Boiler Room x Ballantine’s True Music returns in a new guise to reflect the ‘new normal’ with In The Round – a series of socially distanced live-broadcasted events that reunite music communities online and in real life and look to reimagine the future of live music.
Taking place in Johannesburg on 19 November 2020, the series kicked off in London and will also travel to Brazil and Spain, where artists will perform for their family, friends, and fans for the first time since the pandemic began through intimate performances, in compliance with local government guidelines, that will then be broadcast to the world from unique locations.
In The Round takes inspiration from Boiler Room’s signature event format, in which the artists are surrounded by their fans in a close setting. This intimacy is recreated for the COVID-era, with the live audience socially distanced according to local health and safety measures, amid the iconic 360-degree layout.
The line-ups bring together headliners of today with the headliners of tomorrow, with Focalistic and up-and-coming Marcus Harvey representing South Africa with more artists for the series to be announced. Focalistic is a prolific and fast-rising rapper in the country, known for his powerful lyric formations on the songs he has released since his debut into the rap scene. His hit song “Overload” received positive reviews from his fans. Marcus Harvey is a singer, rapper, and producer. His career kicked off during his teens under the moniker Hipnautik, where he made waves courtesy of a few impressive open mic sessions. This year he released an 11-track debut album called ‘I Am Marcus Harvey’.
Bongi Sikelo 