The 25th Annual Essence Festival was full of so many surprises! From Missy Elliot coming onto the guest floor at the superdome to Teddy Riley bringing on stage Timberland, Ginuwine, Teyana Taylor, Wyclef, Doug E. Fresh, Ro James and Pharrell this festival was one to remember! Did we mention Mama Obama was in the building? She spoke assertively about self-care and health which is something we stand for at HoneyBeNatural. We especially love that PJ Morton recorded live in the Superlounge and brought on personal favs like the Hamiltones, Bj The Chicago Kid and Jojo. If you missed the festival it’s okay, there’s been a few newly albums that will put you in the groove!

What we learned about BJ and PJ is that they are really good friends! They’ve worked together on numerous projects and when seen in person had a family-like relationship. With purposeful lyrics and music style, their soulful sounds are both memorable and thought provoking. These albums are ones you listen to all the way through, no pauses, no skips. Speaking about the life of a man, love, starting over and reinventing themselves are common themes on these albums! History was made at the PJ Morton live recording and how BJ and PJ blessed us in the Essence Media Lounge with sharing that they’re albums were coming was the icing on the cake! 

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(New York, NY) July 8, 2019 -- The 2019 ESSENCE Festival presented by Coca-Cola® attracted more than half a million attendees to New Orleans this Fourth of July weekend (July 4-7) for an historic 25th anniversary celebration representing one of the largest gatherings in the event's history. Forever First Lady Michelle Obama commanded the main stage at the sold-out Superdome on Saturday, July 7 for her first ESSENCE Festival headline appearance.  Throughout the weekend, seven 2020 Presidential candidates joined Power Stage segments at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to directly engage the influential audience of Black women in attendance and share plans and policies to address some of their most pressing issues.  In addition, the debut of the ESSENCE Global Black Economic Forum connected attendees with accomplished leaders and chief executives including Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, Chase Consumer Banking CEO Thasunda Duckett, Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO Bernard Tyson, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey, and TDJ Enterprises CEO TD Jakes, among others.

“The 25th anniversary ESSENCE Festival represented a truly transformative global homecoming celebration for Black women and the Black community,” said ESSENCE Chief Executive Officer Michelle Ebanks.  “This year’s extraordinary turnout reflects ESSENCE’s uniquely powerful engagement of Black women around personal empowerment, community, and culture as only ESSENCE can.  With the debut of 10 new Festival experiences, activations at more than 40 venues across New Orleans, and engagement with more than 300 small businesses and local vendors, we have redefined the Festival as the largest and most impactful destination at the epicenter of Black culture.”

Ebanks continued, “Lastly, in honor of us embodying all that Black excellence and culture represent – beyond entertainment and beauty, we were thrilled to reveal the Festival’s official rebrand to the ‘ESSENCE Festival of Culture,’ with a mission to inform, inspire and uplift Black women and provide a holistic approach to how we offer and deliver Black culture in every way.”

More than 300 influencers, leaders, creators and celebrities participated in the Festival's daytime experience – featuring powerhouse speakers Rev. Al Sharpton, Ava Duvernay, Yara Shahidi, Tyler Perry, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Marsai Martin, Valerie Jarrett, Iman, Common, Mona Scott-Young, Miles Brown and Iyanla Vanzant, among many others.

Over 100 performing artists across the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Many of the biggest names in the entertainment industry including Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, H.E.R, Nas, Pharrell, Patti LaBelle, Teyana Taylor and others performed at the event's concert series and dozens of others across ESSENCE's Center Stage and All-Star Gospel Celebration.

More than 300 influencers, leaders, creators and celebrities participated in the Festival's daytime experience – featuring powerhouse speakers Rev. Al Sharpton, Ava Duvernay, Yara Shahidi, Tyler Perry, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Marsai Martin, Valerie Jarrett, Iman, Common, Mona Scott-Young, Miles Brown and Iyanla Vanzant, among many others.

New, stand-alone consumer experiences including the ESSENCE Global Black Economic Forum, ESSENCE Fashion House, ESSENCE Wellness House, ESSENCE After Dark, and ESSENCE Passport25, among others, as well as the return of reimagined live content platforms and experiences including Beauty Carnival, Entertainment All Access, business & career summit E-Suite and ESSENCE Honors.