Singer / Songwriter Toshi Reagon Ready to Turn Things up with BIGLovely and Friends

The charismatic singer and her band prepare to light-up the Capital with their big-heart-hold nothing back approach to sonic Americana

Press Release

The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) is proud to once again welcome Toshi Reagon and her renowned band BIGLovely, as the East Plaza gets ready for an electrifying night of musical inspiration on Thursday,November 2.

Dubbed as a rock’n’roller-coaster ride and featuring an all-star lineup direct from New York City, Reagon and BIGLovely will blast its mix of rock, blues, R&B, country, folk and funk, as concert goers will witness Reagon’s expansive vision of sonic Americana, featuring guest appearances by members of the cast of Reagon’s opera Octavia E Butler’s Parable of the Sower, Tariq al-Sabir, Morley, Josette Newsam-Marchak, and Shayna Small. Reagon’s versatile ability to sing, compose, play and curate is as inspiring and empowering as it is impressive.

A night under the stars where the “dirty blues moans” and gospel tones of Toshi and BIGLovely, will connect with the audience members through encapsulating rhythms and beats. The open air East Plaza will become the playground for Toshi and her band; no space is off limits? to Reagon as she’s impressed at music festivals, intimate venues, NYC clubs and more. And from working with the likes of Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Costello, and Carl Hancock Rux, the performance is bound to be as dynamic and uplifting as ever.

Bill Bragin, executive artistic director at The Arts Center at NYUAD, is delighted about the performance about to hit The East Plaza: “Toshi Reagon is one of the most galvanizing performers I know. Her concerts are deeply generous communal celebrations with her audience. I have seen literally her perform literally several dozen times, and have never left less than elated.” 


About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world center for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from over 115 countries and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.