Latest news with #ESSENCEFestival
Forbes
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Why Smart Businesses Are Watching Essence Fest 2025 Closely
Fans attend the ESSENCE Festival of Culture at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Essence Festival of Culture found itself at an unusual crossroads this year—equal parts cultural reflection and corporate case study. Some headlines applauded the juggernaut for its intentionality about Black womanhood, but others took a more critical tone and none was more polarizing than the image of Lauryn Hill performing in a near-empty Caesar's Superdome at 3:47 in the morning. The internet, never one to wait for context, responded with swift certainty, and social feeds lit up with familiar refrains: Hill was late again. She kept fans waiting—again. The same narrative was recycled, almost ritualistically, whenever the enigmatic artist took the stage. But this time felt different. So much so that neo-soul icon India Arie didn't mince words when she wrote on Instagram that 'Essence has lost its essence,' reflecting discontent among artists who've helped shape the legacy of Black music and culture. For three decades, ESSENCE has been a space built by and for Black people, so when the brand's management posted a statement defending Hill on social media, affirming that 'we protect our own,' reactions were immediate, and divided. Cultural critic Lindsay Tramel is one of many who didn't hold back on her opinion. 'I'm always here for protecting Black women, especially our legends,' Tramel said, 'but this fell flat. Defending Lauryn wasn't a smart business model; it was a brand move that left many people questioning whether their time, dollars and culture were truly valued. Let's not forget, Essence Festival was built for us, by us; it is a cultural cornerstone that's supposed to feel like a family reunion with 500,000 cousins, but this year some Black creators and local vendors were left out, while more palatable Black creators were leading the movements, almost like someone slapped a sponsorship on it and hoped no one noticed." Atlanta-based PR strategist Kera Felton echoed a similar sentiment. 'I think their response came from a place of protection and pride, but it didn't fully land. Essence made it clear that the delay wasn't Lauryn's fault, which is important,' Felton said. 'She's been heavily criticized over the years for lateness, and ESSENCE took a public stance to protect her reputation, but what they missed was the audience. Black women drive trends, influence buying behavior, and spend intentionally with brands that make them feel seen and ESSENCE has always been a staple, but that loyalty can't be taken for granted." Inside the organization, leaders like Chief Content Officer Michele Ghee are aware of the stakes of producing an event of this scale. 'As you can imagine, putting on an event of this magnitude takes coordination across multiple teams, transitions and real-time logistics,' Ghee said. 'There were technical difficulties that led to Ms. Hill's performance being delayed. Her team was incredibly gracious and worked closely with us throughout.' NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA (L-R) Deja Vu, Lynn Whitfield, Luke James, Arielle Chambers and Traci A. ... More Curry speak onstage during the ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. But even with ESSENCE's transparency about the technical delays, the moment gave room for more questions about accountability, consumer trust, and what that looks like for their target audience. 'Black women are the culture and the cash flow,' said Patrice Williams Lindo, CEO of Career Nomad. 'Protecting us isn't charity; it's strategy and a community-building lever. Was it culturally necessary to defend Lauryn? Yes. But protecting Black women means protecting us as consumers, too. People felt unheard when they raised concerns about what they got versus what they paid for—and let's be real, the ticket prices aren't small.' Ghee emphasized that the brand's mission remains dedicated to the community, even as it adapts. 'Essence Festival of Culture exists because of the community that has shown up for it year after year, and that support means everything to us, and as the festival evolves, we are working to balance legacy with innovation,' she said. 'Not every change will feel perfect in real time, but we are listening and making adjustments to reflect what our audience needs and deserves.' ESSENCE remains one of the most trusted cultural platforms in the country; its ability to adapt while staying rooted in its mission is precisely why many in the business world continue to invest in its influence. For Dana James Mwangi, a digital coach from Nashville, the brand's response was a step in the right direction—but insufficient. 'Yes, it was smart. But it can't be the only move,' Mwangi said. "Protecting a legend is one thing, but protecting the hearts of your audience is another. People want to know that ESSENCE doesn't just ride for talent but for the community that built this brand and protecting Black women looks different than it did 20 years ago. The little Black girls who grew up on ESSENCE are grown now. We understand contracts, we understand logistics, but we also understand when a brand stops talking to us." Ghee noted that at the heart of protection is the ability to listen, even when the conversations are difficult, even when the feedback is hard to hear. 