New York State Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner Jeanette Moy today announced that SWV will headline the 2022 Black Arts and Cultural Festival Presented by UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce at the Empire State Plaza from 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 6.

“The Black Arts and Cultural Festival celebrates Black history and culture with the support of vendors and free entertainment that everyone will enjoy,” Commissioner Moy said. “I want to thank the new sponsor of this event, the UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s generosity will help us bring an exciting lineup of music, art, dance, and activities to the Empire State Plaza for this fun cultural event.”

UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Anthony Gaddy said, “The UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce and Albany Black Chamber are proud to be the official title sponsor of the 2022 Black Arts and Cultural Festival. ‘BlackFest,’ as it is known to many of us, has a rich history in the City of Albany. We are honored to be a part of that tradition and honored to partner with New York State for this year’s festival. We look forward to introducing some of our members to the community as well as meeting some of the business owners and entrepreneurs who will be on hand.” 

In April, OGS announced it would be returning to a full lineup of festivals and concerts for the 2022 Summer at the Plaza season, which will kick off on Independence Day with New York State’s Fourth of July Celebration Presented by Price Chopper/Market 32.

In 1992, a trio of vocally talented women called SWV was introduced to the music world.

SWV’s debut on RCA, “It’s About Time,” produced a string of top 10 R&B hits, including “I’m So Into You,” “Right Here,” “Downtown,” “Weak,” and “You’re Always On My Mind.” This montage of musical success established the trio as a commercial force early in 1993. Teddy Riley mentored the group in honing their craft and sound and, as a result, produced the remix to the hit, “Right Here,” which featured samples of Michael Jackson’s hit. The partnership also produced another hit single, “Human Nature,” which topped the R&B charts at number one and popular charts at number two. SWV earned 11 Billboard Music Award nominations for its debut album.

In 1996, SWV returned to the music scene with another platinum album, “New Beginning,” which was preceded by the number one hit, “You’re the One,” and The Neptune’s hit, “Use Your Heart.”

In 1997, SWV released its third album, “Release Some Tension,” which spawned several top 10 hits, including “Someone,” featuring Sean “Puffy” Combs as artist and producer; “Lose My Cool,” a rhythmic duet of SWV and rap artist Redman; “Rain” a trademark torch ballad written and produced by the first album collaborator, Brian Alexander Morgan; and the Timbaland produced song “Can We,” featuring Missy Elliot, which was featured on the “Booty Call” movie soundtrack.

SWV has received numerous accolades from its peers in the industry. In 1993, the debut album received nominations for a Grammy, American Music Award, and Source Award. The group also won a Children’s Choice Award and a BET “Best of Video Soul” Award.

In May 2021, SWV competed against Xscape on the Verzuz webcast series in a battle of 1990s R&B greats. After performing to over 3.5 million viewers and garnering 1.25 billion impressions, Billboard declared SWV the winner and also put SWV on Billboard’s prestigious “Top 40 Female Groups of All Time” across all music genres.

OGS will continue to announce the lineup of events and performances for the 2022 Summer at the Plaza season in the coming weeks.

Previously Announced 2022 Summer at the Plaza

• Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas to Headline New York State’s Fourth Of July Celebration Presented By Price Chopper/Market 32
• moe. to headline the first performance of the 2022 Summer at the Plaza’s Capital Concert Series Presented by Miller Lite and DeCrescente Distributing Company, beginning at 5:30 on Wednesday, July 6.
• Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo will headline the July 13 performance of the 2022 Summer at the Plaza’s Capital Concert Series, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

For event updates, visit empirestateplaza.ny.gov, @EmpireStatePlaza on Facebook, and @plazaevents on Twitter, or call (518) 474-4759. For additional information about Summer at the Plaza events, including directions and ground rules, visit www.empirestateplaza.ny.gov.