How Virgin Records Brings Its Music Legacy to the High Seas
· Rolling StoneIf you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
As someone who has never been on a cruise, I’ve had my doubts about sailing. I never understood the appeal and assumed it was only a certain kind of crowd (that I was not a part of). But recently, my experience on Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady changed my perspective.
Virgin Voyages may be a relative newcomer to the cruise industry, but in just five years, the line has cultivated a loyal following. With no shortage of cruise options on the market, choosing the right fit can feel daunting. But, for the music obsessive, the culinary adventurer drawn to Michelin-starred dining, and the traveler whose ideal vacation is blissfully free of children, Virgin Voyages makes a compelling case.
The brand’s roots run deep in music history. Sir Richard Branson built the Virgin empire on the back of Virgin Records, a label that became home to some of the world’s most iconic artists — The Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols, Janet Jackson, The Spice Girls, David Bowie, among many others. At sea, the cruise line pays tribute to that 50-year musical legacy through its onboard show “Red Hot,” a nod to the artists who helped define a generation.
There are also live sets from artists across the globe, theater performances, and even an immersive, choose-your-own-adventure musical dining experience.
“No matter what happens in this world, you get a group of people in a room, you play a song that people love, and it is absolutely, brilliantly transformative and so leveling, and in a world where it feels like things are crazy, and overwhelming, and exhausting… It’s a moment of pure joy and connection–and our brand, because of its music heritage, can do that,” says Nathan Rosenberg, Chief Brand Experience, Marketing, and Momentum Officer at Virgin Voyages.
The musical experience aboard Brilliant Lady extends beyond the theater. I found myself singing along at the galley, while waiting for an elevator, or just lounging in one of the seating areas, where music from classic rock to EDM to K-pop can be heard.
All of that is intentional and strategically curated across the ship’s 25-plus music zones. Jeremy Larochelle, Head of Music at Virgin Voyages, says there are three elements to their music programming: live musicians, electronic artists, and background music, which gives guests sonic experiences as they move through the ship’s spaces.
Larochelle also wanted the disruption and inclusivity of Virgin Records to extend to the cruise experience. “In ’77, it was all about soft rock, and Richard goes and finds The Sex Pistols, and that disrupts everything, and so that’s a key element that we want to pack,” he says. “A second one is inclusivity. A lot of cruise ships are focused on ‘Wednesday’s gonna be funk night, and let’s go find a band that can play funk on Wednesday and country on Tuesdays. Our focus is more on, let’s go find great musicians — doesn’t matter where they’re from, doesn’t matter who they love, doesn’t matter the instrumentation, because we chase based on that. We’re not trying to pigeonhole them.”
The main event was a performance from award-winning producer, performer, and composer Nile Rodgers. The “Like A Virgin” and “I’m Coming Out” producer made an appearance with his band CHIC and performed their hit songs, getting people from different generations to sing and dance all throughout the night.
“The brand is not the ads or the marketing, it’s the memory,” says Rosenberg. “So it doesn’t matter what I’ve done—if I haven’t created a memory for you that you want to actually remember or something that’s not great, you’ll never come back. So we spent all that time talking about memories, like ‘what’s the memory we’re creating right here?'”
This mix of on-board programming and the expected exploration of islands and culture makes Virgin Voyages worth considering — whether you’re a music lover, a cruise enthusiast, or a bit of both.