Anderson .Paak

Although .Paak has been making a big splash in Europe for months now, he’s ready to be paid attention to in the United States.

The Oxnard, Calif.-raised .Paak has been developing for several years – first recording under the name Breezy Lovejoy and performing on or producing other people’s records. When he found himself outgrowing the moniker and maturing into his music, he decided to change to a variation on his given name, and Anderson .Paak came into being, fully formed and ready to play.

Miller and co-manager Kevin Morrow of Steel Wool Entertainment knew they were onto something special. Paak’s band, the Free Nationals, had been performing with others for at least eight years. And .Paak’s own soulful playing, singing and songwriting earned the attention of Dr. Dre, who collaborated on his current record, Malibu.

“I always felt that somehow Dre loved a singer, but he never really had a guy like Anderson,” Miller told Pollstar. “When it came to fruition, obviously you’re very surprised when dreams happen.”

The major festival circuit is happening for .Paak, including Coachella and Outside Lands, among those that have announced. In the meantime, his team is lining up hard ticket dates in the U.S. in between, primarily to give his longtime fans a chance to see him before he blows up.

“A lot of the bigger promoters started to see what was going on, heard the record, saw what was going on in Europe … and we got offered a lot of festivals,” Morrow told Pollstar. “So we took those and now we’re connecting them with hard ticket dates.”