The new concert will make you want to “whip your hair back and forth” as WILLOW is headlining the Student Association Programming Board’s (SAPB) fall concert. The opener will be a young, up-and-coming rapper named Daniyel. This will be Binghamton University’s first in-person fall concert since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Willow Smith, also known on stage as WILLOW, has been in the music industry for quite a long time. Her first single “Whip My Hair” went platinum and peaked at number 11 on Billboard’s Hot 100. WILLOW has released four albums since then, ranging from R&B textures to punk rock vibes. Along with being popular on the Hot 100, several of her songs have become viral on TikTok, including “Wait a Minute!” and “Meet Me At Our Spot.” Her latest album, “lately I feel EVERYTHING,” was influenced by the sounds of My Chemical Romance and featured guest artists such as Avril Lavigne and Travis Barker.
Olivia Le, concerts chair of SAPB and a senior majoring in business administration, said WILLOW brings a new type of artist to BU’s fall concert roster.
“One of the reasons we went with WILLOW as our fall concert headliner is because we really just want to keep bringing different types of artists for the students to enjoy,” Le said. “Especially with the traction her recent album has gotten, as well as her high ranking on the fall survey, she has been on our radar since the very beginning of the planning process.”
Like her parents Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, as well as her brother Jaden Smith, WILLOW has delved into the worlds of film and music since she was little. In 2007, she played alongside her father in the movie “I Am Legend,” but switched to music in 2010.
Originating from Portland, Oregon, Daniyel Weissmann has been growing as a young artist. In 2020, he released “LOST ONES,” a single about his aunt who had recently died of cancer. Cole Bennett, one of the hottest hip-hop music video directors, found this song and decided to make a video for it. The music video has currently clocked over 3 million views. Daniyel plans on releasing a new album, “82nd,” this year. It will be an ode to his hometown of Portland, Oregon.
Le said this year’s fall concert, while in person, will be different from past shows, with regulations on masks and new seating arrangements.
“We’re hoping it will be a huge hit, being that this is the first in-person concert on campus since the [COVID-19] pandemic began,” Le said. “We will still have safety regulations in place, like all attendees must wear a mask during the whole duration of the concert. Also, instead of the typical pit-style for the floor, we are implementing the pods system that many venues have been successfully using to ease back into events. Friends can sign up for their own ‘pod’ in different size groups to still experience the show up close.”
Lucas Bianculli, vice president for programming for the SA and a senior double-majoring in economics and environmental studies, said it was important to bring back the fall concert as a live, in-person event.
“We thought that it was very important to bring back in-person programming in any way possible following the difficulty of the past year,” Bianculli said. “While adhering to state and university COVID-19 guidelines, we felt that it was important to give back to students our annual fall concert in person.”
The fall concert will be held on Oct. 7 at the Events Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show will begin at 8 p.m. The date for ticket sales is to be determined and will be announced on the SAPB Instagram (@bingSAPB). General admission and floor tickets will be available.