The long-awaited True Colors Festival (TCF) THE CONCERT 2022 featuring Katy Perry will be livestreamed free as part of its commitment to being accessible. It takes place on 19th and 20th November and presents more than 90 artists from around the world in a celebration of diversity.
“What moved me to join True Colors Festival was the spirit and uniqueness of the festival’s message and the opportunity to share the stage with all these diverse artists. I’m excited to be back in Tokyo to perform at this inspiring event and with the concert livestreamed all across the world, everybody can come together and celebrate,” says Katy Perry.
Welsh pianist Rachel Starritt and Latvian-born British ‘Bionic Pop Artist’ Viktoria Modesta will be joining the exciting and diverse lineup.
A classically trained pianist, Rachel received formal piano training at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) with Alison Bowring. A highly skilled performer, Rachel possesses extraordinary musicianship and piano improvisation skills. Her love of music spans a range of diverse musical genres including classical, jazz and popular culture. Rachel is a member of the British Paraorchestra, with whom she performed at Glastonbury in 2019 as part of the Love Unlimited Synth Orchestra with conductor Charles Hazlewood. She was born blind and also has Asperger’s.
Speaking about the concert, which celebrates the power of music to connect people everywhere, Rachel said: “It is a great pleasure for me to perform at True Colors festival which will showcase the thrills and pleasures of music with artists who are committed to their passions. Sharing is caring, experiencing is believing.”
Viktoria has established herself as a creative leader, connector and innovator in the post-disability community, bridging pop culture and art with academia, medicine and brands. Her hyper-stylized performances have been seen across the globe, including the closing ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics, the Super Bowl 2022, Miami Art Basel and her sold-out residency at the iconic Crazy Horse Paris cabaret. Viktoria’s work has been recognised by Barack Obama, who chose to profile her his guest-edited WIRED magazine issue, due to her relentless campaigning to push art and inclusivity forward in entertainment.
Viktoria said: "I am excited to bring my latest audio, visual performance and a futuristic lens on diversity to the True Colors Festival."
“A huge change is underway to make room for acceptance of people like myself. An understanding that human value cannot be limited to the physical body, it is the evolution of ideas with diverse minds that can get us through the next challenges we face. Technology can not only help us break the physical barriers of ability but create an equal playing field not governed by centuries of perspective and attitude."
Said Ichiro Kabasawa, Executive Director at The Nippon Foundation, presenter of TCF THE CONCERT 2022: “This is a truly unique concert experience, cutting across artists, genres, geographies, cultures. Our special guest is icon Katy Perry, who shares our vision of a more equal world. She’ll take the stage and deliver the impact that’s unique to who she is and what she stands for. We’re so excited to make it possible for audiences everywhere and with different needs to experience the concert wherever they are.”
In addition to the free Livestream, TCF THE CONCERT 2022 will provide a suite of accessibility features that will enable as many people as possible to experience the concert, whether live in Japan or via the livestream. These features include Japanese Sign, International Sign, real-time subtitles, audio description and personnel on standby at the venue for all guests in need of assistance. This will be the first time that so many accessibility features are being included at a TCF event.
TCF THE CONCERT 2022’s website has also been made more accessible with well-structured and labelled digital content that increases usage compatibility with screen readers and switch control software, different ways to find necessary information using different assistive technologies, a step-by-step guide to navigating one’s way to the concert venue and a hotline for ticket booking, as a reassuring additional option for concert audiences. Content – such as the videos on each artist's page –has also been vetted to ensure that the build-up to the concert is as accessible, smooth and as exciting as possible.
Guided by the theme One World, One Family, TCF THE CONCERT 2022 will bring together almost 100 singers, dancers and musicians – more than 20 groups and soloists – in a two-hour multimedia concert experience, culminating in a very special set by guest Katy Perry.
Among the artists performing are:
AUSTRALIA
Tony Dee – singer and voice of the 2016 Paralympics trailer We’re the Superhumans (viewed more than 10 million times)
BRAZIL
Johnatha Bastos – multi-instrumentalist who featured in the 2016 Paralympics trailer We’re the Superhumans (viewed more than 10 million times)
CANADA
Adrian Anantawan – virtuoso violinist
Alvin Law – drummer who featured in the 2016 Paralympics trailer We’re the Superhumans (viewed more than 10 million times)
INDIA
We are One – nationally decorated dance crew
ITALY
Federico Martello – vocalist and second runner up of The Voice, Italy
JAPAN
Bboyz - comprising Japanese breakdancers En, KATSUYA, Satoru and Seiju
BOTAN & DAZZLE – inclusive dance troupe
Harumi – chart-topping vocalist whose performance on The X Factor UK earned her a standing ovation
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – hailed as one of the powerful female artists of the world in 2020, she recently performed at Coachella Festival 2022.
Kenta Kambara –aerial performer, wheelchair dancer & parasportsman
Ryota Kaizo – vocalist and winner of the 2016 World Karaoke Championship
The Soulmatics – crossover gospel choir who’s performed internationally and alongside music legends
Tokyo NAKAMA and Tokyo NAKAMA Kids – dancers, singers and signers
MULTI-NATIONAL
ILL-Abilities – international dance crew from Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, the Netherlands, South Korea and the US.
SINGAPORE
Wheelsmith – rapper and composer who has performed at Singapore’s National Day Parade to a live TV and online audience of millions
UK
Rachel Starritt – pianist who featured in the 2016 Paralympics trailer We’re the Superhumans (viewed more than 10 million times)
Viktoria Modesta – bionic popstar
US
Katy Perry – global pop superstar, television star, entrepreneur and philanthropist
Mandy Harvey – vocalist and Golden Buzzer winner on America’s Got Talent
Raul Midón – Grammy-nominated vocalist and guitarist
Sparsh Shah – rapper who has twice performed to an audience of over a billion
FOR LIVE AUDIENCE
TCF THE CONCERT 2022 will be performed twice, at Japan’s Tokyo Garden Theater as a ticketed concert:
Saturday 19th (6pm Japan Standard Time)
Sunday 20th November (5pm Japan Standard Time)
