Manifesto Festival Adds OVO’s dvsn To Lineup With GRAMMY Winner Jazmine Sullivan + The Summit With YouTube Music + FSTVL SZN Showcase

Manifesto’s 16th edition festival features GRAMMY-winner Jazmine Sullivan and OVO R&B duo dvsn. Festival also announces The Summit with YouTube Music and FSTVL SZN showcase.

The Manifesto festival of music, arts and youth culture celebrates its “sweet sixteen” August 8th-13th highlighted by the August 12th mega concert at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage with a live concert experience featuring two of the music industry’s most talked about artists; R&B singer-songwriter powerhouse Jazmine Sullivan and superstar OVO R&B duo dvsn.

Philly’s two-time GRAMMY-winning hit maker Sullivan boasts a catalogue of hit songs (“Need U Bad”, “Let It Burn”, “Pick Up Your Feelings”) and anthemic collaborations (“Girl Like Me” with H.E.R), that helped land her on the list of Time Magazine’s 2022 “100 Most Influential People”.

Dvsn, the Canadian R&B duo composed of singer Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85 – who are signed to Toronto rapper Drake through his label OVO Sound – have released a noteworthy catalogue of hits and numerous notable collaborations with Future, Snoh Aalegra, Mac Miller, and Miguel among many others.

This year’s festival will be co-hosted by Creative Tresor and recent 2022 Juno Award-winning rapper Charmaine.

As has been the case over the last 15 years, this year Manifesto produced a festival lineup that seamlessly blends global superstars with some of Canada’s finest homegrown world class talents.

From critically-acclaimed R&B singer-songwriter Amaal, to 2021 Juno-award winning rapper/singer TOBi, all the way over to performances from rising stars like 2022 Juno-nominated R&B singer Dylan Sinclair, Planet Giza, and Zeina, including DJ sets from Killa Kels, this year’s lineup will whet the appetite of festival attendees, both new and old, looking for a real entertainment boost this summer.

The mission and mandate of Manifesto has always been to provide a platform for emerging artists to showcase their skills, and this year is no different, as buzzing up-and-comers DVBLM, Fame Holiday, Tia Banks, Ray HMND, Benita, and Vividd will also be taking centre stage and performing live, for all of Toronto to see.

Manifesto Festival Volume 16 is also excited to present the official Manifesto FSTVL SZN artist showcase hosted by Mista Dre, featuring sets by K.Forest, Sage Harris, Justine Tyrell, and DJ Shannyn Hill. Led and curated by the mentees from Manifesto’s FSTVL SZN skills development program, this showcase will take place on August 11th at the El Mocambo (464 Spadina Avenue, Toronto).

Manifesto and YouTube Music have also joined forces once again to present The Summit.

This curated gathering welcomes emerging artists and the next generation of music and arts industry executives to a unique, hands-on, interactive experience that will enhance their artistry and provide the opportunity to network with industry-leading creatives who are making waves in their respective fields.

“This year’s summit provides an amazing opportunity for our artists to connect with those who have had years of experience in the industry,” explains Chantelle, Manifesto’s Program Coordinator. “Having YouTube and Manifesto partner up is a great way for artists to not only broaden their network, but gain practical knowledge on how to use different digital distribution providers other than streaming platforms to promote their music.”

The Summit has been divided up into a two-part series.

Day one is jam packed with a total of three powerful hands-on workshops led by Greg Mateo (President, Label & Publishing, BeatStars), Adrienne “Ada” Hopkins (Strategic Partner Manager, Top Creator Communities x Black Music & Culture, YouTube), plus Eric Richards and Rahul Madan (co-founders, What I Like Studios).

The evening will then conclude with the wildly popular Manifesto Sounds: Listening Session featuring Tomi Banks (Founder of RNB Radar), Jordon Manswell (Grammy – Nominated Producer), Rachael “Rachie” Jackson (Artist Relations Manager & Partnerships, YouTube), and Adam McFarland (Program Manager, Black Music & Cultures).

On day two, participating youth will get the opportunity to engage in a series of one-on-one conversations featuring Ajani Charles (photographer), Nicko Bruno (Director, Adidem), Kristen and Reafe (YouTubers), Tuma Basa (Director of, Black Music & Culture, YouTube), and Nella Rose (YouTube vlogger).

“We can’t wait to bring together the impactful work of the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund with Manifesto, who have been integral to developing and amplifying the already vibrant Toronto creative community,” says Rachel Jackson, Artist Relations Manager and Music Community Pillar Lead.

Participating youth will gain a strong sense of the skills needed to succeed in the YouTube space, after having attended the programs offered throughout this unique two-day activation on August 9th – 1oth.

The Summit will take place inside of Sugar Hall, owned by Manifesto community partner and neighbor Artscape Launchpad (130 Queens Quay E, Toronto).

Registration for this program is FREE and registrants must be 16-29 years of age with an interest in working in the creative and music industry sector.

Here’s the registration link and participants attending should be committed due to limited capacity.

For the August 12th mega concert at Budweiser Stage featuring Jazmine Sullivan, dvsn, TOBi, Amaal, and many more, tickets are priced from $25 – $99.50 and available for purchase on www.mnfsto.com.

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