Sunburn is the ultimate Youth Engagement platform. It’s no surprise that Sunburn is ranked amongst the top 3 attended global music festivals; rated amongst the top 5 music festivals across all Social Media platforms globally; classified as the No. 1 youth platform in Asia; and India’s leading Live Media Asset.

Verus Ferreira met up with the face behind the super success of Sunburn Mr. Karan Singh, COO, Percept Live to know more about this year’s mega event and what lies in store for fans.

From Pune it’s back to Goa. Why have you decided to move back to the original venue?

Goa offers a fantastic mix of sun, sand, sea, culture, cuisine, youthful energy and a pulsating lifestyle that ranges from chilling out to fast paced fun and entertainment. We received great local support since the birth of Sunburn in Goa in 2007 and we saw it grow from a simple concept into a super successful global festival which saw an attendance from over 52 countries in this very destination. The support and love we always received from the locals in Goa was overwhelming and we couldn't have asked for a better destination or a better administration that was so keen to see Sunburn succeed and grow year on year. And that made Goa always extremely special for us.

We tried really hard to recreate the magic of Goa across other destinations, however Goa is Goa....it’s impossible to create the natural aura of Goa elsewhere. And Sunburn is as Goan as the Goans! It kicked off in Goa 12 years ago, and grew right there. In a sense, we attribute a large share of Sunburn’s success to Goa. And therefore, we are thrilled to bring home the flagship Sunburn Festival after a gap of 3 years. Goa is Sunburn’s home and it’s a nostalgic feeling to witness Sunburn Festival’s homecoming after a long gap of 3 years.

We will work closely with the authorities to get all the required permissions to ensure the event goes off smoothly and we are committed to positioning Goa as the destination of choice for Entertainment, Lifestyle, Creativity, Fun and Business through our initiatives with Sunburn. It’s our way of paying back and thanking the beautiful State of Goa and its people for all their love and support they have given to us into making Sunburn the super global success that it is today.

The recent partnerships indicate a clear shift from Music to Lifestyle….tell us more?

Sunburn has emerged as an aspirational Youth brand and serves as the perfect platform for brands looking to associate with the dynamic elements of Fun, Music, Youth and Excitement. OPPO came aboard as the Title Sponsor for Sunburn Goa 2019 and is a very popular brand among the youth today. As a brand focused on leveraging premium and engaging consumer experiences with the youth, the partnership with Sunburn was a perfect lifestyle fit.

We have also teamed up with W Goa to introduce a unique luxury experience called ‘The Lounge’ which will offer an indulgent experience for those looking to take the Sunburn VVIP experience to the next level. Discerning globetrotting music aficionados can now enjoy ultra-luxury, comfort, customized service, curated F&B experiences, premium beverages and insider access to all the Sunburn Pre- and After-Parties at Rockpool, W Goa.

Sunburn Goa is presented by Kingfisher and Magic Moments, and will be co-powered by Skybags, Fast Track, Toyota, Zee 5 in association with boAt, SpiceJet, Cred Experience and Jameson. Each partner is a leader in the lifestyle space and Sunburn will offer them a direct line of engagement with their TG in a non-disruptive focused environment at many levels to drive higher brand visibility, brand trials, awareness and top-of-mind recall. Brands will get multiple touch points and opportunities to reach out to their youth TA at Sunburn Festival via both online & offline activations, therein attaining their objectives of instantaneous connect and brand recall.

Every strategic partnership will enable us to further amp up the scale and magnitude of Sunburn Festival Goa 2019 and offer our audiences an exclusive immersive experience like never before.

What is the artist lineup this year at Sunburn Festival?

We have a fantastic artist line up including World no #2 DJ Martin Garrix and the world’s biggest dance-pop acts The Chainsmokers headlining Sunburn Festival 2019. Phenomenal acts like Australian record producer, music programmer and Grammy award winner DJ FLUME, multi-platinum producer and songwriter Jonas Blue, defining figure of house music Fedde Le Grand, Dutch dance music star Julian Jordan and young Belgian prodigy Lost Frequencies, will be joining the Main Stage as support acts, promising an electrifying experience.

