Nick Jonas, RZA and Blxst Join Speaker Roster at SXSW

Nick Jonas, Blxst and Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA are among the music stars set to speak at this year’s South By Southwest, organizers announced today (Jan. 10). The pop and hip-hop artists are among the third batch of speakers for SXSW, which takes place March 10 – 19, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

Jonas, a solo artist and member of the chart-topping sibling act Jonas Brothers, will speak on the health-focused panel, Crushing: The Burden of Diabetes on Patients; Blxst will tackle a session entitled, How Music, Entrepreneurship & Independence Intersect, facilitated by Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop reporter Heran Mamo; while RZA, the producer, director, screenwriter, rapper and composer, will take the mic as a featured speaker.

Also on board as featured speakers are Eric André, Josh D’Amaro, Tommy Dorfman, Ashley Flowers, Gottmik, Martin Luther King III, Damon Lindelof, Eva Longoria, Alexis Ohanian, Maya Penn, Austin Russell, Dan Schulman, Simran Jeet Singh, Cheryl Strayed, Jen Wong, and others.

This year’s lineup will include a special keynote session, Unfold The Universe: NASA’s Webb Space Telescope, which promises a deep-dive into outer space.

SXSW has unveiled several waves of performers for its 37^th edition, including The Zombies, Lemon Twigs, Ambré and Osees, and, in an earlier round, the likes of Armani White, Algiers and Balming Tiger, alongside speakers including Warner Chappell Music co-chair and CEO Guy Moot, Signal And Cipher chief Ian Beacraft and authors Douglas Rushkoff and Joost Van Druenen.

The live music showcase is a buzzing part of a much larger festival, which was founded in 1987 and is dedicated to celebrating entertainment and culture.

Among SXSW’s partners for the 2023 edition are Anniversary Group, Atomic Music Group, Athens in Austin, British Music Embassy, Don Giovanni Records, Fire Records, FOCUS Wales, Gorilla vs Bear, Jazz re:freshed Outernational, Pop Montreal, M for Montreal, Music From Ireland, New West Records, Space Agency, and Wide Days Scotland.

As previously reported, SXSW will expand to Sydney, Australia for seven days and nights from Oct. 15-22, 2023, marking the event’s first foray outside the United States.

SXSW signed a “lifeline” deal with P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, the companies announced in April 2021, making P-MRC a stakeholder and long-term partner with the Austin festival. P-MRC is the parent company of Billboard.