UK rapper Slowthai has announced his new one-day festival, Happyland.

The event has been billed in full as ‘Happyland – The Happiest Place in the Universe’ where “the policy is simple: No Smile, No Entry”, and will take place in his native Northampton.

Curated by the charismatic artist himself, each Happyland act “representing a different facet of the UK music scene in 2021”.

Slowthai will headline the inaugural edition of the festival, with sets from IDLES, Beabadoobee, Easy Life, Greentea Peng, Shygirl and Pa Salieu to be expected.

In a statement about the festival, Slowthai said: “Happyland with happy folk. The place where we can laugh and joke. The place you can be yourself without judgment, expectations and impressions of someone else. The space from the shackles of the everyday. The mountain where we climb to run away.

“Imagine what you’ve never had when you come to Happyland – you will never be sad.”

Tickets for Happyland 2021 will go on sale this Friday, May 14th. For more information, visit the AEG Presents website here.

Slowthai will head out on tour in the UK and Ireland in March 2022 in support of his recent solo album TYRON, which hit number one in the UK upon its release.

The sophomore LP is divided into two parts; one illuminating the punchy outer layer of the artist, and the other highlighting his more introspective side. The hard-hitting first half features Skepta, A$AP Rocky and Kwes Darko; and the latter half taps the talent of Mount Kimbie, Deb Never, Dominic Fike and Denzel Curry.

According to Hot Press, "The raw energy that made him a rising star on his 2019 debut Nothing Great About Britain hasn’t dulled, but Slowthai has matured beyond measure. The more soulful half of TYRON dives deep into his psyche, touching on his grief following the death of his brother Michael John, as well as various fractured relationships. Never one to shy away from brutal honesty, the rapper also explores mental illness and feelings of loneliness throughout TYRON. Overall, an incredibly exciting effort, confirming Slowthai’s status as a major artist."

Read the enigmatic Hot Press interview with Slowthai from February here.