Alkaline, New Era Productions to host New Rules Festival

Alkaline and New Era Productions are set to host their exclusive New Rules Festival event at the prestigious OVO Arena Wembley in London on April 17, 2025.

“This is a rare opportunity for fans to witness a unique and unforgettable experience,” Entertainment publicist Rickardo Shuzzr of Shuzzr Media, told Caribbean Life on Monday.

“This concert will see one of Jamaica’s most prominent contemporary dancehall figures returning to the UK after eight years,” he added. “Dubbed a landmark event for fans and followers of the genre, the iconic OVO Arena Wembley, a premiere venue, will showcase one of the most highly anticipated dancehall events.”

Alkaline said the event has been “in the works for some time now, and I know my fans in the UK have been waiting a long time, and now the date is locked.”

Following the festival’s triumphant return to Kingston, Jamaica, in the summer of 2022, Shuzzr said fans across major cities in the USA, UK, Canada, Europe, and Africa had been eagerly anticipating the New Rules Festival.

“The upcoming 2025 edition promises to be a memorable and exciting event,” he said.

Kereena Beckford, Alkaline’s manager, said: “Alkaline’s brand and the demand for the New Rules Festival are undeniable.’

“When we analyze the fan base, which is expanding globally, there is a clear appetite for culturally significant and wholesome entertainment experiences,” she said. “New Rules Festival provides the market with that.”

Shuzzr said Alkaline, arguably the most successful independent artist to emerge in reggae-dancehall, has “undeniably impacted the genre globally over the past decade.

“His influence can be felt in numerous singles and chart-topping albums dominating digital streaming platforms (DSPs) and globally acclaimed charts, making his fans worldwide proud,” he said.

During its 2021 expansion into over 80 countries, Shuzzr said Spotify named Alkaline the face of its “Back A Yard” playlist.

“This playlist, which features the ‘largest and biggest tracks from Jamaica’s dancehall scene,’ is a testament to Alkaline’s influence and popularity,” he said, stating that it showcased 51 dancehall tracks from genre-leading headliners, with Alkaline’s tracks “consistently outperforming his peers.

“In fact, he boasted the highest pure sales for any dancehall act within the first week of the streaming era, a clear indication of his global appeal and the demand for his music,” Shuzzr added.

He said Alkaline’s return to the UK follows recent successes, including a BPI Silver certification for his collaboration with WSTRN on the track “Txtin.”

“This collaboration showcased his versatility as an artist and his ability to cross into different music genres,” Shuzzr said. “His groundbreaking feature in Givenchy’s 2023 Summer Collection campaign further solidified his influence, as he became the face of the men’s global advertising campaign for Givenchy Spring-Summer 2023.

“This collaboration highlighted the contrast between Givenchy’s tailoring heritage and the urban aesthetic Matthew M. Williams had established for the brand, further cementing Alkaline’s status as a trendsetter in the music and fashion industries,” he added.