Photo: Courtesy of Alligator Records
Shemekia Copeland To Appear Live On Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking Eve With Ryan Seacrest
On Wednesday December 31, 2025, award-winning blues and roots vocalist Shemekia Copeland will perform live on ABC-TV as part of the iconic Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest, making this the largest audience of her career. Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest is America’s most-watched New Year’s celebration. The 2024 broadcast received nearly 18 million viewers. Based in New York City, this is the first time in its more than 50-year history the show will also broadcast live from Chicago.
Copeland is scheduled to perform at 11:10pm Central time. This special New Year’s Eve concert event will take place along downtown Chicago’s famous Riverwalk. It is hosted by The City Of Chicago and also features Chance The Rapper and others.
Says Copeland, “Forget about ringing in New Year’s Eve. We’re rockin’ it in!! Let’s get this party started!”
Shemekia Copeland possesses one of the most instantly recognizable and deeply soulful roots music voices of our time. The multi-GRAMMY nominee is beloved and honored worldwide for the fearlessness, honesty and humor of her revelatory songs, as well as for her winning, engaging personality. The Chicago Tribune says, “Copeland is the greatest female blues vocalist working today. There’s no mistaking the majesty of her instrument, nor the ferocity of her delivery.”
Copeland’s latest album is the GRAMMY-nominated Blame It On Eve. The songs all hit hard, with jaw-dropping performances that instantly take hold and command repeated listening. “There’s serious business on the album,” Copeland says, “but there are a lot of smiles here too, a lot of joyous moments. It’s my blues for sure but it’s the brighter side. Issues are always important to me, but so is rocking, dancing and just having fun. And that’s something we all can all agree on.”
Born in Harlem in 1979, Copeland first stepped on stage with her famous father, blues legend Johnny Copeland, at New York’s Cotton Club when she was eight. Upon release of her Alligator Records debut Turn The Heat Up in 1998 when she was only 18, Copeland instantly became a blues and R&B force to be reckoned with. The New York Times and CNN, among many others, praised her talent, larger-than-life personality, dynamic, authoritative voice and true star power. With each subsequent release, Copeland’s fame has continued to grow, while her music has continued to evolve.
“Shemekia Copeland is an antidote to artifice,” declares The Philadelphia Inquirer. “She is a commanding presence, a powerhouse vocalist delivering the truth.”
“Shemekia Copeland is a powerhouse,” raves Rolling Stone. “She can do no wrong.”
Watch “Blame It On Eve”
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