Techno innovators, Cuban-American DJ/producer, MaceoPlex and 5 times DJ Award winner Chilean-Swiss DJ Luciano who will be making their India debut at the festival will be headlining the SOLARIS stage. Other artists who will support them on stage include Oliver Huntmann, Jeremy Olander, Coyu, Hosh, Andre Winter, Anish Sood, Ana Lilia, Marino Canal, Shaun Reeves, Sequ3l, Priyanjana, Idriss D and Khen.

Other popular artists that we have handpicked for our fans to be entertained throughout the day include Candice Redding, Kryoman, Shaan, Sartek, Ritviz, Progressive Brothers, Siana Catherine, Teri Miko, Jetfire, Aazar, Brooks, Ellie Prohan and Loopers.

On the Psychedelic Stage one can watch out for names like Belik Boom, Captain Hook, Designer Hippies, Laughing Buddha, Shanti People, Space Cat and Xerox & Illumination! Sunburn Goa 2019 will feature several special label show-cases and stages including Martin Garrix’s STMPD imprint, Luciano & Friends, Senso sounds, Sin City, Slick, Suara &Vivrant.

How does Sunburn as a brand contribute to the upswing in the eco-tourism of that destination?

Music is a great unifier and music festivals offer a great opportunity as they bring together a varied range of individuals, activities, artists and locals to help make the destination a global landmark. More and more State Governments have seen the potential to boost tourism through musical and cultural events. People from all over the country and world travel to attend these festivals and enjoy the local music, art, shopping and culture, therein putting the destination on the global map and driving footfalls, revenue, imaging and creating a positive impact on the overall economy.

Over the past 12 years every time as Sunburn moved from one to another destination, it added phenomenal value to that place and converted it into a tourism hot spot. Young Indians and global millennial travellers are now willing to travel in huge numbers for Sunburn wherever the festival shifts, therein adding massive long term value to that destination and State exchequer. Be it Goa or Pune, Sunburn has brought in massive returns to the local economy and created multiple business opportunities for the region through the entire period of the Festival. Sunburn has contributed massively in both direct revenue to the government as also generated phenomenal business for the region through Hotel accommodation, Transport, F&B and miscellaneous expenses incurred by international and domestic festival audiences. The hotel industry recorded a massive upswing in occupancy and the transport sector saw considerable business boom with both private and public transport witnessing a huge surge in demand for their services during the period of Sunburn. From F&B stalls en-route to the venue, to vendors selling party props and all types of wares for festival goers everywhere, every piece of land around the Sunburn region boosted business and stimulated the overall economy of that region.

While Sunburn is one of the earliest music festivals in the country, many more Music Festivals have come up since? What separates Sunburn from the others?

Over 13 years Sunburn has grown and evolved into one of the world’s biggest music Brands. From 5,000 people over two days at Sunburn Goa 2007, the festival has expanded into a multi-city and multi-country affair with over 850,000 fans turning up for Sunburn through 2018-19. No other festival in the dance music scene has been able to create the legacy and the hysteria that Sunburn has been able to create. We introduced the country to EDM and are the only dance music brand to have sustained and grown consistently over the past 13 years.

The success of Sunburn can be attributed to a lot of hard work, research, investment and other tangible factors. Given the dynamic audience pulse and partner brand expectations, we have constantly innovated, experimented, broken the mould and introduced newer and more formats recognizing the potential of Sunburn across the entire country. We have always focused on the expectations and experience of our fans, and we will continue to give them an even better, bigger and importantly more varied experience moving forward. Innovation, Experimentation, R&D, embracing the latest and the best of global Technology, and single-minded dedication towards delivering the very best is how we have successfully stayed not just relevant but ahead of the curve since 2007.

Interviewed by Verus Ferreira