Members of The Black Eyed Peas Collaborate with Philips During ‘The Beginning’ Tour, Bringing New Dimension to Performance for Fans
By Royal Philips Electronics, PRNEMonday, June 27, 2011
PARIS, June 28, 2011 -
- With Photos
- Integrating Lighting, Fashion, Music and Technology, the Group
Unveils Dynamic Light Outfits at Their Historic Concerts in Paris,
France
Philips Electronics (AEX: PHI, NYSE: PHG) and The Black Eyed
Peas truly lit up the stage at the highly anticipated and historic
three night stand at the Stade de France. The shows took place in
the sold out 80,000 capacity stadium, in the suitably named City of
Light, Paris.
Known for pushing the boundaries of music, fashion and
technology to deliver stand-out performances, Fergie, Taboo, and
apl.de.ap kicked off the show in unique dynamic-light costumes
developed in collaboration with Philips and incorporating Philips’
latest LED and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)
technology. The revolutionary costumes were designed and created by
Philips Lighting’s Chief Design Officer, Rogier Van der Heide, and
his multi-skilled design team in collaboration with B. Åkerlund,
the Black Eyed Peas’ lead Costume Designer/Stylist. Combining her
visionary styling as well as expertise across fashion technology,
motion video and electronics, the team created a radical,
groundbreaking and multi-functional design.
The collaboration began when Fergie wore a one-of-a-kind dress
designed with Philips lighting technology, while performing at the
recent Billboard Music Awards. With this latest performance for
European fans, the ever-pioneering artists raised the bar even
further, with outfits specially designed around Philips lighting
technology to seamlessly and wirelessly interact with the stage
lighting and music beats.
Fergie’s leather catsuit was carefully integrated with 75 OLED
panels, which sparkled like mirrored glass when turned off. When
illuminated, the panels were controlled remotely through a software
program to orchestrate patterns and lighting sequences to the
set-list, resulting in a truly innovative and integrated
performance of music, lighting and technology.
In addition to Fergie’s catsuit, the team developed custom
leather costumes for apl.de.ap and Taboo that integrated different
lighting elements to reflect their unique personalities and styles.
apl.de.ap wore a leather LED suit designed to mimic a graphic
equalizer, as well as integrating the Philippine flag, as
reflection of his national pride and love of music. Taboo’s unique
suit complimented the group’s futuristic style with silicone studs
to diffuse the light of nearly 1,000 LEDs, moving in patterns
across his body and in sync with the rest of his band mates.
“For the Black Eyed Peas, every performance has to be memorable,
constantly evolving to the next level to ensure fans get a new
experience with every show,” said B. Åkerlund. “After the Billboard
Awards, we went back to Philips because they are not only
innovators in lighting, they understand design and we knew we could
collaborate and explore the use of light in unique and interesting
ways on the tour costumes.”
“Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it takes collaboration
with creative, like-minded individuals who can explore the
possibilities from multiple angles and areas of expertise in an
organic and authentic way,” said Van der Heide. “Working closely
with B. Åkerlund and the members of The Black Eyed Peas, we were
able to integrate OLED and LED technologies into the set design
through fashion to create something truly unique to kick off their
2011 tour.”
He continues, “At Philips, we believe lighting is at the heart
of how people enjoy and embrace entertainment, so we use new and
original light experiences to really astound our audiences. This
collaboration involved innovative Fashion Technologist Nancy
Tilbury and Design Technologist Benjamin Males, whose creative
business specializes in intimate technologies. With them on board,
we were able to bring a new level of creativity and innovation,
which we hope will enhance the overall experience of the show.”
In addition to the costumes, Philips has also worked closely
with members of The Black Eyed Peas production team to provide
input, creative direction and support on the lighting technology
utilized in their show. The two forces will continue to look for
ways to further collaborate and see what light can do in
entertainment.
For news, images and updates visit:
- Facebook:
- Innovations in Light group on LinkedIn:
- Philips LightCommunity:
Notes to editors:
- An overview of Rogier Van der Heide’s projects can be found on
- For more information about The Black Eyed Peas, please visit:
- For more information on B. Åkerlund, please visit
- For information about Nancy Tilbury and Benjamin Males, please
visit:
and
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX:
PHI) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on
improving people’s lives through timely innovations. As a world
leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates
technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on
fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of “sense and
simplicity.” Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs
about 117,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100
countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 22.3 billion in 2010, the
company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home
healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting
applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being
and pleasure with strong leadership positions in male shaving and
grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from
Philips is located at
www.philips.com/newscenter.
Note to Editors:
Pictures accompanying this release are available through the PA
Photowire. They can be downloaded from
www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at
www.mediapoint.press.net or www.prnewswire.co.uk.
For further information, please contact: Miranda Slaman, Philips Lighting, Global Communications, Tel: +31(6)52-54-77-87, E-mail: Miranda.Slaman at fleishman.com
Tags: France, June 28, Paris, Royal Philips Electronics
