BIG SEAN TO BRING HIS DARK SKY PARADISE TO THE "2015 mtvU WOODIE AWARDS" AS A PERFORMER

The Multi-Platinum Recording Artist Announced His Woodies Performance on MTV's Official Snapchat Account

"2015 mtvU Woodie Awards" Air Live on MTV March 20 at 9 p.m. ET

New York, NY (February 24, 2015) - Big Sean, white-hot rapper and G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam Recordings artist, today announced on MTV's official Snapchat account that he will perform LIVE on the "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards" Friday, March 20 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT from the 2015 SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. The reveal kick-started a special MTV Snapchat story with Big Sean, giving fans an inside look at his life on the day that he drops his third LP, "Dark Sky Paradise." The artist recently released two tracks - "One Man Can Change The World" (featuring Kanye West and John Legend) and "Win Some, Lose Some" - that immediately jumped to the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively, on the iTunes Hip-Hop/Rap chart. Big Sean also recently held an unprecedented four of the Top 10 songs on the iTunes Hip-Hop/Rap chart.

As previously announced, "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards" nominees will vie for the chunks of wood during a 60-minute special in primetime on MTV. The hour-long show will feature epic performances and appearances by some of the most innovative, influential and groundbreaking artists - from headliners to the underground - while honoring those who made the biggest impact in music over the past year. This year's nominees include Drake, Sia, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, FKA twigs, Raury and Childish Gambino. Woodie Award voting is currently open at Woodies.MTV.com. Additional performers will be announced at a later date.

Big Sean's career has exploded since the release of his debut album "Finally Famous." With more than 6 million Facebook fans to date and over 6.5 million Twitter followers, the Detroit MC has been in overdrive since 2007, when his "Finally Famous: The Mixtape" was issued, followed by "Finally Famous Vol. 2: UKNOWBIGSEAN" (2009), "Finally Famous Vol. 3: BIG" (2010) and "Detroit" (2012). In addition to being recognized by GQ Magazine as 2012's 'Hottest Rookie' and picking up honors at the 2012 BET Awards for 'Best New Artist,' Sean received double Grammy nominations for his collaboration with mentor Kanye West for "Mercy" which also featured G.O.O.D. Music / Def Jam label mate Pusha T and 2 Chainz.

The "MTV Woodies Festival" and "mtvU Woodie Awards"

Kicking off the "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards" will be the "MTV Woodies Festival," an all-day party with performances from the hottest new names in music. Festival doors open at 3 p.m. CT on Friday, March 20, 2015 at 305 South Congress Avenue in Austin and performances will be live streamed on Woodies.MTV.com starting at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT. The "MTV Woodies Festival" will lead up to the "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards," which takeover the festival beginning at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. Entrance into the "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards" and festival is free, with an online RSVP available at a later date.

The "mtvU Woodie Awards" promises to be an unforgettable night of music and performances. The show was established in 2004 and has since propelled numerous recognized acts to the next level of their careers - including surging record sales, headlining tours and mainstream acclaim. Examples include: The Killers (Breaking Woodie '04), N.E.R.D. (Left Field Woodie '04), Death Cab for Cutie (Best Video Woodie '05), Fall Out Boy (Road Woodie '05), 30 Seconds to Mars (Best Video Woodie - Live Action '06) Muse (Performing Woodie '07), Lupe Fiasco (performed at Woodies '07), Vampire Weekend (performed at '08 Woodies), Kings of Leon (Woodie of the Year '09), Jack White (performed at '09 Woodies with the Dead Weather), Rick Ross (performed at '09 Woodies), Matt & Kim (Best Video Woodie '09), Wiz Khalifa (Woodie of the Year '11), Odd Future (performed at '11 Woodies), Sleigh Bells (performed at '11 Woodies) MGK (Breaking Woodie '12), Mac Miller (Woodie of Year and Performing Woodie '12), Zedd (performed at '13 Woodies), Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (Branching Out Woodie '13) and Iggy Azalea with Charli XCX (performed at '14 Woodies).

Official sponsors of the "MTV Woodies Festival" and "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards" include CLEAN & CLEAR(R), ICE BREAKERS Mints, Pepsi(R), Taco Bell(R) and U.S. Army.

Ryan Kroft, Amy Doyle, Gina Esposito and Jesse Ignatovic are the Executive Producers of the "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards," with Andria Parides acting as supervising producer. Joe Buoye is the Executive in Charge of Production.

For more information, visit Woodies.MTV.com.

About mtvU

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