'Protecting our own means listening, understanding, and taking action to benefit the community we serve,' she said. 'We are not here to silence conversation; we are here to hold space for truth, acknowledge when we fall short, and show up with clarity and intention.' For LaToya Evans, owner of LEPR Agency, the response was the best the brand could do in a volatile media environment. 'They honored the artist, owned the issue, and responded with integrity. In an economic climate where DEI initiatives are being rolled back, ESSENCE held the line.' 'We're proud to be a space where Black women come together to celebrate and be celebrated. That mission hasn't changed, but how we live it must evolve,' Ghee said. Despite offering over 21,500 minutes of free programming, supporting 300 Black-owned vendors, and generating $346 million in economic impact for New Orleans, ESSENCE still left many consumers wanting more. It's a dynamic that hasn't gone unnoticed. PR strategists, brand experts, and corporate partners alike—many already navigating the backlash against DEI—are watching closely, not just to see how ESSENCE responds, but to understand what this moment signals about the evolving expectations of one of America's most influential consumer groups: Black women. When cultural trust is strained, companies that sponsor or align with legacy brands like ESSENCE begin asking tougher questions: What happens when credibility is no longer guaranteed? What does 'protection' mean when inclusion and accountability are now non-negotiables? NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - A general view of the crowd from above during the Essence Festival of ... More Culture at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. ESSENCE's decision to take accountability reflects the platform's commitment to creating space for authentic dialogue, and in the end, its response to the Hill controversy may matter less than what comes next. The festival's true test won't be measured solely by Instagram comments or economic impact reports but in the small, yet meaningful moments that define consumer trust.
Associated Press
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
ESSENCE GU® and Kensington Grey Partner to Power a New Standard for Creator Culture at ESSENCE Festival Of Culture® Presented By Coca-Cola®
NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 9, 2025-- At the nation's largest celebration of global Black culture, two creative forces partnered together to raise the bar for creators. ESSENCE GU ® (ESSENCE Girls United) and Kensington Grey, the premier talent agency for Black digital storytellers, partnered during the 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture ® presented by Coca-Cola ® to present a weekend of high-impact, content-forward experiences built by and for today's most influential voices. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: At the heart of this collaboration was a shared mission: elevate Black creators not just as talent—but as industry leaders, cultural architects, and the future of storytelling. The ESSENCE GU ® x Kensington Grey Creator Mixer: A Cultural Convergence On Saturday, July 5th, the invite-only, #KGxGUHouseMixer, the crown jewel of the partnership, brought together a dynamic networking experience designed to spark collaboration across industries with an elite roster of Kensington Grey talent, creators on the rise, brand partners, and ESSENCE GU ® tastemakers for an afternoon of curated conversation, intentional connection, and content creation featuring J.C. Carter, Scot Louie, and Justine's Camera Roll. 'The ESSENCE Festival Of Culture ® has become a rite of passage for creators, on par with New York Fashion Week and Coachella. It's one of the largest and most culturally significant festivals in the world, and brands are increasingly turning to creators as the primary source of on-the-ground amplification. Whether it's a chance celebrity sighting, a standout culinary moment, or capturing the city's stunning architecture, the opportunities for viral storytelling are endless because there really is no place like New Orleans.' said Shannae Ingleton, co-founder of Kensington Grey. 'Partnering with ESSENCE on the GU ® Creator Mixer was an easy 'yes' for us at Kensington Grey. For starters, the ESSENCE brand is iconic, and our missions are perfectly aligned when it comes to celebrating creators, art, community, and culture. We're confident this is the first of many collaborations like this one.' ESSENCE GU ® Creator House & Kickback: The Full Weekend Vision The ESSENCE GU ® x Kensington Grey alliance extended beyond one moment. Throughout the weekend: 'Black women are forever the blueprint — and at ESSENCE Girls United ®, we build for us, by us, because we love us. By joining forces with a visionary agency like Kensington Grey, we're stepping beyond creating content to cultivate long-lasting legacy, connection, and joy, said Rechelle Dennis, co-founder and brand lead of ESSENCE Girls United ®. 