Harry Styles will curate this year’s “landmark” Meltdown festival at London’s Southbank Centre, organisers have announced.
The former One Direction star will be headlining the event with a concert of his own, ahead of his Together, Together tour’s dates at Wembley Stadium this summer.
He aims to highlight emerging British talent across a range of genres that have inspired his work, including pop, soul, rock and the underground scene.
Speaking about the festival, Styles said: “My goal as the curator is to share the music and art that I love, and to celebrate the rich history of the venue,” adding that he was “deeply honoured”.
The Grammy-winning artist follows in the footsteps of previous curators such as Little Simz, David Bowie, Nile Rodgers, Patti Smith and Yoko Ono.
The Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London featuring venues such as the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery.
It first opened in 1951, with this year marking 75 years since the first performance there.
Mark Ball, artistic director of the venue, said he was looking forward to the festival becoming Styles’ “creative playground”.
“Harry Styles is an iconic British artist with a global influence whose impact extends across artistic disciplines, generations and borders,” he said.
“Throughout our 75-year history, the Southbank Centre has existed to give our greatest artists a platform to take creative risks and present work that pushes contemporary culture into new and unexpected directions.”
The festival will run from Thursday June 11 until Sunday June 21, with the full line-up and ticket release dates to be confirmed in the spring.
