Chaka Khan to curate Meltdown Festival 2024
The festival serves as a celebration of the icon's 50th year in music.
The 2024 edition of London’s Meltdown Festival will be curated by Chaka Khan, who is celebrating 50 years in the music industry.
This year’s festival will run from June 14-23 at the Southbank Centre, with its line-up revealed in March. Khan is the 29th curator of Meltdown and follows a 2023 programme curated by Christine & the Queens.
Discussing the opportunity to curate this year’s festival, Khan said: “Get ready to experience the heart and soul of Meltdown 2024, where the magic of music meets the warmth of community. I’m beyond excited to be a part of this legacy, bringing everyone together, young and old, for a summer celebration like no other.
“This festival isn’t just about music, it’s a feast for all your senses, a gathering of hearts and souls. The Southbank Centre’s about to light up! We’re going to funk it up, rock every crowd, and touch every soul. It’s a community celebration, an all-ages bash. Join us and immerse yourself in a world that’s vibrant, diverse, and absolutely unforgettable.”
Watch a video of Khan discussing the programme below, as she made a visit to the Southbank Centre.
Adem Holness, head of Contemporary Music at the Southbank Centre, added: “Whoever said “never meet your heroes” clearly never met Chaka Khan. I’ve learnt how important community, activism, love and care are to her so these ideas, along with brilliant music, will be the foundation of Meltdown. I can’t believe we get to celebrate 50 years of her legendary career together. Imagine ten nights of her fabulousness, wicked sense of humour and iconic genre defying music spread across the Southbank Centre. I personally can’t wait!”
Among the artists picked for Meltdown 2023 by Christine & the Queens were Sigur Rós, Warpaint, Django Django and more.
The festival has been curated by the likes of Grace Jones (2022), Nile Rodgers (2019) and Robert Smith of The Cure (2018) in the past.