Shillong (Meghalaya), Sept 10: Music fans rejoice! Global icon Akon is finally set to perform in India at the Cherry Blossom Festival on Nov 16. This long-awaited public concert is part of the festival that will also feature legendary acts like Boney M and R3HAB, each headlining on different days.
Organized by Rockski EMG in collaboration with Akon’s company, Konvict Touring, this performance is part of Akon’s “Superfan Tour,” which includes one show per country in Asia during November and December, with additional stops in as many as 8 countries.
In addition to his own chart-dominating singles “Smack That” and “I Wanna Love You”, he’s made a staggering 300 guest appearances for icons including Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Lil Wayne, R. Kelly, and Eminem.
Throughout his incredible career, Akon has sold over 35 million albums sold worldwide, gained five Grammy Award nominations, and has achieved 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs.
Akon holds the Guinness Book of World Records as the #1 selling artists for master ringtones in the world and became the first solo artist in history to lock down both the number one and number two spots on the Billboard Hot 100.
Facebook is Akon’s largest social channel. It accounts for 64.1% of the audience included in this analysis. Over a 12-month period, YouTube has grown the most, having gained 1.2M followers (an increase of 8.5%). However, it is TikTok that has grown comparatively faster than any other social channel, having jumped up 21.4% (an increase of 300K followers) over this period. 541K people followed him in Mar ’24 – a 0.7% gain in followers from the previous month, making this the best month for follower growth across all platforms. Over a 12-month period, Akon generated 26.8M engagements on TikTok, leading to an engagement rate of 1.7%. This figure is similar to the average rate for similar-sized entertainment accounts on TikTok. On Instagram, his activity drove 44.2M engagements, an engagement rate of 0.1%.
Akon’s audience skews heavily male, 25-29, and they identify mainly as White/Caucasian. This group is much more likely to be single than married, earn $10,000-$19,999 a year, and have graduated high school. They tend to be largely spread across the United States, India, and Nigeria and are heavily concentrated in Lagos, Mumbai, and New York. As for what they care about, this audience displays a strong interest in R&B, Soccer, and World music and is much more likely to follow Me-N-Ed’s, YouTube, and Samsung on digital platforms when compared to the average social media user. There’s also a meaningful overlap between Akon’s audience and the online following of Rihanna, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Katy Perry.
The Cherry Blossom Festival has a history of impressive lineups, having successfully attracted audiences from the Northeast and across the country in previous years. Last year, the festival featured performances by Ne-Yo and Ronan Keating, drawing large crowds.
This 2024 edition is particularly significant as it includes Boney M’s farewell tour, featuring founding member Maizie Williams, making it an event not to be missed for fans of both artists.
Season tickets for the Cherry Blossom Festival are now available at BookMyShow.com, starting at ₹3,299 for General Admission passes and ₹8,999 for VIP passes.
