Latest news with #HeyNeighbour
The South African
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
Central Cee to add UK flavour to the Hey Neighbour music festival
The Hey Neighbour music festival has added UK Rapper Central Cee to the lineup. The skilled lyricist from Shepherd's Bush, London, England, will join a roster of performers, brimming with talent. The UK might arguably be one of the best places for hip hop. Both streams, grime and drill, appear to be more enterprising than the output of nations like America at present. Fans of real rap music found this staggered announcement to be a relief, as someone like Doja Cat is perhaps more of a hip-hop artist than apure rap. Central Cee, or Cench as he is lovingly known by his fans, will take to the stage on Saturday, August 30. He will dispense an array of his global rap hits, which include songs like Sprinter, Doja and Obsessed with You. His charismatic and choppy delivery works well on his albums. Hopefully, this translates well to his stage presence and approach to performance. Hey Neighbour has made a string of announcements over the last couple of days. Along with Central Cee, American R&B sensation Leon Thomas will be on hand with the musings of his impeccable magnum opus, Mutt. Fans are already salivating at the prospect of seeing the New York native dispense the lead and title single from that album. Hey Neighbour also announced that they are condensing their offering to two days instead of three. 'We're switching from a three-day festival to two jam-packed days, meaning the festival dates will be 30-31 August 2025. Yes, we're still bringing awesomeness to the hood,' they said via an Instagram post. They have also provided assurances that the festival will still be a world-class affair. All current ticket holders have been notified of this change by email. The first Hey Neighbour Festival was held two years ago. A string of local and international talents thrilled the crowd. Acts like Tyla, Swedish House Mafia and Kendrick Lamar delivered performances of a high level. This sophomore offering by the same organisers will have to go far and above what fans saw at the first iteration. Not to mention the unfortunate debacle involving exorbitant Uber fares at the end of each day. Hey Neighbour will be held at the Legends Adventure Farm in Pretoria in August of this year. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
UK rapper Central Cee to perform at Hey Neighbour festival alongside Doja Cat and Leon Thomas
UK rapper Central Cee will be performing in Johannesburg, South African on August 30 at the Hey Neighbour festival. Image: Instagram. UK rap sensation Central Cee is gearing up for his debut performance in South Africa. He'll be sharing the stage with global superstars Doja Cat and Leon Thomas at the 2-day Hey Neighbour music and cultural festival, which is set to take place in August. The "Doja" hitmaker will take the spotlight on Saturday, August 30, where he will showcase his unique style and talent. Then on Sunday, August 31, Doja Cat and Thomas will set the stage alight. Cee, who exploded onto the music scene in 2021 with his mixtape "Wild West," quickly amassed over a billion Spotify streams within that year. With subsequent mixtapes, including the chart-topping "23", Cee has solidified his place among the leading voices of his generation, earning him several nominations across various awards and a loyal global fanbase. This year, he bagged three Brits nominations, including Artist of the Year, Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act, and Song of the Year for "Band4Band". Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Although he didn't take home any trophies, Stormzy, who won the Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act award, acknowledged Cee as the rap artist of the year. Cee has also been nominated for other awards, including at the BET Awards and MTV Europe Music Awards. Known for his expressive streams of consciousness, Cee's music resonates with listeners through its paradoxical themes, ranging from romantic to realist, and hard-hitting to reflective. In an online interview, he described his sound as "ignorantly conscious".
TimesLIVE
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
US star Leon Thomas joins Hey Neighbour fest line-up
Another US star has been added to the line-up for this year's Hey Neighbour festival. The second instalment of the festival, at the end of August at Legends Adventure Farm in Pretoria, is expected to be a two-day event this time and the organisers are pulling out all the stops to make it a high-impact event. Leon Thomas is the latest artist to join the line-up. He is an American actor, singer, songwriter and record producer who has appeared in Broadway productions including The Lion King and Caroline, or Change. Beyond acting, he's collaborated with numerous major artists and has writing and production credits on multiple Grammy-nominated projects including his work with Babyface and Toni Braxton on the album Love, Marriage & Divorce. Last month, Doja Cat was announced as the headline act of the festival, making it the singer's first performance in South Africa. 'We are beyond excited to welcome Doja Cat to the Hey Neighbour festival stage,' said Glen Netshipise, CEO for the event. 'Her energy, creativity and ability to connect with audiences on a global scale make her the perfect artist to kick off what will be an epic festival line-up. This is just the beginning — we have more incredible acts to reveal soon.'
