Ziggy Marley withdraws from WOMAD NZ 2020 line-up

Ziggy Marley will no longer be performing at WOMAD. Photo / Supplied

WOMAD NZ has announced that Ziggy Marley will no longer be performing at the festival Friday, March 13, at TSB Bowl Of Brooklands, Brooklands Park, New Plymouth.

The statement received from Ziggy Marley is as follows:

"I would like to apologise to all the music fans in New Zealand and Australia. Unfortunately, I won't be making it down there for the music festival, the WOMAD music festival next weekend. I had some unforeseen family responsibilities that came up and I have to take care of it. I always love coming. I was really looking forward to this trip and we haven't been there in a while so it was really sad that we're not making it but alas, next year at the WOMAD festivals we will be there and so we will see you then. My apologies to everyone – WOMAD crew, music fans, music lovers, everyone. My apologies, but we'll see you next year."

WOMAD NZ director Emere Wano said there will be many upset, including herself, that Ziggy Marley would no longer be coming to the festival.

"We are of course disappointed that Ziggy will no longer be joining us at Womad NZ 2020, but we understand and respect his decision that whānau come first in this situation. We are working quickly to secure a new artist to fill Ziggy's Friday night time slot, and we will announce the new artist in the coming days."

The festival still features more than 40 other performances over three days, including award-winning Australian based singer Odette who has joined the WOMAD NZ line-up after embarking on numerous shows from as far afield as Dublin, London, Zurich and Paris.

British born Odette has made her mark on the international music scene, the release of her highly acclaimed debut To A Stranger sparked a legion of growing fans and admirers, resulting in the record amassing nearly 30 million streams, two consecutive Triple J Hottest 100 entries and two nominations in at the 2018 ARIAs including Breakthrough Artist.

Deeply personal and captivating in presence, Odette is one not to miss and will be playing Saturday at 6.15pm and Sunday 2pm on the Gables Stage.

In response to the New Zealand Government's travel restrictions, which have been put in place to manage the Covid-19, WOMAD NZ regrets that Kim So Ra (South Korea) is no longer be able to travel to New Zealand for WOMAD 2020.

"While this means changes to our schedule, we are very much looking forward to welcoming people to the 16th WOMAD here in Taranaki," Emere says.

■ WOMAD NZ 2020 will be held from March 13-15 in TSB Bowl Of Brooklands and Brooklands Park, New Plymouth, Taranaki.