Mary J. Blige & Pepsi Announce Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit in Partnership With Live Nation Urban

[Taylor Swift]

"After two years of being inside and having to endure so much, that this was the type of experience that people, especially women, deserved."

 

MARY J. BLIGE

 

Mary J. Blige and Pepsi have announced the inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit in partnership with Live Nation Urban. The three-day festival will take place in Atlanta from May 6-8, 2022.

Just weeks after Blige’s epic performance during the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, Pepsi is teaming up with the superstar once again, to deepen the brand’s support of music, local communities, and the next generation of headlining performers. Curated by and for women, the Strength of a Woman festival and summit focuses on music, wellness, tech, beauty and financial literacy — the evolution of Blige’s life mission and purpose. Headliners include Blige, Chaka Khan, Xscape, Ella Mai, City Girls, Kiana Ledé and many more.

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The nine-time Grammy award-winning singer and her partners — Nicole Jackson, vp of MJB Inc., and Ashaunna Ayars marketing maven of The Ayars Agency — have assembled a team of women to lead every arm of the festival from production to communications.

“The idea for the festival came to us after early listening sessions of my latest album with my family and friends and women in the industry,” said Blige. “Each time, the people in the room would share a story, oftentimes of heartbreak or pain, but they always ended with joy and love and how their girlfriends or mom or sister helped them find their voice and strength. We felt like after two years of being inside and having to endure so much, that this was the type of experience that people, especially women, deserved.”

The festival is also partnering with dozens of local, minority, and female-owned businesses and vendors to help cultivate the best experience for attendees. “I’m so grateful to all of the performers, vendors, and participants for committing themselves to our inaugural event and I am so excited to do this in a city that has been rocking with me since the very beginning of my career,” continued Blige.

“Mary’s story and career are so inspirational, relatable, and triumphant. The weekend will showcase and celebrate strong talented women across generations and I’m proud to be a part of such a special weekend! This is for us and by us,” added Mari Davies, vp of booking and talent at Live Nation Urban.

Pepsi will support Blige and her team of powerful creatives in the lead-up to the festival, activate throughout the festival grounds, launch community-led initiatives and givebacks leading up to and during the weekend and drop digital content and more to excite fans every step of the way.

“We are honored to, once again, partner with Mary – someone whose impact and presence is felt as much on stage as it is off. As a brand that has spent more than a decade producing and amplifying performances on one of the world’s largest stages with the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show and beyond, we are thrilled to provide even more resources to elevate the festival experience for consumers and give back to the Atlanta community, all while celebrating the women that help the city, and our culture, thrive,” said Derek Lewis, president of PepsiCo Multicultural Business and Equity Development.

Presale tickets go live Tuesday (March 8) at 10 a.m. E.T., while general on-sale begins on Thursday (March 10) at 10 a.m. ET. All tickets can be purchased at www.soawfestival.com.