Each and every week during the summer months in the United Kingdom, there is a music festival held in a different location around the country.
Among the highlights are the beginning of the summer with Radio 1’s Big Weekend in May, the dominance of Glastonbury in June, Latitude in July, and a Reading and Leeds Bank Holiday extravaganza in August.
There are a lot of options available to people who enjoy music in the United Kingdom.
The option to dance with your friends in a field while holding a beer that is lukewarm, dealing with dry shampoo, having a poor phone service, and chanting “Oggy, oggy, oggy, oi, oi, oi” is not available in certain regions of the world.
In order to bring about a change in the situation, Dua Lipa and her father, Dukagjin, decided to organize the Sunny Hill festival in the city of Pristina, Kosovo, which is the family’s hometown. This is a region of the world that is visited by a limited number of worldwide musicians.
Earlier this year, Dua provided an explanation and stated, “I want to change the rhetoric of what people think about Kosovo and the fact that it is war-torn.”
During the time that I was residing in Kosovo, none of the musicians that I needed to see ever made it to the country.”
As a kid, Dua relocated to Pristina, Kosovo, following a war that occurred in the late 1990s and resulted in the deaths of over 10,000 people. Kosovo fought the conflict in an effort to separate from Serbia.
Despite the fact that certain nations, notably Serbia, do not recognize it, it declared it in the year 2008.
“Reinstating the country took more years than we’d liked,” according to Dukagjin.
After working in the live music events industry for a number of years before to Dua’s rise to prominence as an international pop sensation, he said that it was “always a dream” to have something similar to Sunny Hill in Pristina.
Sunny Hill was unveiled in 2018, ten years after Kosovo gained its independence. Dua was the featured performer at the event, which was attended by tens of thousands of people who celebrated the success of one of their own.
The challenge, however, was to persuade other artists from around the world to participate. However, the following year, friends of the New Rules star Miley Cyrus and Calvin Harris agreed to top the bill. This was the first time that they had performed in the region.
The way that other acts and their management teams perceived the festival was altered as a result of this shift.
“We really do punch way above our weight when it comes to the line-up,” Dukagjin said in an interview with BBC News.
“When I talk to the artists about coming I say: ‘Look you might not have the tequila you want on your rider, but trust me you’ll have the best sound equipment money can buy’.”
According to his latest data, approximately 40% of visitors came from outside Kosovo. This can be attributed to the country’s diaspora, as people with family ties in Kosovo often bring their friends along when they visit.
Many people traveled long distances, all the way from Chicago in the US, to witness the incredible performances of artists such as Bebe Rexha, Burna Boy, Stormzy, and DJ Snake, who took the main stage last weekend.
Groove Armada, Black Coffee, and Griff were also featured in the lineup.
Kosovo is believed to have one of the youngest populations in Europe, with over half of its residents estimated to be under the age of 30.
Due to travel restrictions, local musicians were previously unable to perform in different parts of the continent.
“Being a musician is no walk in the park,” shares singer La Fazani, who has performed at Sunny Hill on numerous occasions.
“The only way to truly generate a substantial income is through working in the nightclub industry.”
He recently achieved success on a popular TV show in the country, acknowledging that without Sunny Hill, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to perform in front of a large audience. He also expresses his hope that being on Lipa’s guest list could further enhance his career.
“Sunny Hill has been instrumental in creating a positive image of Kosovo,” he says.
“There are numerous individuals from international labels present, and I am hopeful that I may have captured the attention of someone who appreciates my work.”
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After witnessing his daughter’s incredible performance as the headliner at one of the most renowned festivals globally, Dukagjin expresses his admiration for Glastonbury, acknowledging its unparalleled status. He realizes that his own project, Sunny Hill, which recently debuted on a new permanent site to accommodate the expanding crowd, faces a daunting challenge in attaining a similar level of recognition.
According to industry insiders, the project has drawn comparisons to Glastonbury in the 1980s, with Coachella owner Paul Tollett among those who have made the connection. Furthermore, there are ambitious plans to expand the event beyond just a live music festival.
“I admire individuals who take the time to extend their stay in Pristina, allowing them to connect with local artists and exchange creative concepts.”
“And it would be great for them to network with individuals in the music industry, with the hope of organizing workshops next year to spark a movement,” Dukagjin says.