Sugar Water Festival to Kick Off July 8 in Virginia Beach; Grammy Winners Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah and Jill Scott to Join Forces for Summer Concert Tour.

DALLAS -- The William Morris Agency and Clear Channel Entertainment announced today the final selection of dates and cities for the Sugar Water Festival, a summer concert tour featuring Grammy-winning performers Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah and Jill Scott. The tour kicks off in Virginia Beach on July 8 and wraps up with a two-night performance in Los Angeles on August 9-10 (full listing below). Advance tickets are available through all Ticketmaster outlets and ticketmaster.com.

The Sugar Water Festival brings together three of the most dynamic personalities in music today, offering a unique mix of Jazz, Hip-Hop, R&B and Rap in a festival atmosphere.

"The Sugar Water Festival is much more than a concert tour," said Badu. "It's about educating, enlightening and entertaining. Queen, Jill and I are all committed to tapping into the communities we play -- to raise awareness, in a positive way, of what we can all do create a better world."

Badu, who is currently at work on her latest album, is a four-time Grammy winner, an accomplished actress (Cider House Rules, House of D), acclaimed writer/producer and celebrated community activist. Her debut album, Baduizm, went five-times platinum, and her debut single, "On and On," hit Number One on the Billboard R&B chart.

Joining Badu is Grammy winner and Oscar nominee Queen Latifah, embarking on her first live tour in years. The accomplished singer, actress and entrepreneur made her mark as a solo rapper in the early 90s before taking on a wide range of television and film roles, earning Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations. Her critically-acclaimed 2004 release, The Dana Owens Album, marked a major turning point in her career, revealing a subtle and sophisticated artist through a collection of jazz standards.

"I'm excited to be performing live again," Queen said, "not only to connect with the audience, but also to connect with communities across the country. The Sugar Water Festival will showcase strong female voices who want to see their art inspire social change."

Rounding out the slate of featured performers is poet, actress and singer Jill Scott, whose song "Cross My Mind" won the 2005 Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance and whose dramatic turn in the Showtime original film, Cavedweller, earned a 2005 NAMIC Vision Award nomination.

Acclaimed female poetry/soul duo Floetry will open the shows. The British natives, now based in Philadelphia, are renowned songwriters and veterans of Badu's Worldwide Underground Tour. They are currently at work on their next album.

The Sugar Water Festival is sponsored by Curvation and Pizza Hut, along with CoverGirl -- who will have a presence at 13 of the 20 shows for their on-site brand experience Celebrate the Queen in You!

Concertgoers will receive free makeovers from trained CoverGirl beauty experts using CG eyes, lips, and/or face products, in addition to a free CoverGirl-branded makeup bag and free digital beauty photos taken to remember their Sugar Water experience. More information is available at www.celebratethequeeninyou.com.

Full Listing of Sugar Water Festival Tour Dates

Friday, July 8       Verizon Wireless             Virginia Beach, VA
                      Amphitheater
Saturday, July 9     Merriweather Post Pavilion   Columbia, MD
Tuesday, July 12     Jones Beach Amphitheater     Wantagh, NY
Wednesday, July 13   Bank of America Pavilion     Boston, MA
Friday, July 15      PNC Bank Arts Center         Holmdel, NJ
Saturday, July 16    Tweeter Center               Camden, NJ
Sunday, July 17      Mohegan Sun Casino           Uncasville, CT
Thursday, July 21    Chastain Park                Atlanta, GA
Friday, July 22      Chastain Park                Atlanta, GA
Saturday, July 23    Verizon Wireless             Charlotte, NC
                      Amphitheater
Tuesday, July 26     DTE Energy Center            Detroit, MI
Wednesday, July 27   Air Canada Centre            Toronto, Canada
Friday, July 29      Lakefront Pavilion at        Chicago, IL
                      Northerly Island
Saturday, July 30    Germaine Amphitheater        Columbus, OH
Sunday, July 31      UMB Bank Pavilion            St. Louis, MO
Tuesday, August 2    Fiddler's Green Amphitheater Denver, CO
Thursday, August 4   Chronicle Pavilion at        Concord, CA
                      Concord
Saturday, August 6   Mandalay Bay Arena           Las Vegas, NV
Tuesday, August 9    Greek Theater                Los Angeles, CA
Wednesday, August 10 Greek Theater                Los Angeles, CA

Formed in 2005, Sugar Water Festival, LLC, owned by Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah & Jill Scott, operates the Sugar Water Festival multi-city tour in the United States and will expand into Europe & Asia in 2006.