Art of the A9: An Iconic Collaboration by Swizz Beatz, Ferrari Sheppard and Bang & Olufsen

Bang & Olufsen celebrates the tenth anniversary of the circular Beoplay A9 speaker, which was co-created by Øivind Alexander Slaatto and Bang & Olufsen. The premium Danish audio company collaborated with Grammy-winning producer Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, renowned artist Ferrari Sheppard, and vinyl pioneer 12on12 to create a series of customised Beoplay A9 speakers featuring a unique rendition of "My Name Is Sarah," one of Sheppard's most renowned compositions.

Strategic stakeholder Swizz Beatz has selected artwork for the Beoplay A9 project and re-released his 12on12-curated album.

2on12 is a luxury firm that provides a one-of-a-kind vinyl record canvas for storytelling. The brand, which has previously partnered with Travis Scott x Saint Laurent, RUN DMC, and Takashi Murakami, invites cultural icons to choose 12 songs that have inspired, affected, or touched them.

Swizz Beatz, a strategic investor in 12on12 and a keen Bang & Olufsen collector, worked with both firms to choose a piece of art for the Beoplay A9 project, which accompanied a re-release of his 12on12 curated vinyl: Long Live Jazz! The musician selected 'My Name is Sarah' by Ferrari Sheppard to be featured on 40 limited edition A9 speakers for Bang & Olufsen, 12 limited-edition hand-finished prints by the artist, and the cover of the second issue of Long Live Jazz!, which contains 30 hand-finished works by the artist.

This partnership is part of Bang & Olufsen's worldwide "Art of the A9" initiative, a collaboration with creatives to reimagine the speaker in celebration of the company's tenth anniversary. Alexis Jamet and Manon Cezare, both of Paris, conceived the first collaborations in the series.

It commenced on November 29, 2022 the USD 3,799 limited edition Beoplay A9 speaker is already available in certain Bang & Olufsen showrooms.

About Ferrari Sheppard

By combining abstraction with figuration, Ferrari Sheppard creates paintings that dive deeply into the collective unconscious of humanity. The Los Angeles-based artist was born in Chicago and has lived in several African countries. His sad paintings are influenced by his recollections, dreams, and life experiences.

His submission for "Art of A9" is a photograph titled "My Name Is Sarah" depicting Sarah. The painting technique embraces the mysticism and spontaneity of jazz music.