Pepsi® and UEFA Announce Lenny Kravitz Will Headline the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show
PEPSI REVEALS THE LEGENDARY ARTIST WILL HEADLINE ITS UNMISSABLE ANNUAL ‘KICK OFF SHOW’
LONDON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — #PepsiKickOffShow – Pepsi® and UEFA are excited to announce that legendary rock musician Lenny Kravitz will headline the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi on June 1st at Wembley Stadium in London. This is the eighth year that Pepsi and UEFA will mark the final with its eagerly anticipated curtain raiser, and the event is set to be an unforgettable experience just minutes ahead of the biggest final in the club football calendar.
The Grammy-award-winning artist, known for his dynamic stage presence and iconic hits have been captivating audiences for decades with his genre-defying sound and magnetic stage presence. Kravitz, who recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has been hard at work crafting his highly anticipated upcoming album, Blue Electric Light, which is already generating buzz among fans and critics alike ahead of its launch on 24th May, just one week before the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi.
To further build hype for the highly anticipated performance, later today Pepsi will be releasing an energetic short film titled ‘Wembley Is Blue | Lenny Kravitz x UCL Final Kick Off Show by Pepsi’. In the film, we hear the unmistakable echoes of the UEFA Champions League anthem being whistled as Lenny Kravitz slowly walks down a tunnel, paintbrush in hand, covering the walls in Pepsi Blue…. before walking out onto the hallowed turf of Wembley Stadium. We see the rockstar strut past the majestic UEFA Champions League trophy, before stepping out on to the hallowed turf of the stadium, when the camera suddenly pans out to reveal a blue, painted mural of his face covering the pitch and a pulsating stadium, preparing London for the ultimate show.
Kravitz commented: “I’m really looking forward to my performance for the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi in London, a city which holds a special place in my heart. It’s going to be such an exciting event ahead of a final that means so much to so many. We can’t wait to show you all what we have in store.”
Eric Melis, VP of Global Brand Marketing – Pepsi at PepsiCo added: “As a brand with a rich heritage in both music and football, we are proud to bring together once again, in the host city, millions of viewers from around the world and one of the most iconic names in music for an electrifying performance live from iconic Wembley Stadium in London, the home of music, sports and entertainment. The UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi will be headlined by a legend in the music industry who adds unparalleled dynamism and energy to the show. Lenny Kravitz is someone who is constantly giving the best that he has to offer and spreading love and humanity in all his work, he lives by our ‘Thirsty For More’ philosophy, which celebrates people’s thirst for life – and we can’t wait to see how fans react to this unmissable show.”
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA marketing director, said: “This year’s UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi will bring fans to their feet as legendary Rock and Roll icon Lenny Kravitz takes the stage to deliver one of his signature performances ahead of this year’s UEFA Champions League final. Our longstanding and fruitful partnership with Pepsi fills us with enormous pride as we collaborate to make this flagship match on the football calendar more memorable and entertaining for fans inside Wembley and those watching around the globe.”
Once more, Pepsi and UEFA have marked the UEFA Champions League final with a momentous music performance showcasing the world’s most iconic artists and uniting football and music fans through one compelling entertainment spectacle. The UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi will air in over 200 countries and territories globally, just minutes before the stand-out fixture of the club football calendar and commences and is the embodiment of Pepsi’s ‘Thirsty For More‘ global platform.
Fans can tune in to watch the Kick Off Show via their local broadcaster and through the official UEFA YouTube channel. Fans are encouraged to stay in-the-know by following Pepsi on Instagram, X (formally Twitter), and Facebook.
#PEPSIKICKOFFSHOW
About the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show Presented by Pepsi
Since its inauguration in 2016, Pepsi has brought live global music talent to the world’s most watched annual sporting event, evolving the UEFA Champions League final into a truly global entertainment platform. This year’s show will be brought to fans by multi-award-winning singer-songwriter, and instrumentalist Lenny Kravitz who will perform tracks from his catalog, which spans 35 years, and new songs from his latest twelfth studio album, Blue Electric Light. Pepsi has a rich heritage in football entertainment and has long championed the diversity of artists and genres. So, who better to headline the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show Presented by Pepsi than Grammy award winner and global superstar Lenny Kravitz. One of the biggest rockstars of our generation.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $91 billion in net revenue in 2023, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit http://www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
About Lenny Kravitz
Regarded as one of the preeminent rock musicians of our time, Lenny Kravitz has transcended genre, style, race, and class over the course of a three decade-plus musical career. Revelling in the soul, rock, and funk influences of the sixties and seventies, the writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist has won four GRAMMY® Awards.
Lenny Kravitz was recently honored with the “Music Icon Award” at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2024. He was additionally recognized by the CFDA with their “Fashion Icon Award” for his role as not only one of rock’s most esteemed musicians, but also a major fashion influence.
In 2023, Kravitz debuted the anthemic “Road To Freedom,” a song he wrote, performed, and produced specifically for the much-buzzed-about Netflix film, Rustin. The track, which can be heard HERE, plays over the film’s end title credits. In conjunction with the release of the song, Kravitz secured a Golden Globe nomination for “Best Original Song – Motion Picture”, a Critics Choice Award nomination for “Best Song”, and the Guild of Music Supervisors Award nomination for “Best Song Written and/or Recorded for a Film” for the soul-stirring anthem.
In addition to his eleven albums, which have sold 40 million worldwide, his creative firm Kravitz Design Inc. touts an impressive portfolio of noteworthy ventures, including hotel properties, condominium projects, private residences, and high-end legendary brands like Rolex, Leica and Dom Perignon. In 2022, he launched his own ultra-premium spirits brand, Nocheluna Sotol—a distillate from Chihuahua, Mexico derived from the sotol plant. Kravitz is the author of Flash, a book which showcases unique rock photography. His recent memoir, Let Love Rule, also landed him on The New York Times’ Best Sellers List. Kravitz currently serves as the brand ambassador and global face for YSL Beauty’s Y cologne and is the global ambassador for luxury watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre. This multidimensional artist has also segued into film, appearing as Cinna in the box-office hits, The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, as well as in the critically acclaimed films Precious and The Butler.
Lenny Kravitz is set to release his highly anticipated new studio album, Blue Electric Light, on May 24, 2024.
SOURCE PepsiCo