mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, today announced that 2014 "Did it My Way Woodie" nomineeChildish Gambino will make his triumphant return to the Woodies stage at the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" on Thursday, March 13, 2014 during the SXSW Music Festival. Additionally, Bleachers, one of the most-highly anticipated new bands of the year, featuring Jack Antonoff of fun., will perform together for one of its first live appearances ever during the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards Festival." Joining Bleachers on the Woodies Festival stage on March 13 will be 2014 MTV Artist to Watch Vic Mensa. MTV and mtvU will air the half-hour"2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" special, celebrating award winners and showcasing some of the best performances from the Woodies onSunday, March 16 at 8:00p.m. ET/PT. Woodie Award voting is currently open at Woodies.MTV.com.
Childish Gambino is the first performer announced for the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" and is back at the show for the first time since hosting in 2011. because the internet is Childish Gambino's follow up to his Glassnote Records debut album CAMP. Released on December 10, 2013, because the internet shot up the Billboard and iTunes charts where it held the #1 spot on iTunes and debuted at #7 on the Billboard Top 200 and #1 on the Billboard Rap Chart. Childish Gambino has received critical acclaim from publications such as The Source, XXL, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, NPR and more. He is also nominated for the "Did it My Way Woodie" at the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards," a new category that praises pioneers who challenge tradition and unleash innovative ideas. In that category, Childish Gambino is up against Beyoncé, Kanye West, Arcade Fire and Bob Dylan. Check out the list of the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" nominees here.
To harness the power of live music, MTV and mtvU will kick off the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" with a host of performances by up-and-coming artists, including Bleachers and Vic Mensa, during the open-air "mtvU Woodie Awards Festival," with doors opening at 3:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 13, 2014 at Red River and 1st Street in downtown Austin.
"I'm super stoked to be playing the Woodies festival this year," said Vic Mensa. "I'm crowd surfing through everything so the girls better get their swimsuits ready."
Founding member of the Grammy award winning band fun., and singer/songwriter of the beloved New Jersey band Steel Train, Jack Antonoff wrote and co-produced the Bleachers debut single, "I Wanna Get Better," alongside producer John Hill. Bleachers debut album will be released later this spring on RCA Records. In addition to being a multi-talented musician, Jack Antonoff is a critically acclaimed songwriter and producer. His achievements include co-writing fun.'s Grammy award winning song "We Are Young" and Grammy nominated album Some Nights, and he received a Golden Globe nomination for his collaboration with Taylor Swift on her song "Sweeter Than Fiction." Jack has also worked with Sara Bareilles, co-writing her Grammy nominated hit "Brave", and Canadian Indie icons Tegan and Sara.
Vic Mensa is an independent recording artist from Chicago, Illinois who released his mixtape INNANETAPE online on September 30, 2013 to critical acclaim. He has previously toured with Disclosure and will hit the road with Danny Brown later this month.
Open to all SXSW badge holders and music fans over the age of 18, entrance into the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" and Festival is free, with an online RSVP available at a later date.
The 10th annual "mtvU Woodie Awards" promises to be an unforgettable night of music and performances. The show was established in 2004 and has since propelled numerous recognized acts to the next level of their careers - including surging record sales, headlining tours and mainstream acclaim. Examples include: The Killers (Breaking Woodie '04), N.E.R.D. (Left Field Woodie '04), Death Cab for Cutie (Best Video Woodie '05), Fall Out Boy (Road Woodie '05), 30 Seconds to Mars (Best Video Woodie - Live Action '06) Muse (Performing Woodie '07), Lupe Fiasco (performed at Woodies '07), Vampire Weekend (performed at '08 Woodies), Kings of Leon (Woodie of the Year '09),Jack White (performed at '09 Woodies with the Dead Weather), Rick Ross (performed at '09 Woodies), Matt & Kim (Best Video Woodie '09), Wiz Khalifa (Woodie of the Year '11), Odd Future (performed at '11 Woodies), Sleigh Bells (performed at '11 Woodies) MGK(Breaking Woodie '12), Mac Miller (Woodie of Year and Performing Woodie '12), Zedd (performed at '13 Woodies) and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (Branching Out Woodie '13).
Note to Press: To apply for "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" and Festival press credentials, please visit MTVPress.com by March 7, 2014.
Official sponsors of the "mtvU Woodie Awards Festival" and "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" include Chevrolet, Pepsi®, Reese's® Peanut Butter Cups, Taco Bell and U.S. Army.
Eric Conte, Amy Doyle, Gina Esposito and Ryan Kroft are the Executive Producers of the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards." Joe Buoye is the Executive in Charge of Production.
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