'Together, we're designing a new pathway where creativity flourishes, culture leads, and the next generation of storytellers can rise unapologetically.' Through ushering in a new generation, this partnership between ESSENCE GU ® (ESSENCE Girls United) and Kensington Grey activates a powerful truth: when Black creators are centered, supported, and seen, the results are unforgettable. ABOUT SUNDIAL MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY GROUP Sundial Media & Technology Group (SMTG) is a human connections company — the signal powered by culture, scaled by technology, and built for community. SMTG connects, elevates, and empowers the most influential consumer segment in the market: HER, the Chief Influence Officer. With over 100 years of community knowledge and insights, SMTG is redefining the media model into a next-generation platform. Powered by proprietary intelligence and AI technology, it activates an ecosystem that scales HER influence and economic power. Its portfolio includes some of the most iconic, purpose-driven brands and experiences shaping culture today—ESSENCE (Girls United, ESSENCE Studios, ESSENCE Festival of Culture ® ), Refinery29, AFROPUNK, Beautycon™ (including NaturallyCurly), the Global Black Economic Forum, the Academy for Advancing Excellence, and the New Voices Fund. Through storytelling, products, and platforms, SMTG delivers the tools and technology to shape the future of media, commerce, and community—on HER terms. ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA GROUP INC. ESSENCE Communications is the number one—and only 100% Black-owned—media, technology and commerce company at scale dedicated to Black women and communities. With a community of more than 31 million Black women, ESSENCE inspires a global audience through diverse storytelling and immersive original content rooted in Culture, Equity and Celebration. The brand's multi-platform presence in/ publishing, experiential and online encompasses its namesake magazine; digital, video and social platforms; television specials; books; and signature live events, including Black Women in Music, Black Women in Hollywood, ESSENCE Black Women in Sports, Fashion House, Street Style and the ESSENCE Festival of Culture ®. ABOUT KENSINGTON GREY Founded in 2019, Kensington Grey's mission is to invest in the moments that matter and advocate for groundbreaking opportunities, turning visionary talents into lifelong changemakers. Through expert influencer casting, talent, strategy, and campaign management, Kensington Grey creates impactful legacies, delivering exceptional results and supporting its clients in driving lasting social change. Kensington Grey commits to empowering the underrepresented voices of tomorrow by providing the platform and support needed to turn revolutionary ideas into reality. The agency's distinctive promise lies in its tailored approach to brand and influencer management, which focuses not just on growth but on inclusive and meaningful impact. View source version on CONTACT: [email protected] [email protected] KEYWORD: LOUISIANA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS/CONCERTS CONSUMER AFRICAN AMERICAN CELEBRITY PUBLISHING MARKETING MUSIC WOMEN ADVERTISING COMMUNICATIONS SOURCE: ESSENCE Communications Media Group Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 07/09/2025 11:52 AM/DISC: 07/09/2025 11:52 AM
Forbes
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Why Essence Fest Is The Ultimate Curator Of Black Joy
A view of the audience during the ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola at Caesars ... More Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Getty Images for ESSENCE/Bennett Raglin On a sweltering July weekend in New Orleans, the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center hums with more than just music. Rows of Black-owned brands stretch through the SOKO MRKT pavilion, creators pitch digital campaigns upstairs at GU Creators House and panel stages echo with conversations on venture capital, equity and innovation. This year's lineup—featuring R&B legends, Afrobeats stars and hip-hop pioneers across three nights—demonstrates the festival's curation of Black music spanning genres and time. This is the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, presented by Coca-Cola—30 years strong and now, arguably, one of the most sophisticated platforms for cultural storytelling in the digital economy. Here, Black women aren't just attendees; they control the narrative, drive conversations and redefine what influence looks like on their terms. That centering of Black women's leadership has informed the brand's business model, and as ESSENCE evolved, so did its ability to attract corporate partners who recognize both the cultural capital and economic force the festival represents. Corporate partnerships have helped scale Essence Fest into a global force, bringing the celebration to a broader stage without losing its soul. Brands like Coca-Cola and SheaMoisture have long been part of that growth story. However, in today's climate, sponsorships are often perceived as endorsements in the public eye, and this is why Target's presence on the list of sponsors at the event sparked conversation this year. After the company publicly scaled back its DEI initiatives, some festivalgoers and observers questioned the optics of its continued alignment with a space so dedicated to Black affirmation. ESSENCE, which had a long-standing sponsorship contract with Target, found itself in a difficult position that required balancing a long-term contract with the evolving expectations of its primary market. Despite the pushback, Essence Fest has developed a sustainable approach to coding Black joy into scalable formats, from social reach to venture capital returns. At its core, Essence Fest's innovation is how it treats Black joy, not as an atmosphere, but as design. That same commitment to curating Black joy is what Anthony Anderson says made Black-ish resonate for nearly a decade. 