Little Simz has been announced as the curator for Meltdown 2025, marking the 30th edition of the Southbank Centre’s annual festival.
Following in the footsteps of icons like David Bowie, Grace Jones, Massive Attack, and most recently Chaka Khan, Simz will take the reins for an 11-day celebration of music, art, and culture from 12th to 22nd June 2025.
The London rapper and multi-hyphenate artist has already promised something special: “I’m super excited to be the 2025 Meltdown festival curator! My team and I are preparing eleven days of art, music, workshops and more. So many incredible artists have curated this festival so it’s a true honour to be a part of it. Thank you to the Southbank Centre for having me. Meltdown 2025 the Simz way is going to be epic. I’ll see you there.”
With a career that’s seen her rise from self-released mixtapes to Mercury Prize, BRIT Award, and MOBO wins, not to mention a starring role in Top Boy, Simz is one of the UK’s most innovative and influential artists. Her last album, NO THANK YOU (2022), was a no-frills statement of intent, released with little fanfare but met with critical acclaim. Her 2024 Glastonbury Pyramid Stage set only cemented her reputation as an unstoppable force in British music.
The Southbank Centre’s Jane Beese described Simz as an artist who “forges new genre-defying ideas”, adding that her Meltdown will showcase “the power of her great art, leadership and culture to bring people together”.
Meltdown has always been about boundary-pushing curation, and with Simz at the helm, expect a festival that’s as ambitious, forward-thinking, and unapologetically bold as she is. The first lineup announcements will arrive in spring 2025.
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