The Source |James Blake, Coi Leray, and More Lead New Sprite Limelight Music Program

Sprite Limelight, a new music program produced in conjunction with an amazing and diverse ensemble of international musical talent, will be hosted by James Blake. Sprite’s new global brand narrative, Heat Happens, portrays the brand as the drink that helps you cool down in the face of everyday heated moments, which is supported by the new music program. Sprite Limelight brings together music fans from many cultures and styles, introducing a new way of creating music that honors each person’s original talent.

The central hook and lyric story will be provided by James Blake and will be based on the Limelight concept of keeping life’s heat at bay. Three unique international artists have used that hook to inspire and construct their own wholly original songs. A single musical starting point is reinterpreted through many artistic and cultural lenses.

“The limelight program is a chance for me to collaborate with artists from around the world in a process that’s new to me, to create a unique song with an empowering message that they can carry through each of their beautiful interpretations. It’s been inspiring to see how each artist took this hook and beat and created something that would never have existed any other way”, says James Blake. 

Platinum-selling artist Coi Leray, who has quickly made a name for herself with multiple American Music Awards, BET, and iHeartRadio Music Award nominations ahead of her recently released debut album TRENDSETTER; African singer-songwriter social sensation Omah Lay, whose self-produced track ‘Bad Influence’ garnered viral status; and finally, prolific singer Hua Chen, who has been nominated for multiple American Music Awards, BET, and iHeartRadio Music Award nominations

“As an artist I’m constantly pushing myself to raise the bar when it comes to my creativity. Finding new ways to express myself is so much a part of who I am as an artist, that’s why I’m hyped to be partnering with Sprite on their Limelight program. Helping other dope musicians to not only get through the door, but flourish while shining a light on their individuality through music is something I’m happy to be a part of,” says Coi Leray.

The original content will be available as individual tracks as well as in the form of artistic documentary-style music films on YouTube and Spotify. These immersive “Heat Confessionals,” which will feature artist-tailored playlists for their fans as well as artists’ stories about surviving their own moments of heat through their renowned music, will be created on various music streaming platforms around the world.

“Sprite Limelight provides a unique opportunity for fans to experience new music, through one hook reimagined three different ways. It also offers a window into the way they make music, as well as their own personal experiences – connected to our core brand philosophy – of staying cool in those moments when life’s heat feels intense”, says Shrenik Dasani, Sprite Global Brand Director, The Coca-Cola Company. “In bringing very different artists from around the world together around one musical expression based on a shared life experience, it connects music fans across cultures and borders.”

Sprite Limelight was developed in collaboration with Universal Music Group as the primary content developer and the new OpenX agency partnership with WPP as the amplification partner.

Sprite Limelight content will be available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/Sprite and on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/user/sprite2015 from early June.