

Jon Vlassopulos, VP, global head of music, Roblox, adds: “It was so exciting to see how passionate Golden was to extend his creative vision to Roblox where he also grew up playing.

“Roblox is changing the game for artists, freeing them to express themselves in a way they can’t do on any other platform and allowing them to connect with millions of fans who would never be able to get to see them play in the real world!”

“[Roblox allows artists] to connect with millions of fans who would never be able to get to see them play in the real world”

The 24kGoldn El Dorado Concert Experience will also feature a full storyline pitting 24kGoldn against an evil version of himself in a battle to save the city of ‘San Dorado’ which is inspired by a mashup of 24kGoldn’s hometown San Francisco and El Dorado, the city of gold.

During the concert, 24kGoldn will take fans through the overgrown city, perform at reimagined iconic locations, and give each song a unique, creative backdrop.

Pre-concert quests that include 24kGoldn-related themed challenges are available starting today. Fans can access the quests via portals to popular Roblox experiences where they can collect badges redeemable for prizes in the 24kGoldn El Dorado Concert Experience and acquire 24kGoldn’s unique verch items. Each day, two more portals will open.

Fans who collect all badges and attend the concert experience will get to unlock a special limited-edition emote after the premiere performance.

The virtual concert will kick off at 16:00 PDT on Friday (25 April) with additional performances re-airing every hour after over the weekend with the last show airing at 23:00 PT on Sunday (27 March).

Roblox’s VP, global head of music, Jon Vlassopulos, is due to appear at this year’s International Live Music Conference (ILMC) as part of The Metaverse & live music workshop.

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Coi Leray continues Radar Station domination

In a Radar Station first, New Jersey-born rapper Coi Leray has topped the chart for the third time in November – and the second time in as many months, following a brief usurpation by Australian drill act OneFour in September.

Speaking to IQ last month, Paradigm’s Mike Malak, who represents Leray together with Alex Hardee, attributed the rapper’s fast-growing popularity to her reworking of the urban genre and unique style.

Leray (pictured), who is signed with Republic Records, got her breakthrough with the single ‘Huddy’ in September 2018, which now has over 3.2 million listens on Spotify. The artist’s latest track, ‘Add It’, was released last month, as Leray prepares for her first headline tour in 2020.

Climbing into silver-medal position is University of San Francisco student 24kGoldn, real name Golden Landis Von Jones, who held third place in last month’s Radar Station. The rapper is playing at Rolling Loud Los Angeles festival on 14 December, which is headlined by the likes of Chance the Rapper, Future and Lil Uzi Vert.

Nasty Cherry, the brainchild of UK singer Charli XCX, come in at third. The female four-piece made waves last month with the release of their six-episode Netflix reality series I’m With the Band: Nasty Cherry, described by the Guardian as “a riotous clash of Big Brother meets Drag Race meets Spice World”.

The Radar Station algorithm calculates the fastest-growing new artists by combining data across a number of online platforms, including Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, Songkick and Last.fm.

See below for a Spotify playlist of last month’s Radar Station top 20, plus the full chart with links to artists’ social pages and contact details.

For more details about the Radar Station, contact [email protected].

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The Radar Station: Coi Leray makes it two in October

After a brief dethronement in September, Coi Leray was once again the fastest-growing new act last month, becoming only the second artist to twice place top the monthly Radar Station chart. Rising US hip-hop star Leray was the No 1 artist in August, and second the following month, when she briefly ceded first place to Australian drill rappers OneFour.

October saw her equal a feat previously managed only by Megan thee Stallion, who spent two months at No 1 in April and May 2019. (Megan thee Stallion has gone on work with Nicki Minaj and Chance the Rapper and sign a management deal with Roc Nation – as well as spawn a meme in the form of ‘Hot Girl Summer’.)

“Coi is challenging the norms in the urban genre and setting herself apart from other artists, which is clearly showing now as the momentum ramps up,” Paradigm London’s Mike Malak, who represents Leray jointly with Alex Hardee, tells IQ.

October saw Leray equal a feat previously managed only by Megan thee Stallion

The Republic-signed rapper’s 2018 break-out single, ‘Huddy’, remains her most-listened track, though Leray continues to release new music ahead of her first headline tour in 2020. She is currently on the road in the US, supporting Canadian rapper Killy.

The Radar Station algorithm calculates the fastest-growing new artists by combining data across a number of online platforms, including Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, Songkick and Last.fm.

At No 2 in October was another Australian drill act, Melbourne-based Samoans HP Boyz, who climbed from 16th, illustrating growing international interest in the genre – while a new entry, US student rapper 24kGoldn, was third.

See below for a Spotify playlist of last month’s Radar Station top 20, plus the full chart with links to artists’ social pages and contact details.

For more details about the Radar Station, contact [email protected].

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