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Nicki Minaj Announces Juice WRLD As European Tour Opener
Michael Stewart/Wire/Getty Images – Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj performs at the Power 105.1 Powerhouse 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn Nov. 2, 2013.
Nicki Minaj announced Friday that Juice WRLD will serve as opener on the European leg of her upcoming world tour, which she has christened The Nicki WRLD Tour. The string of dates begins February 21 in Munich and concludes March 28 in Geneva, hitting major European markets including London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm and Amsterdam along the way.
“I’m so excited to bring the full Nicki Minaj experience to my fans in Europe,” Minaj said in a statement. “I have been carefully crafting the most exhilarating, unique, memorable piece of art to share with my incredible fans. I’m in love with Juice WRLD’s music & feel so stoked to have him join me. This will be one for the books.”
A press release also notes that Minaj will invite local acts to join the bill in each city she visits.
Juice WRLD, the rising 20-year-old rapper who scored a breakout hit with his 2018 song “Lucid Dreams,” which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart earlier this year, has also quickly proven himself a bankable presence on the road. “It all happened really fast,” Juice WRLD’s booking agent, Andrew Lieber of MAC Agency told Pollstar in an interview published today. “Within three months the offers quadrupled. People saw that he is not leaving tickets on the table.” Regarding the young star’s recent headlining tour, Lieber added: “Every ticket is being sold at these venues. This is his first time headlining and he is absolutely crushing this tour.”
Juice WRLD notably replaces Future as support on the European tour. Future was set to open the North American leg of Minaj’s tour — originally named The NickiHndrxx Tour — from September to November 2018, before Minaj postponed the dates, citing production issues; those dates have yet to be rescheduled. Until today, Future had remained on the books as support for the European leg, which hadn’t been postponed or rescheduled.
Minaj released Queen, her fourth studio album and first since 2014, in August. The album debuted at No. 2 on Billboard‘s albums chart and was certified gold in September. Though she postponed her tour, Minaj made a smattering of live appearances, including as the musical guest on the season finale of Saturday Night Live and as a headliner at September’s Made In America.