'We pulled back the veil on our existence,' he said. 'So others could understand what was real for us.' At Essence Fest, that same ethos is on full display. From panel stages to comedy sets, the stories told here are layered, instructive and deeply joyful. 'We told stories, started revolutions, fought—all through laughter,' Anderson added. It's that combination of cultural truth and creative force that continues to inspire Essence Fest, not just as a celebration, but as a movement. This view of storytelling extends to the festival's broader philosophy. Entertainment industry vetera n Stephanie Mills put it simply: 'Black joy is the only joy. We are the bluepr int of everything.' It's a bold statement but one rooted in cultural memory and generational pride. In a space like Essence Fest, where Black women shape the rhythm of the event, her words land not as exclusion but as a reminder of just how foundational Black creativity has been to music, business, fashion and movement-building. The festival redefines what heritage-centered programming can mean in today's digital landscape, placing joy at the center of the connection between cultural identity and opportunity. With platforms like TikTok and Instagram becoming the go-to for how people shop, connect and engage, ESSENCE's model has become even more essential. Partnerships with organizations like the Global Black Economic Forum and SisterSong hav e opene d the door to conversations that matter in th e Bl ack community, including maternal health, reproductive rights and policy access, while also bui lding frameworks that help creators turn content into impact. From GU Creators House to the film programming that highlights emerging Black talent, every part of the festival is intentionally designed to meet real needs. These init iati ves have created viable pathways for Black joy to translate into economic power, and the data backs this up. Black consumers are projected to wield $2.1 trillion in buying power by 2026. Platforms like YouTube, where Black Americans spend 13% of their screen time —comp ared to 10% for U.S. audiences overall—indicate the influence and visibility that are informing this moment. This impact becomes even more poignant when considering where it happens. The festival's setting in New Orleans, often referred to as the most culturally layered city in America, reinforces this. The city's local economy, shaped by tourism, hospitality and cultural entrepreneurship, benefits directly from the festival's pr esence each year, and with support from New Orlean s & Company, the city's official tourism and hospitality agency, Essence Fest continues to spotlight not just Black culture, but the local economy and community that helps susta in it. 20 years after Hurricane Katrina, that continuity carries a more profound meaning. The fact that New Orleans is now the epicenter of Black joy and economic exchange is proof that recovery is about grit, one that honors reclaiming space for culture, dignity and celebration. In that sense, the fest doesn't just routinely happen in New Orleans but continues to pay ho mage to what the city has endured and what it continues to make possibl e despite it. New Orleans' history as the birthplace of jazz provides credibility that enriches every experience, and the results speak to this precision. Generating around $1 billion in commercial activity, Essence Fest has proven that making room for Black joy translates directly into measurable impact. Its success proves that in an era of infinite digital content, the mo st valuabl e commodity isn't attention but the socio-cultural context. This has provided a blueprint that is difficult for competitors to replicate. The implications of Essence Fest's model extend well beyond the walls of the Convention Center and Caesars Superdome. What's being built here is not an event for the sake of it, but a cultural ecosystem that ensures that value flows back into the communities that generate it. For its target audience, especially Black women, it offers a rare blueprint: how to grow without dilution, scale without compromise and build without burnout. In that way, Essence Fest also offers a vision for what equity, sustainability, and unapologetic Black joy can look like when they're built into the foundation, not treated as add-ons. For artists who have navigated this balance between authenticity and success, the festival represents something unique. As Erykah Badu put it, 'We're learning that we don't have to dim our light. We don't h ave to settle for things that are less than our frequencies.' For Badu, Black joy is about claiming space without apology and trusting the instincts that lead to that. 'It's our natural genetic code to be human beings alongside anyone else,' she added. What Essence Fest offers is a working model, one where Black joy operates not only as a cultural force but as a blueprint. The question it raises isn't rhetorical but strategic: What if joy isn't the byproduct but the foundation? And what would it mean—for brands, creators and cities—if it were treated that way?
