The Kid LAROI tapped for U.S. Genius Live interactive concert
The Kid is on fire.
Sydney’s next-big-thing in hip-hop The Kid LAROI will get the Genius Live treatment, with a free interactive concert stream Wednesday across several U.S.-based platforms.
The Aussie singer and rapper will perform from midday EST (Tuesday 9pm ET) on the Genius Live platform, with concert simulcasts across YouTube Live, Instagram Live, Facebook Live, and Twitch.
According to a statement issued out of NYC, fans watching on will be able to connect with each other via chat, make special purchases in real-time, control the show by voting on the setlist, get a shoutout (for US$50) and, just maybe, appear on the stream.
The money goes both ways. If paid interactions top US$2,500, LAROI will play an unreleased song.
https://twitter.com/Genius/status/1320839303593951233
The Kid LAROI’s interactive event is just the second of its kind, following the annotation platform’s inaugural Genius Live virtual gig headlined by Wiz Khalifa in July 2020.
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It’s all going in the right direction for the Los Angeles-based teen, who last week became Spotify’s third RADAR artist in the U.S., the streamer’s spotlight program for emerging artists.
With the RADAR nod, LAROI should enjoy playlist features, a Spotify Singles recording, promotional support for his upcoming releases, on-platform marketing (including a glossy new photo shoot and editorial), social promotion and more.
Also, Spotify will get behind a mini-documentary on the youngster, set to premiere in November.
In recent months, the Kid (real name Charlton Howard) has matured into a grown-up international chart star.
In the U.S., his debut F*ck Love opened at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with 40,000 combined units.
F*ck Love started at No. 12 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart and at No. 3 on the ARIA survey.
A protégé of the late Juice WRLD, the 17-year-old bagged three nominations heading into the 2020 ARIA Awards and he’s already amassed 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
“The Kid LAROI is an artist we’ve been watching closely for the last eighteen months,” explains Ned Monahan, Spotify’s Head of Global Hits. “LAROI developed a rabid fanbase in Australia, and then translated it to an even bigger audience in the U.S., which is incredibly rare and speaks to his potential as a global hit maker. The vulnerability and boldness of his music places him at the heart of young music audiences across the world. We can’t wait to see LAROI break on a superstar level.”
The Kid has some advice for other aspiring artists. “Things might not go according to plan to start off,” he says in an editorial feature published by Spotify, “but never give up chasing your dreams.”
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This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.