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They got Kanye: What you need to know about the Paradise Music Festival
The next big music festival, happening on April 9, 2016, promises to take audiences to Paradise.
The inaugural Paradise International Music Festival scored a coup when they announced their big headliner: Yeezus himself, Kanye West, plus a whole slew of big-name acts for what they say is a unique take on the music festival experience. If you feel like your preference for mainstream pop, hip-hop, and EDM is tragically being ignored by all the other big musical congregations of late, Paradise might just be the festival for you
I spoke with festival bigwig Vian Serranilla of Boardworks Media to get the inside story on how they’re putting together Paradise. Here’s what you need to know:
Who’s behind it
Paradise IMF is organized by Boardworks Media. They’ve previously done concerts like the last John Legend show, The Beatles Experience in Solaire, and Lifehouse. One other show they’ve done: Chris Brown, which, the controversies that surrounded it aside, was actually pretty successful.
Why they’re doing it
“We’re venturing into this music festival because, for me, there’s a gap in the market,” says Serranilla. “You have Good Vybes, you have Wanderland, which are more for indie bands. [Paradise IMF] is really to create a community for a multi-genre festival, which includes pop, hip-hop, rock. We’re inspired by, of course, Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Laneway in Singapore. Even the Governor’s Ball in NYC. But, with Kanye coming, our biggest inspiration is really Glastonbury (which Kanye headlined last year).”
“And we’re targeting people from other countries to come also,” he adds. “We want to put the Philippines on the map as a music festival destination.”
How they got Kanye
Serranilla says they initially wanted a band to headline Paradise IMF, but they were unavailable. “We were thinking, sino yung malaking artist that we can bring in for this very big music festival? And it was really Kanye. We had back-up plans, of course, but Kanye was really the choice. We got in touch with his agents abroad. And then we met him in New York.”
The 27-year-old concert organizer says this will be the first show Kanye is doing after dropping his latest album, The Life of Pablo. “Hopefully, he’ll include some songs there in his setlist.”
What fans can expect from Kanye
If you were at Glastonbury last year, you’ll have some idea what to expect at a Kanye show. According to Serranilla, since receiving the artist’s technical rider, the production team, some of whom he says worked on Coachella, is busy ensuring that everything is exactly how Kanye wants it. “The tour manager, the lighting manager, even Kanye’s head of security, they were here to check the place out: the venue, the grounds, even the hotel where Kanye might stay. The lights, the stage, everything; the performance is really going to be massive.”
What’s Kanye like? And is Kim coming?
“This whole experience has been fun,” says Serranilla. “Difficult but fun, especially working with Kanye. It’s got us all excited. We’re hoping Kim comes along! We’re hoping the [other] Kardashians are there also.” Talking to Kanye himself made the Paradise IMF team realize that beyond the larger-than-life persona, Kanye is really a private person. “Deep down, he’s really a family man. I’ve been watching videos of him, especially “Only One,” where it’s just him and his daughter. It’s like a home video. That’s how much he loves his daughter. He’s very family-oriented.”
The Kanye-designed event poster
Fans will be surprised to know that the official event poster was designed by Yeezus himself. “Yes! You’ll see the lights, and on the right side, the Glastonbury lights set, and the left side is just black with the words “East Meets West. It’s really Kanye. Siya talaga gumawa. That was really exciting.”
The rest of the lineup
Serranilla says they made an offer to some artists in the lineup, while some were suggested to them by promoters and middlemen. Whatever the case, he says they decided on the artists based on who they felt would be a good fit for the festival. The result: Rudimental, Afrojack, DJ Rivero, and Austin Mahone. Representing the Philippines are Hale, Up Dharma Down, Maude, Yolanda Moon, Jessica Milner, Itchyworms, DJ Nina, Giniling Festival, and Clara Benin.
Two other recently announced additions to the lineup are Canada-based Filipino hip-hop group Airplane Boys and X-Factor UK superstars 4th Impact. Both are making their Philippines debut at Paradise IMF.
What’s the set-up like?
Paradise IMF will have two stages: the main stage and a secondary stage. As with most other festivals, there will be the usual food concessionaires and different activities, including sponsors’ booths and, Serranilla says, possibly even a hedge maze and a ball pit. The festival will take up twice the land area that Good Vybes occupied at the Aseana City Open Grounds last February.
How much?
A VIP pass is P14,500. That grants you access to an elevated viewing deck and VIP lounges. The General Admission is P7000, and that gets you access everywhere else on the grounds, including the mosh pit for main stage. (The second stage is free for all). Finally, the Paradise Express is P3700, where you’re free to roam everywhere except the main stage mosh pit.
And this will be an annual thing?
If things go well, yes. The Paradise IMF teams says they imagine a festival that people are going to look forward to every year. “Probably even circle their summers around,” says Serranilla. “That’s the dream, of course. Our first year will only be for one day, but eventually we’re looking forward to doing it for two days, maybe even an entire weekend. Right now, we’re not even done yet with year one, we’re already gearing up for year two.” — BM, GMA News
The Paradise International Music Festival happens on April 9, 2016 at the ASEANA City Open Grounds, Parañaque City. For tickets and more information, visit paradiseimf.com.
Paul John Caña is a magazine writer and live music geek. He is also co-founder of libreto.org, an online collective of writers and artists. Email him at pjcana@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @pauljohncana.
