Tawbox recently planned the
London-born MC’s biggest tour
yet: a worldwide trek — includ-
ing three dates at London’s O2
Arena — that kicked off in Feb-
ruary and is in support of his 2019
album,Heavy Is the Head. His
2019 Glastonbury gig provided a
road map: Bronski and Rimell left open space in Stor-
mzy’s set for sociopolitical statements, which included a
sampled speech from British Labour Party politician David
Lammy decrying racism in criminal justice, and a perfor-
mance from the London dance company Ballet Black. “It’s
a celebration of how far black British music has come,”
says Bronski. “We always go far and beyond to prove he is
the biggest performer of our generation in the U.K.”
STORMZY
When the American girl
group decided to make its
long-awaited comeback
with a primetime perfor-
mance on U.K. TV show
The X Factor: Celebrity in
November 2019, Tawbox
took the job on a week’s
notice. “Some of [the members] hadn’t seen each other
for 10 years, so it was incredible to see how hard they
rehearsed,” says Bronski. Rimell adds, “One of the most
challenging things was my idea to have the girls dive off
the side of the platform.” (They practiced with a cherry
picker and crash mats.) Tawbox is hoping to translate the
TV showcase’s hard-hitting choreo into the Dolls’ first tour
in a decade: a run of nine U.K./Ireland concerts in April.
THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS
IN DEMAND
Less than a decade ago, a self-described “frustrated punk rocker,” Chris
“Bronski” Jablonski, and a sidelined professional dancer, Amber Rimell,
crossed paths for a second time while working on Rita Ora’s then-upcoming
tour. Bronski — whose band never took off, but who had become an expert
in audio, lighting and onstage visuals — and Rimell — whose knee injury
halted her dance career but drove her to become a choreographer — decid-
ed to pitch their own creative direction. They say Ora was adamant that they
execute it, and in November 2012 they formed their own creative studio:
Tawbox. Additional work with Ora sustained momentum, but it wasn’t until
Stormzy enlisted Tawbox for a 2017 tour that the two-person team became
a go-to company for performers in the United Kingdom. “Stormzy’s 2019
Glastonbury [headline] performance was a huge turning point, with people
reaching out and wanting to work with us,” says Rimell. Now, fresh off di-
recting three of nine performances at the BRIT Awards in February, Tawbox
is eager to grow its presence outside the United Kingdom. —CHRIS PAYNE
TAWBOX
CREATIVE DIRECTORS
Though Tawbox had never
worked with a rock band be-
fore, Weezer (fronted by Rivers
Cuomo, left) enlisted the duo
to serve as creative directors
for its biggest-venue tour to
date: 2020’s Hella Mega Tour.
The highly anticipated trek has
Weezer promoting its hair metal-inspired album,Van
Weezer, alongside co-headliners Green Day and Fall
Out Boy at stadium gigs across multiple continents.
Bronski — who lists Weezer’s Green Album and Red
Album among his desert island picks — felt especially
passionate about the project. “I’ve seen Weezer many
times over the years,” he says. “With this, they’re defi-
nitely stepping outside their comfort zone.”
WEEZER
34 BILLBOARD • MARCH 14, 2020
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ES.Rimell (left) and
Jablonski of Tawbox.
JACK HARLOW
FROM Louisville, Ky.
AGE 22
LABEL Generation Now/Atlantic
Records
FOUNDATION When Jack Harlow
was 2 years old, his mother would play
Eminem’sMarshall Mathers LP in their
minivan; five years later, she bought
him a CD of Kanye West’sLate Regis-
tration. The early hip-hop education
soaked in, and at age 12, Harlow — who
was most passionate about writing in
school — started posting original raps
on Facebook and YouTube for his class-
mates to see. “When I started listening
to rap, the bravado gave me so much
confidence,” says the Louisville native.
“You can live vicariously through an art-
ist’s tone. I wanted to make my own.”
DISCOVERY During his high school
spring breaks, Harlow would drive
six hours from Louisville to Atlanta to
participate in open-mic events and
grow his network. “I was interested in
connecting with literally anyone,” he
says. “It was like, ‘Can I just meetone
DJ or producer?’ ” After graduating in
2016, Harlow opted to skip college and
moved to Atlanta full time a year later,
thanks to advice he received from fel-
low Kentucky native and collaborator,
KY Engineering (Drake, Lil Wayne). He
independently released two EPs on his
label Private Garden Sounds; a friend of
DJ Drama heard them and arranged for
the two to get together in the studio.
By 2018, Harlow signed a recording
contract to Drama’s and Don Cannon’s
imprint Generation Now (a joint venture
with Atlantic Records).
FUTURE Since signing, Harlow has
released two more projects:Loose in
2018 andConfetti in 2019. But it’s his
2020 single, “WHATS POPPIN,” with its
droning production and piano-flutters
that became his first Billboard Hot 100
hit (at No. 74). Since it arrived, Harlow
has earned co-signs from DaBaby and
Blueface, performed the track onThe
Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
and gained a larger audience ahead
of his new EP,Sweet Action — the
song’s music video, directed by Lyrical
Lemonade’s Cole Bennett, has already
racked up over 14 million views on You-
Tube. “Having a Hot 100 hit or going on
Jimmy Fallon are accomplishments that
resonate with anybody,” says Harlow. “If
I stopped today, I still have something I
can brag to my grandchildren about.”
—JOSH GLICKSMAN
ONE TO WATCH