THE ANGELS –
Beyond the engineering, athleticism, speed and luxury, fans love the sound of Formula One.
The ferocious rhythms of a turbocharged V6 hybrid engine; the staccato of a hasty gear change; sensual and thunderous hums. There is a real musical appreciation for elite motorsport. Motors are rated using revolutions per minute (RPM), the same way vinyl records are.
It’s no surprise that F1 has excited musicians and music lovers for decades: George Harrison of the Beatles wrote “Faster” about the series, which he described as “noisy rock ‘n’ roll”; the same spirit that inspired a Mario Andretti title for A Tribe Called Quest’s “Award Tour.” But in recent years, a growing interest in F1, particularly among young Americans, has made its influence on the music world (and vice versa) impossible to ignore.
There is “Monaco” by Bad Bunny and “Por la familia” by Carín León, both with Mexican Red Bull driver Sergio “Checo” Pérez in their videos. Up-and-coming indie band Wednesday included a song called “Formula One” on their 2023 album “Rat Saw God.” Musicians who love F1 are not limited to any genre or country, its appeal is as global as the sport itself.
A good example is this week’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, where F1 drivers will take to the track, bathed in the glow of its opulent casinos. Music will mix with motorsport at countless events starting Wednesday, including an opening ceremony with will.i.am, J Balvin, Tiësto, John Legend, Keith Urban, Kylie Minogue, Thirty Seconds to Mars and more.
Concerts have become an expected addition to the F1 experience, and the trend has made its way to the United States over the past decade.
Since 2012, Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, had been the only F1 venue in the United States, until the inclusion of Miami last year and Las Vegas in 2023. Glynn Wedgewood, COTA’s senior vice president of music and entertainment, says the track is the first introduced live music performances with Elton John in 2015. Since then, Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons and Pink have performed. In 2019, COTA had three days of performances. The 2023 lineup alone included The Killers, Queen with Adam Lambert, the Rolling Stones and Tiësto.
That lineup, which leans more toward rock for COTA’s audience compared to the Latin artists included in Miami, is “a testament to what we’ve seen in recent years,” Wedgewood says. “It’s a young rock audience.”
Wedgewood references the effects of Netflix’s “Drive to Survive,” the popular documentary series that successfully altered the demographics traditionally associated with the world’s most luxurious motorsport (older, richer, male) and opened it up to a younger generation. young people, particularly Americans. In 2018, 265,000 people attended the race at COTA. In 2023, that number jumped to 432,000. That also translates into television viewership. According to ESPN, F1 viewership in 2022 increased significantly among teenagers, women and the key 18-34 demographic.
The connection between music and Formula One, for Wedgewood, is innate.
“Most people listen to music in their car,” he says. “It is almost unconsciously ingrained in our DNA: that racing goes hand in hand with music.”
This year, will.i.am became Formula One’s first global resident artist, something the musician pitched to Formula One Group CEO Stefano Domenicali as a series of musical collaborations celebrating the sport as well as an opportunity to take the F1 concert aspect to a higher level, global audience, not just those lucky enough to see it live. The role led the Black Eyed Peas member to release his first solo single in more than a decade: “The Formula,” featuring Lil Wayne. This was followed by “Let’s Go”, another song inspired by F1, in which J Balvin participates.
will.i.am has been a big F1 fan since the Black Eyed Peas performed at the first Singapore Grand Prix held at the Marina Bay Circuit in 2008. Since then, he had noticed a disconnect between live music and entertainment experiences in F1 racing and what is broadcast on television, as well as a missed opportunity for artists.
“Why don’t people release music at the time of their F1 event?” he asked, comparing it to the Super Bowl, where artists frequently release new music before their (televised) performances at the show. Part time. “Artists in residence can really help bridge that gap.”
Tiësto, a lifelong F1 fan, released the album “Drive” in April, featuring an F1 racing helmet on the cover.
“It’s not just about the car and the racing, but the environment around it, the excitement around it,” says the experience of a race weekend. “There is an organic connection there.”
The DJ believes the evolution of the experience of attending a Grand Prix reflects the growing interest in the sport, particularly in the United States and among young people.
“They want to watch the race, you know, but they want to have fun. They want to have a drink. It is the perfect time to create a festival,” she says.
F1 drivers have also gotten into music. Ferrari driver Charles LeClerc signed with music management company Verdigris earlier this year and has released instrumental compositions; Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to creating music, featuring on Christina Aguilera’s 2018 song “Pipe” under the pseudonym XNDA. Chloe Stroll, sister of Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, has forged a budding pop career celebrated by sports fans.
“What made me like sports was music. I went to sports playing music,” says will.i.am. “I have always loved cars, but why do I like F1 and not (IndyCar)? What is it about F1 that makes me like this sport? It is its place as a cultural phenomenon,” he says, referencing F1’s mix of fashion, music and art.
“They notice the value of having different disciplines come to celebrate their sport,” he added.
The modern union of F1 and music has not been without obstacles. Despite the influx of new fans, watching live racing remains an elite experience. The Las Vegas race is the most expensive event on this year’s calendar. Last year’s pre-race show in Miami was met with displeasure by the F1 drivers themselves, who criticized the pomp and circumstance of their appearances, namely that they stood too long in the Florida sun in their uniforms. during preparation time. In Las Vegas, the ceremony will take place on Wednesday before Saturday’s race.
Las Vegas will offer its own mix of music and motorsports all week long.
On Thursday night, producer Mark Ronson will perform in the T-Mobile Zone at the new Sphere forum between two racing practice sessions. The brain behind the “Barbie” soundtrack already knows that there is a great crossover between music lovers and F1 fans.
Now “we will discover the crossover between F1 fans and ‘Barbie’ fans,” he jokes.
2023-11-14 20:33:32
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