Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Davido has unveiled plans for his first-ever festival in London, where he will not only headline but also curate the entire lineup.
The Grammy-nominated artist shared the news on X (formerly Twitter), confirming that Davido & Friends Festival will take place at Crystal Palace Bowl on Friday, August 14. He described the event as his only outdoor performance in London this summer, making it a highly anticipated date for fans.
The festival is included in Palace Bowl Presents, a newly launched concert series running from July 31 to August 16 at the iconic venue. The series will feature a rotating lineup of international headliners across different dates.
Crystal Palace Bowl & Festival
Among those already confirmed are gospel stars Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Kirk Franklin, who are set to headline on August 2.
Davido’s August 14 show is being promoted as a UK festival exclusive, with the rest of the lineup still under wraps. The “& Friends” branding has already sparked speculation among fans about possible surprise guest appearances, though the singer has not revealed any names.
The choice of Crystal Palace Bowl adds significance to the event. Established in 1961, the open-air venue is one of London’s most iconic performance spaces, with a capacity of about 15,000 people. It has hosted major acts over the years, and Davido is set to become one of the few Nigerian artists to headline the stage.
The announcement comes on the back of Davido’s successful fifth studio album 5ive, released in 2025. The project received critical acclaim and reinforced his position as a global Afrobeats force.
One of its standout tracks, With You, featuring Omah Lay, has surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify and earned him a Grammy nomination.
With anticipation building, the full festival lineup—once announced—is expected to draw major attention, further cementing Davido’s growing international influence.
Dua Lipa has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Samsung, seeking £11 million in damages over claims that the tech giant used her image without permission to promote its products.
According to court documents filed in the Central District of California, the Grammy-winning singer alleges that her photograph was used on the packaging of Samsung’s Crystal 43-inch ultra-high-definition televisions, which were marketed alongside the XITE Hits music channel.
The image in question was reportedly taken backstage at a 2024 music festival and later appeared on a large number of television boxes sold across the United States.
Dua Lipa’s legal team claims the use of her image created a false impression that she had endorsed or partnered with Samsung, potentially influencing consumers to purchase the televisions based on that perceived association.
Her lawyer, Christine Lepera, was cited as stating that Samsung used a copyrighted image of the singer “without authority or licence” and prominently featured it on retail packaging.
The lawsuit further alleges that Samsung ignored multiple legal warnings issued by the singer’s representatives before the case was formally filed.
The filing also included references to social media reactions, with some users reportedly saying they were drawn to or influenced to purchase the televisions because of Dua Lipa’s image on the packaging.
Dua Lipa, who has previously worked with global brands such as Nespresso, Puma, Porsche, and Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, is described in the filing as being highly selective about endorsement deals and would not have automatically agreed to such a partnership.
She is seeking at least $15 million in damages, though the final amount could reportedly increase if the case proceeds to trial.
At the time of the report, Samsung had not issued a public response to the lawsuit.
The organization behind the Academy Awards released new Oscar rules on Friday, including several that address the use of generative artificial intelligence.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said that only performances “credited in the film’s legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent” will be eligible for Academy Awards. Similarly, the academy said that screenplays must be “human-authored” to be eligible.
The academy also said it has the right to request more information about a film’s AI usage and “human authorship.”
Outside Hollywood, at least one novel has been pulled by its publisher due to the apparent use of AI, and other writers’ groups are declaring that AI usage makes work ineligible for awards.