Annual NYC festival globalFEST had to go virtual in 2021, but it'll be back at Webster Hall in 2022 on January 16. There will be a virtual edition this year too, though -- once again presented in conjunction with NPR's Tiny Desk -- happening from January 18 to 20 on the NPR Music YouTube channel, hosted by Angélique Kidjo.
"globalFEST came of age at Webster Hall, so it’s a thrill to be back after several years of renovations and the pandemic. To that end, last year, our longtime friends at NPR Music saved the day with the inaugural Tiny Desk meets globalFEST series, introducing the festival to hundreds of thousands of new fans," the curators say. "Now, as live concerts return, we want to keep both the incredible momentum of Tiny Desk and re-embrace the ecstatic in-person community that we have missed. So we will! All in the service of our catalytic mission to move international and roots music to the center of the performing arts."
The lineup is as follows:
Kiran Ahluwalia* (India | Canada | U.S.A.) leads a band of electric guitar, accordion, organ, tabla and drums, combining open-hearted Indian ghazals, Sufi songs and African grooves.
Al Bilali Soudan* (Mali) is a family band from Timbuktu playing traditional and contemporary Tuareg music. This is their U.S. debut.
Nora Brown (U.S.A.) is a banjo virtuoso specializing in music from southeast Appalachia. She also sings traditional unaccompanied ballads from the region and beyond. Brown performed in the 2021 Tiny Desk meets globalFEST video series.
Bedouin Burger* (France | Lebanon | Syria) is iconic Lebanese producer Zeid Hamdan and celestially voiced Syrian singer Lynn Adib merging electronic music with traditional Arabic music (maqam), religious songs of ancient Syria, and jazz. This is their U.S. debut.
Kombilesa Mí* (Colombia) is a hip-hop collective forging a new generation of Afro-Colombian traditions from San Basilio de Palenque - a combination of rap, folklore and Palenquero.
Northern Cree* (Canada) is a powwow and Round Dance drum and singing group from Maskwacis, Alberta. Founded by the Wood brothers of Saddle Lake Cree Nation, most members also come from the Treaty 6 and are part of Cree Nation.
Son Rompe Pera* (Mexico) is a band of brothers rethinking folkloric music, playing their own unique blend of garage, marimba, cumbia and punk rock.
*Included in the 2022 Tiny Desk meets globalFEST series
And artists just playing the livestream portion include:
Ak Dan Gwang Chil (ADG7) (South Korea) is a wildly imaginative pop trio of powerhouse female singers inspired by the sacred shaman ritual music and folk songs of old-world Korea.
Suistamon Sähkö (Finland) plays a high energy, explosive mix of bold hip-hop and ethno-techno music, utilizing Soviet-made accordion, synth buzz and smoke shack sounds.
Tufan Derince Group (Kurdistan | Netherlands) weaves jazz, hard rock, hip hop and EDM with the raw and heavy sound of contemporary electrified Kurdish folk and wedding music.
The fest will be accompanied by the virtual global music conference Wavelengths, which serves as the host of the globalFEST Awards, on January 27.
Tickets for globalFEST at Webster Hall go on sale at 10 AM.
Watch a video from last year's Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST:
