The lineup for this year’s Governors Ball was announced on Jan. 25 and… it barely has any Latine talent. Set to take place from June 10 to 12 at Citi Field in Queens, New York, the lineup for 2022 includes three headliners: Kid Cudi, Halsey, and J. Cole. Other notable acts playing this year include Migos, KAYTRANADA, Roddy Rich, Jazmine Sullivan, Clairo, Japanese Breakfast, Jack Harlow, and more.
While the coronavirus pandemic canceled the event in 2020, the festival was able to put on a show in 2021 with headliners Billie Eilish, Post Malone, and J Balvin.
The last few years have seen festivals slowly incorporating more Latine artists in their lineups as players in the field have been showing their power in streaming numbers. Coachella, for example, will be featuring a Latine-rich lineup this year, with acts like Karol G and Anitta playing and showcasing artists across multiple genres like folk, R&B, reggaetón, indie rock, regional Mexican music, and pop. For the Governors Ball, in addition to Kid Cudi, only two other Latine acts are featured this year: Becky G and Black Pumas.
The New York City Mayor’s fund will be receiving a $25,000 donation from the Governors Ball promoters Founders Entertainment, Billboard reported. The donation will go towards helping the victims of the Bronx fire that devastated an apartment building and killed 17 people.
In a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone, Michael Vega — the former leader of WMG’s Latin music department — said, “Do a cursory review of major festivals in this country — you see such a blatant absence of Latin talent. Governors Ball: 70 acts, zero Latin acts. Lollapalooza last year: 183 acts, two of which were Latin. Austin City Limits last year had 132 acts, three of them were Latin.” While he made salient points about the lack of Latine artists being asked to play, Jessie Reyez was on the lineup for Governors Ball 2019.
For those hoping to attend this year’s Governors Ball festival, tickets go on sale on their website at 12 PM EST on Thursday, Jan. 27.