Chart-Topping Artist Bryce Vine Strikes New Chord with Pepsi®
Joins The Sound Drop Platform's Growing Roster of Rising Stars
To Perform During MTV "VMAs" Red Carpet Pre-Show, Adding To Previously-Announced Remote Performance by Nicki Minaj, Presented by Pepsi

PURCHASE, N.Y., Aug. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pepsi today announced that its The Sound Drop platform is back, with critically acclaimed pop hip-hop maverick Bryce Vine as the latest rising star to join The Sound Drop platform, created to amplify emerging artists in an impactful way. Bryce Vine, who's latest single "Drew Barrymore" has been steadily climbing the Billboard Pop and Rhythm Charts, joins an all-star roster of artists who were previously featured on The Sound Drop, including Alessia Cara, Bebe Rexha, Khalid, James Arthur, Jidenna, Lukas Graham, Max and Tinashe. 

Pepsi today announced that "The Sound Drop" is back, with critically acclaimed pop hip-hop maverick Bryce Vine as the latest rising star to join "The Sound Drop" platform, created to amplify emerging artists in an impactful way.

"I'm really excited to be a part of The Sound Drop – for a musician, working with Pepsi is unreal," said Bryce Vine. "The Sound Drop has featured some amazing artists, like my friend Max who I'm touring with this year, so it's really an honor to be joining The Sound Drop family. I can't wait for everyone to see my episode with the crazy talented Andie Case covering some of my favorite songs. We shot it in LA, which is where I live so that was pretty cool."

The Sound Drop was created by Pepsi to provide emerging artists with a powerful stage to promote their stories, share their art and connect directly with new and existing fans through insightful storytelling and the amplification of their music. For decades, Pepsi has harnessed the power of music to both connect with generations of fans and elevate rising artists, and The Sound Drop platform has proven successful, jumpstarting the careers of chart-topping artists in new and innovative ways.

"Pepsi has always been a huge supporter of music and The Sound Drop platform allows us to support emerging talent in a visibly impactful way," said Emma Quigley, Head of Music, PepsiCo. "Bryce Vine is an incredible talent and connecting him to millions of new fans as our next Sound Drop artist and becoming part of Bryce's journey is incredibly rewarding. The Sound Drop has proved to be tremendously successful, with the platform generating more than 1.6 billion impressions since launch and the custom content from our previous eight artists garnering over 43 million video views across Facebook and YouTube to date, reinforcing our decision to continue with the platform and to keep providing our artists with unprecedented opportunities."

In addition to The Sound Drop announcement, Pepsi is sharing details around its MTV "VMAs" show integration which includes a two-hour red carpet Twitter Live Stream presented by Pepsi and pre-show performances by Bryce Vine, Bazzi and The Backstreet Boys. The brand is also the presenting partner for the recently-announced remote performance during the "VMAs" starring Nicki Minaj. The performance will take place at an iconic location in Manhattan with Nicki Minaj being the first artist to ever perform at this surprise spot. Tune into the "VMAs" on MTV on Monday, August 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

The Sound Drop is supported by iHeartMedia's online and radio platforms as well as Viacom and MTV creative teams. Be sure to visit http://www.thesounddrop.com on August 20 to view Bryce Vine's full-length The Sound Drop episode, and use @pepsi #thesounddrop to join the conversation.

About PepsiCo:
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2017, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.   

About Bryce Vine:
Bryce Vine presents a genre-bending, East-meets-West sound all his own, drawn in equal parts from the bass-heavy reality rap influence of his father, the bright, pop sensibility of his mother, and a childhood spent between New York and L.A. His keen blend of laid back, in-the-cut hip-hop and anthemic choruses prompted Entertainment Weekly to praise his "boundary-pushing aesthetic" and hail Bryce as one of the "artists who will rule 2018." His buzzy current single, "Drew Barrymore," is climbing the charts at both Top 40 and Rhythm radio and has helped earn him more than two million monthly listeners and 110 million plus streams on Spotify. This rapidly growing fan base latched onto his distinct DIY attitude early on – while Bryce was studying at Berklee College of Music. He self-released his debut EP Lazy Fair, racking up over 20 million plays on breakout track "Sour Patch Kids" and attracting shared marquees with the likes of G-Eazy, Big Sean and Kyle. Bryce Vine will be releasing his major label debut on Sire Records in early 2019.

SOURCE PepsiCo

For further information: Media Contacts: Elisa Baker, Elisa.baker@pepsico.com, 914-253-2408; Jillian Galasso Djukic, Jillian.galasso@pepsico.com, 914-253-3174