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Rabat – Friday, June 21 is not only International Music Day but the opening night of the 18th annual Mawazine festival in Rabat. In honor of the event, Mawazine has some big names on the roster.
Spanish singer Rosalia will be the first artist to take the “international” OLM Souissi stage. Rosalia is best known for taking a modern on urban twist on the age-old style of flamenco.
Since releasing her debut album “Los Angeles” in 2017, Rosalia has garnered unprecedented praise on the global stage. She has collaborated with Pharrell Williams, James Blake, and reggaeton heavyweight J Balvin, as well as being nominated for Best New Artist at the Latin Grammy Awards in 2017.
After Rosalia’s performance, reggaeton megastar J Balvin will take the stage. The Colombian-born singer entered the Latin music scene in 2009 and only continues to rise in fame a decade later.
This week, J Balvin topped Billboard’s Latin Airplay charts for the 13th time with his single, simply titled “Reggaeton.” J Balvin’s music videos, often featuring stars such as Selena Gomez and Cardi B, have amassed a whopping 11 billion views on YouTube.
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On Saturday, June 22, French-Moroccan hip hop artist Lartiste will perform. Lartiste combines rap, RnB, and dancehall styles for an original sound. His hit “Mafiosa” with Brazilian singer Carolina forms his fourth studio album, “Grandestino,” which reached number 2 on the French charts last year.
After Lartiste, one of the biggest DJs of the century, French-born David Guetta, will take the OLM stage.
Guetta began his DJ career in 1983 but made his big international breakthrough with his 2009 album “One Love” which featured Akon, Rihanna, and Kelly Rowland, among other stars. Since then, Guetta has sold over nine million albums and 30 million singles worldwide.
Mawazine, a festival in Rabat with six venues, will take place from June 21 to June 29 and is organized by Maroc Cultures under the patronage of King Mohammed VI. Having drawn over 2.5 million attendees in recent years, Mawazine is the second largest music festival in the world, after Donauinselfest in Vienna, and the largest festival in Africa.
The festival brings in artists from countries all over the world as well as highlighting local Moroccan musicians. Last year, the festival saw major international acts perform such as Martin Garrix, Bruno Mars, Luis Fonsi, and The Weeknd.
The festival lists the democratization of culture in Morocco as one of its initiatives and provides free access to 90% of its shows each year.
