Dua Lipa performs on day two of the Lollapalooza Music Festival on Friday, July 29, 2022, at Grant Park in Chicago. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
British pop sensation Dua Lipa will lead a star-studded line-up of artists performing at Victoria's biggest celebration of live music this spring.
Touted as "the biggest music event in Victoria's history", Always Live will see more than 150 local and international musicians perform at more than 90 events across 12 regions at well-loved venues, including Melbourne's Palais Theatre.
The event, a statewide celebration of live contemporary music, was a long-held dream of late Australian music executive and promoter Michael Gudinski.
Michael's son Matt said his father would be immensely proud to see it finally come to life.
"Always Live was a dream my late father had to reassure our state's live music roots, and I am proud to be part of the team making it a reality," said Matt Gudinski, who is the event's chair.
"Whether it's Billy Joel at the MCG, Dua Lipa at the Palais Theatre, Nick Cave at Hanging Rock or one of the many unique events which make up the program, Victoria is the place to be if you love live music."
English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor will play an exclusive show at the NGV Garden Restaurant on November 10.
With two-thirds of the program devoted to Victorian artists, international drawcards will feature alongside some of Australia's most celebrated talent including Jessica Mauboy, Yothu Yindi and the Teskey Brothers.
Melbourne singer Ashwarya said she's thrilled to support international artist Dua Lipa.
"My manager messaged me, I woke up and saw the text and said 'Is this for real?' I was so stoked. I'm really keen to just be able to have this experience and grow as an artist," she told reporters.
Indigenous Australian rapper Briggs said the event is a dream come true for local artists.
"It's awesome, it's great for local artists but it's also great for everyone who makes the shows happen," he said.
"There's so much hunger and people need that outlet, not just artists but the audience is ready (too)."
Tourism Minister Steve Dimopoulos said the state government has committed $14 million for the program and was its sole funder.
"There will be ticket sales that support the Always Live business model but for us it's about supporting the industry," he said.
At a separate press conference, Premier Daniel Andrews also noted about half of all tickets for Joel's one-off show at the MCG on December 10 have been sold to people from outside of Melbourne.
"What that means is thousands of hotel rooms and tens of thousands of meals that they will purchase, a massive boost to the Victorian economy and the CBD will fare very strongly out of that," he said.
© AAP 2022