IOL News
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
'Hey Neighbour'! Leon Thomas is coming to rock the festival stage
Grammy Award-winning artist, Leon Thomas, will be performing at the second 'Hey Neighbour' music festival alongside Doja Cat. Image: Supplied. The "Hey Neighbour" music festival is gearing up for a spectacular comeback on August 30 and 31. Earlier this year, festival organisers announced that award-winning artist Doja Cat will be shutting down the neighbourhood, and now, they have added US singer-songwriter Leon Thomas to the spectacular line-up. This will be Doja Cat's first time performing in South Africa, and word on the social media streets suggests that she's coming because her biological actor father, Dumisani Dlamini, is from the country. Renowned for her genre-defying sound, chart-topping hits and captivating stage presence, Doja Cat has taken the music world by storm with smash hits like "Say So", "Kiss Me More", "Paint the Town Red", and "Woman". During an interview with Apple Music's Ebro Darden back in 2024, the superstar said: "I still haven't been (to South Africa). I rely on my career to just throw me out to places. I don't find pockets of time in my life. I can fly, but I don't like flying, especially long flights like that." Meanwhile, Thomas, who is no stranger to the entertainment industry, is set to perform on the festival's second day. Having graced Broadway stages from a young age, Thomas captivated audiences in productions like "The Lion King" and "Caroline, or Change". However, his breakthrough came when he starred as André Harris in Nickelodeon's hit TV show "Victorious", alongside Victoria Justice and Ariana Grande. Beyond this, Thomas has collaborated with numerous major artists and has writing and production credits on multiple Grammy-nominated projects. He's popular for songs like "Yes It Is", "Rather Be Alone" and "Vibes Don't Lie", among others. His work with Babyface and Toni Braxton on the album "Love, Marriage & Divorce" has earned him his first Grammy Award. In 2023, the festival mesmerised over 60 000 music lovers with an extraordinary line-up that featured both local and international stars, including the likes of Tyla, Kendrick Lamar, Zakes Bantwini, Swedish House Mafia, Khalid, and H.E.R. This year, organisers have promised an even bigger and bolder festival. "To spice it up even more, we've taken all the magic of the 2023 fest and combined the previously announced three-day fest into two high-impact, high-energy-filled days of music, culture, and, of course, connection. "Ideally, we, your neighbours, are encouraging you to groove harder, sing louder and create the best, most authentic memories possible," read a statement from the festival. Festival-goers can brace themselves for even more excitement when the local line-up and perhaps a sprinkle of even more international star power is announced in June.
The Citizen
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Hey Neighbour Festival waves goodbye to Friday, trims down to two days
Hey Neighbour Festival also announced that US R&B singer Leon Thomas would perform on Sunday, its second day. This year's edition of Hey Neighbour will be two days instead of the initial three days. Picture: heyneighbourfest/Instagram On Monday, Hey Neighbour Festival made a double announcement: this year's edition will be two days instead of the initial three days. 'We're switching from a three-day festival to two jam-packed days,' read the brief statement on Monday. This means the festival will now take place over the weekend of August 30th and 31st, removing Friday, which was initially the first day of the event. 'All ticket holders have been emailed with options on how to proceed,' expressed the statement on Hey Neighbour social media platforms. Hey Neighbour is a music festival organised by Glen 21 Entertainment. The festival first took place in 2023, with Kendrick Lamar headlining the second day. Singer-songwriter Khalid performed on the first day, and US singer H.E.R. closed the festival on Sunday, the final day. Without any communication, the festival wasn't hosted in 2024. The festival announced its 2025 return at the end of 2024, where organisers also released the first batch of tickets. Before the year ended, the festival shared that the tickets had already sold out. ALSO READ: WATCH: 'She's coming home' — Doja Cat announced as Hey Neighbour festival headliner Leon Thomas The festival also announced that R&B singer Leon Thomas would perform on its second day. In March, Hey Neighbour announced Doja Cat as the headline act for the second instalment. She will perform on Saturday, Day 1 of the event. This will be Doja Cat's first time performing in South Africa, and the refrain about her coming home is because her biological father, an actor, Dumisani Dlamini, is from the country. Doja has previously spoken about visiting South Africa, suggesting that the country is too far for her. 'I still haven't [been]. I rely on my career to just throw me out to places. I don't find pockets of time in my life. I can fly, but I don't like flying, especially long flights like that,' said Doja Cat in an interview with US broadcaster Ebro Darden on his Apple Music 1 show in 2024. NOW READ: WATCH: US singer Khalid makes a fan's birthday special during Hey Neighbour Fest performance
