Little Simz Picks Lola Young to Headline the Meltdown 2025 Festival

London’s Southbank Centre is gearing up for an electrifying Meltdown 2025, and the spotlight is firmly on rising star Lola Young as part of the festival’s freshly unveiled first wave of artists.

Curated by the Mercury Prize-winning rapper Little Simz, this year’s event promises to be a genre-defying celebration of music, art, and culture, running from Thursday, June 12 to Sunday, June 22.

Among the standout names announced on March 24, 2025, Lola Young’s inclusion has fans buzzing with excitement, marking her as a key rising star highlight of the festival’s 30th edition.

Lola Young, the 2025 BRIT Award nominee and voice behind the viral hit Messy, will take the stage at the Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday, June 17.

Young’s performance is set to be a defining moment in a line-up that reflects Simz’s eclectic taste and commitment to spotlighting London’s homegrown talent.

It looks like the full lineup is still in the works, but here are the names that Little Simz has picked so far to perform at Meltdown 2025.

• June 14 - Sasha Keable
• June 17 - Lola Young
• June 18 - Ghetts
• June 18 - Yukimi
• June 21 - Jon Batiste
• June 22 - Little Simz & Chineke! Orchestra