Heineken presents John Legend

HEADLINE ACT: JOHN LEGEND

John Legend's renowned voice has captured millions of fans around the world since his debut album, Get Lifted was released in 2004. A critical and commercial triumph, Get Lifted earned John an astounding eight Grammy nominations -- he won Best New Artist, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance ("Ordinary People") and Best R&B album -- while selling more than three million copies worldwide. Prior to the success of his debut album, Legend's career in the spotlight was elevated through a series of collaborations with established artists, working with some of the best artists in the business including Jay Z, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill and Kanye West.

His latest album, Evolver, features Andre 3000 of Outkast on his first single Green Light, as well as well as "It's Over" (featuring Kanye West), "No Other Love" (featuring Estelle), and "Quickly" (featuring Brandy). In 2007, John Legend launched the Show Me Campaign, a grassroots movement whose mission is "to fight poverty through fostering sustainable development (personal, social, educational, economic) at the individual, family, and small community levels."

South Africa will be serenaded by the legendary gentleman, and vows to take old fans on a journey while leaving new fans in awe.

SPECIAL GUEST: KERI HILSON

Keri Hilson is part of a collective of writers and producers known as The Clutch. Through the early and late 2000s, Hilson wrote songs for multiple rappers and singers, including Britney Spears and Ludacris. Hilson's debut solo album In a Perfect World... was released on March 24, 2009. In A Perfect World... debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

For her humility, the album is as dizzyingly good as it should be. It's a watershed moment that meets both goals—it sounds and feels great. The songs are unconventional. It's universally appealing in its pop offerings (infectious hooks are plenty) but the arrangements are challenging in how many layers there are to listen to. Heavy synth-laden basslines to the classical guitar in the tensely urgent Polow-produced "Ready to Fall," Keri anchors it all with a pitch-perfect voice that is refreshing in its versatility. From the sweeping cinematic orchestration of Timbaland's "Mic Check" ("I loved harnessing all that aggression in my voice.") to the speedy cascading electro bassline of "Return the Favor." The mutual trust between artist and producers allows them to take bold risks. Keri shouts out all the “fly girls” on her song “Get It Girl”. “A ‘Get It Girl' is focused on getting everything she wants out of life. She is strong, independent, determined, loves to have fun, always stays fresh - and no matter what, accepts no limitations.”

“In A Perfect World…” represents a world where music is music and you can't put it in a box. It's a catalyst for Keri to defy categorization, “I want to be a point of reference” states Hilson. “Hip-hop has become pop; pop is hip-hop. Music is definitely changing. I want to be the crux of that. I want to be a reason, not a result.”The current single, "Knock You Down" (featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo) is the 4th US single from the album. The single has been Hilson's most successful solo offering to date as it reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop 100.

“We are thrilled to have achieved another musical coup by bringing together this incredibly talented duo. We have had the great honor to bring to South African music lovers some of the biggest artists in the past and we strive to keep hosting unparalleled concerts that truly could only be Heineken®”, said Franco Maria Maggi, Marketing Manager of Heineken® in South Africa.

TOUR ITINERARY

Cape Town - Presented by Heineken®, in association with Heart 104.9 FM and MNET
Thursday October 15th 2009
Grand Arena Grandwest Casino & Entertainment World Cape Town
Tickets from R243.00 to R321.00 (incl. service charges)

Durban - Presented by Heineken®, in association with Gagasi 99.5 FM and MNET
Saturday October 17th 2009
Indoor Arena International Convention Centre Durban
Tickets from R218.00 to R294.00 (incl. service charges)

Johannesburg - Presented by Heineken®, in association with Kaya FM and MNET
Sunday October 18th 2009
Coca-Cola Dome Johannesburg
Tickets from R218.00 to R321.00 (incl. service charges)

Tickets available from Computicket, www.computicket.com, 083 915 8000,