Mo Pop 2022 to feature Big Sean, Jhené Aiko, Glass Animals as festival moves to Hart Plaza

The Mo Pop Festival has a new home in the heart of downtown Detroit.

The eighth edition of the rock, pop and hip-hop fest will be held July 30-31 at Hart Plaza, the 14-acre urban park at the nexus of Woodward and Jefferson, producer AEG Presents announced Tuesday. It comes after several years at West Riverfront Park, which is being converted and can no longer accommodate events of Mo Pop's scale.

Mo Pop 2022 will also boast a hometown heavyweight: Rapper Big Sean will headline one of the two nights, playing his first Detroit concert since 2017.

In a booking likely to draw attention across the music world, the bill also features Big Sean’s romantic partner, R&B singer Jhené Aiko. Now reunited following a split in 2018, the two were seen together at Sunday’s Super Bowl, where Aiko performed “America the Beautiful.”

More:Eminem takes a knee, performs 'Lose Yourself' in Super Bowl halftime hip-hop show

More:Faster Horses 2022 lineup: Eric Church, Tim McGraw, Morgan Wallen to headline country fest

In January, a video clip with Big Sean and Aiko in a recording studio surfaced online, sparking speculation about a follow-up to their 2016 collaboration “TWENTY88.”

"Mo Pop Festival, we at the crib with it! it’s up!" Big Sean wrote in a statement. "It’s been a journey and I can’t wait to see everybody from home who’s been on it with me at the show! Forever Love."

The two are part of a 24-artist Mo Pop lineup that features English band Glass Animals in the other headlining slot. The “Heat Waves” hitmakers, who played a midday set at the 2016 fest, will become the first repeat performer since Mo Pop launched in 2013.

The bill is a mix of veteran artists and rising newcomers, keeping with Mo Pop tradition of showcasing acts en route to wider success — as with Tyler, the Creator in 2017, Billie Eilish in 2018 and Lizzo in 2019.

Passes will go on sale at noon Monday via mopopfestival.com. Registration is available now for a presale that starts Friday.

Mo Pop’s move to Hart Plaza comes after several years at West Riverfront Park just outside downtown. Ahead of the 2020 festival — ultimately canceled amid the pandemic — organizers announced a move to Historic Fort Wayne, which is 3 miles south, as construction began to transform West Riverfront into a  multiuse community park.

But the situation at Historic Fort Wayne has changed since Mo Pop announced its 2020 intentions: The land is now overseen by Michigan’s State Historic Preservation Office and Detroit’s Historic District Commission, and efforts have shifted to preservation of the 177-year-old site. Historic Fort Wayne landed a $500,000 grant last fall from the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures fund.

Working with the  city of Detroit’s recreation department, AEG ultimately set its sights on Hart Plaza, where the best-known music tenant in recent years has been the Movement electronic music festival.

“We started talking options, and it was pretty clear the path of least resistance was Hart Plaza, as far as permitting and neighborhood issues,” said Mo Pop director Jason Rogalewski.

“I’m just excited for the festival to stay in the city, stay on the river and be in a much more visible site,” he said. “We’ve been kind of on the outskirts of downtown. It’s a great opportunity for the festival. You won’t be able to miss it if you’re downtown that weekend.”

Hart Plaza is the third home for Mo Pop, following West Riverfront and two early years at Freedom Hill in Sterling Heights.

The event will retain its two-stage setup, with acts in a staggered schedule that allows fans to catch every performer. The main stage will be situated west of the Hart Plaza fountain, with the second stage positioned along the plaza walkway near Jefferson Avenue. Hart Plaza’s main bowl will not be used for performances.

Rogalewski said Mo Pop capacity will be kept at a “conservative number” to ease congestion, with bars and other activities  arranged at the edges of the park for the same reason. Recent editions of Mo Pop at West Riverfront drew two-day attendance of 25,000-plus.

This year will also bring the return of Mo Pop’s VIP section, nixed at West Riverfront because of logistical issues.

Other familiar Mo Pop attractions will appear at Hart Plaza, including the Shipyard, featuring local restaurants; the Food Truck Array; the Mo Pop Arcade, an air-conditioned tent with vintage video games; and the Haute to Death & Friends dance party.

Organizers are also enlisting local creatives to help transform Hart Plaza’s concrete expanse.

“Our main focus is to soften it up and brighten it up,” Rogalewski said. “There are so many interesting pieces on that site to play with and interact with, lighting and otherwise. We’re engaging artists we’ve worked with and new artists to walk the site and see what we can do with this and that.”

The July lineup features a handful of artists originally set to play the 2020 fest, including producer-DJ Kaytranada, Girl in Red, Beach Bunny and Detroit singer Charity.

As for Big Sean, Rogalewski said the Detroit-raised star has long been on the Mo Pop wish list. This summer’s performance will be the rapper's first show here since a Fox Theatre date in 2017, two years after a star-studded Joe Louis Arena affair that featured surprise cameos from Eminem, Royce 5’9”, Danny Brown and others.

“He’s somebody we’ve always talked about since we started dipping into hip-hop,” Rogalewski said. “The timing just felt right with the new location — it felt like a perfect fit as we move right into downtown in a well-known, iconic location. Having an artist like that really helps us establish ourselves in the city and everything that’s going on here.”

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.

Mo Pop Festival, 2022 lineup

(Daily schedule to be announced ahead the festival, taking place July 30-31 at Hart Plaza in Detroit.)

Glass Animals

Big Sean

Jhené Aiko

Kaytranada

Khruangbin

Girl in Red

Dominic Fike

Dayglow, Ashe

The Backseat Lovers

The Marías

Tai Verdes

Beach Bunny

Mariah The Scientist

Wet Leg

DAISY

Horsegirl

Whiterosemoxie

Whu Else

Tiny Jag

Gabriel Duran

Charity

Haute to Death & Friends