GOJIRA To Perform At 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

French progressive metallers GOJIRA will perform at tomorrow's (Friday, July 26) Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.

According to the French newspaper Le Parisien, GOJIRA's appearance at the event will consist of an "original" collaboration with opera singer Marina Viotti.

Sortir À Paris reported on GOJIRA's inclusion at the ceremony under the headline: "Who is GOJIRA, the metal band tipped for the opening ceremony?" The site goes on to say that the rumored collaboration with Marina is "a wonderful artistic proposition, and one that will surprise many if it is confirmed!"

According to the biography on her web site, Marina has previously "experimented with jazz, gospel and heavy metal".

Also set to perform at the ceremony are Céline Dion, Lady Gaga and Aya Nakamura.

"The opening ceremony is orchestrated by renowned stage director Thomas Jolly," Time Out reports, "who has invited a stellar cast of local and international stars to celebrate the rich history and diversity of French musical culture."

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics will air on NBC beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT Friday and stream on Peacock and NBC Olympics platforms.

GOJIRA's latest album, "Fortitude", entered Billboard's Top Albums chart at No. 1 in May 2021, while also claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Current Albums, Current Rock Albums and Current Hard Music Albums tallies. The release also marked a career high debut on the Billboard 200 for GOJIRA, arriving at No. 12, with several career high chart positions and Top 10 debuts in countries around the globe including: France (No. 2),United Kingdom (No. 6),Australia (No. 3),Germany (No. 8),Belgium (No. 2),Netherlands (No. 4),Denmark (No. 3),Portugal (No. 4),Finland (No. 2) and Norway (No. 10).

"Fortitude" is highlighted by the singles "Another World", "Born For One Thing", "Into The Storm", "Amazonia" and "The Chant", a slow-burning track featuring some of GOJIRA's most melodic material to date.

Furthermore, GOJIRA concluded a month-long fundraising initiative in support of the indigenous-owned NGO The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Working with the social good-focused digital platform Propeller, the charitable campaign raised over $300,000 through an auction and raffle of one-of-a-kind items from the band and their friends in METALLICA, TOOL, SLIPKNOT, SLAYER, Slash and more. All proceeds were donated to APIB to support their work aiding the indigenous tribes of the Amazon who have suffered immensely — victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment.

Recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA's Ridgewood, Queens, New York headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE),"Fortitude" is GOJIRA's first album in five years and the follow-up to 2016's Grammy-nominated LP "Magma". A collection of songs urging humanity to imagine a new world and then make it happen, "Fortitude" has been earning widespread critical praise with Rolling Stone naming it one of their best albums of April 2021 and remarking "It's all the rage of death metal mixed with the conscience of punk rock and the musicality of progressive rock." NPR hailed "Another World" as "an apocalyptic banger," and Paste called "Into The Storm" a "much-needed revolutionary anthem." Stereogum declared, "hearing this band operating at their peak is a life-affirming thing," while Revolver attested "Fortitude" "could spark a revolution."