WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Nelly appears to have spurned SunFest for New Orleans.
Paul Jamieson, executive director of SunFest, announced Wednesday that Nelly "had an unavoidable scheduling conflict" that forced him to drop out of the lineup.
But taking his place will be Miami-born electronic dance music sensation Steve Aoki.
"Aoki's music adds another dimension to the variety of artists and music genres for fans of all ages at SunFest 2022," Jamieson said.
The 44-year-old Grammy Award-nominated musician is now scheduled to perform in Nelly's place on the Ford Stage from 2:45 p.m. to 4 p.m. May 1.
According to Nelly's website, the St. Louis-area rapper is scheduled to perform at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival instead.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival released its schedule of performers last month, after SunFest had already released its 2022 lineup. West Palm Beach's four-day waterfront music festival overlaps with New Orleans' signature 10-day music festival.
Nelly had initially been tapped to perform at SunFest in 2020, but it was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
