Lauryn Hill to headline inaugural Diaspora Calling! at National Bowl in Milton Keynes

Acclaimed singer songwriter Lauryn Hill will headline the inaugural Diaspora Calling! at the National Bowl this summer.

The event, taking place in the UK for the first time, will see the Grammy Award winner joined by Wyclef Jean, YG Marley and Zion Marley at the Milton Keynes venue on Friday, August 7.

The festival will be held at The National Bowl in August.placeholder image
The festival will be held at The National Bowl in August.

Originally launched in 2016, Diaspora Calling! was conceived by Lauryn Hill as a music and art initiative celebrating the culture, creativity and shared histories of the African diaspora.

The project began with a curated art exhibition and live performance at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, where Ms Hill presented a gallery focused heavily on Haitian art alongside a programme of live music.

The concept later expanded into a tour that featured artists including Nas, Kehlani, Noname and Little Simz.

Across its various iterations, the platform has centred on themes of unity, resilience and cultural exchange among African descendant communities worldwide.

Lauryn Hill is a Grammy-winning singer, rapper and songwriter whose vast influence spans hip-hop, soul and R&B.

She first rose to prominence as part of the game-changing Fugees before releasing her landmark solo album, ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’, which earned five Grammy Awards.

Hill is celebrated for her lyrical depth and genre-blending sound and is a culturally significant artist whose work continues to centre identity, spirituality and social consciousness.

Her performance at the National Bowl is scheduled to be her only UK performance of 2026.

Supporting her is Wyclef Jean, a fellow Grammy-winning artist, producer and founding member of the Fugees whose sound blends hip-hop with Caribbean, soul and global influences.

Representing a new generation is YG Marley who brings conscious lyricism and reggae-rooted sounds that reflect the legacy of his family while carving out his own contemporary voice.

Zion Marley continues the Marley lineage with his own modern fusion of reggae, soul and hip-hop to the diaspora-inspired line-up.

More acts are expected to be added in the coming months.

Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, March 31, at 9am. People can sign up for access via www.diasporacalling.com

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