Fikemania: Dominic Fike Drops In To ‘Fortnite’ To Kick Off In-Game Spotlight Series

Graham Denholm/Getty Images – Dominic Fike
Dominic Fike performs during Spotify’s Front Left Live at The Forum in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 9, 2019.

Twenty-four-year-old Dominic Fike has been making a major impact as a catchy singer-songwriter/rapper since his 2018 single “3 Nights” hit the charts, reaching No .1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart and becoming a Top 10 single in multiple countries.

However, with his first LP, What Could Possibly Go Wrong? released July 31, recent features on major artists’ albums including the title-shoutout of “Dominic’s Interlude” by Halsey and being named the first to kick off Fortnite’s Party Royale Concert Series Spotlight Sept. 12-13, he has officially entered the public consciousness.

“I feel he’s one of the most exciting artists to emerge in recent years,” says UTA’s Cheryl Paglierani. She also represents superstar Post Malone, who shares some similarities with Dominic. “I’ve always been drawn to artists who are truly versatile and he’s exactly that. He sings, raps, writes, and plays instruments, and he does it all very well. He’s also a great human, which is a bonus!”

Fike’s Spotlight Series performance will be broadcast live, in-game from the Party Royale Spotlight sound stage in Los Angeles at Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. ET, with two encore show times.

“The Fortnite performance was secured by my colleagues, Toni Wallace and Sara Schoch in UTA’s Music Brand Partnerships division, and they did an amazing job,” Paglierani adds. “Dominic will be the first rising musician to perform on such a sought-after platform, which speaks volumes about his appeal.

“He will be able to use the Fortnite stage to perform live for his existing fans while also introducing himself to a new audience, and having that opportunity is truly priceless during this time.”

Paglierani and UTA have shown creativity in presenting their clients in live settings, with Post Malone’s Posty Fest securing 20 sponsors and moving 45,000 tickets in its second year, at AT&T Stadium last year.

But that also means growing the fanbase, as Paglierani explains. “We’ve been working with Dominic since January 2019. Selling hard tickets was a major priority for him, and we wanted to ensure that he was successful in that regard from the start. We turned down offers for him to support bigger tours and instead booked headlining performances at more intimate venues.

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“This gave him the opportunity to develop his show and connect with his fans in a more personal setting, which is very important for artists in their early stages. His latest global tour played in 500- to 700-cap venues and sold out in a matter of days. We definitely made the right decision with our strategy to book him headlining shows from day one.” Boxoffice reports submitted to Pollstar include 1,473 tickets sold to two nights at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, Australia, Oct. 2019, as well as Stateside sellouts at Union Stage in D.C., Stubb’s Bar-B-Q in Austin and Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis.

The Fortnite platform has proven successful for artists, notably Marshmello pre-pandemic and, more recently, Travis Scott, whose “Astronomical” in-game experience attracted more than 27 million unique visitors in late April.

Of what’s next for Fike, Paglierani offers, “We are hoping to be back on the road in 2021!”