May 14, 2011
Jennifer Hudson Headlines Aruba's Soul Beach Music Festival
Robert Doyle READ TIME: 3 MIN.
NEW YORK, NY - (May, 2011) - Aruba announced the A-list lineup for the eleventh Annual Soul Beach Music Festival, taking place May 25-30, 2011. This year's festival offers live performances by Grammy Award-winning singers Jennifer Hudson and Chrisette Michele, as well as R&B supergroup Heads of State, which includes Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill.
The 2011 Soul Beach Music Festival falls over Memorial Day Weekend in Aruba's sun-kissed paradise, with five-days of power-packed events. Soul music fans from around the world can take part in nightclub festivities, sizzling beach parties and live concerts. This year's events will take place at Joe Laveist Sport Park in San Nicolas, Aruba's second largest city, which boasts picturesque beaches and a main street promenade with local snack spots and souvenir shops.
"The Soul Beach Music Festival creates an upbeat atmosphere all throughout the island, with visitors from all over the world joining a celebration of music, wonderful beaches and plenty of parties," said Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes, CEO of Aruba Tourism Authority.
The Soul Beach Music Festival's full schedule of events and ticket pricing information can be accessed at www.soulbeach.net. Specialized vacations to Aruba during the Soul Beach Music Festival can be booked through www.aruba.com.
For this year's festival, the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino is offering the "Catch the Rhythm, Feed Your Soul" package, which includes 30% off leisure rates, a welcome cocktail upon arrival, and a Soul Beach goody back. The package is valid May 25 - 31, 2011 and can be booked with promotional code ER7.
About the Artists:
� Known for her incredible voice, actress and recording artist, Jennifer Hudson first came to prominence in 2004 as one the finalists on American Idol. She made her film debut in the 2006 film Dreamgirls, which won her several awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA Award, an NAACP Image Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2008, Hudson's debut album won her a Grammy Award and her recently released album I Remember Me debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200.
� Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, Chrisette Michele will also be joining the lineup. With a style that incorporates a variety of musical genres, including rap, R&B and soul, Chrisette is best known for her songs "Be Ok" and "Epiphany." She has also been featured on several hip-hop albums including Jay-Z's Kingdom Come and Nas' Hip Hop is Dead and recently released her third album Let Freedom Reign in November 2010.
� Former members of the R&B group New Edition, Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill joined forces to create the super-group Heads of State. According to Gill, the group's name is inspired by the original name for The Rat Pack. Heads of State has been touring together since 2008 and will make an exciting appearance at the Soul Beach Music Festival.
Together, these artists will participate in a one-of-a-kind musical festival on the pristine, white-sand beaches of Aruba.
Aruba, one happy island, is truly an extraordinary experience. Located only two-and-a-half hours by air from Miami and four hours from New York City, the island is ideally situated in the southern Caribbean and boasts year-round cooling trade winds and perfect weather with average annual temperatures of 82 Fahrenheit and less than 20 inches of rainfall per year.
Aruba serves up 28 luxurious hotels/resorts, championship golf courses, sumptuous spas, vibrant casinos, extraordinary international and local cuisine, exclusive shops and boutiques, exciting land and water activities, art galleries and museums, world-famous festivals and events, clubs and cafes with live music and world class beaches. The backdrop of a cosmopolitan tropical destination with warm, hospitable people is the perfect place for first-time guests and loyal visitors.
For more information about vacations in Aruba, please visit online at www.ARUBA.com or call 1.800.TO.ARUBA.
For more information, please call 1-800-TO-ARUBA, visit us online at www.aruba.com or find us on Facebook.
Long-term New Yorkers, Mark and Robert have also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center, Mark is a PhD in American history and literature, as well as the author of the novels Wolfchild and My Hawaiian Penthouse. Robert is the producer of the documentary We Are All Children of God. Their work has appeared in numerous publications, as well as at : www.mrny.com.
