The initial portion of the lineup for the 2012 Essence Music Festival has been announced, and Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige the headliners. Other performers confirmed for the New Orleans festival include Fantasia, Stephanie Mills, Charlie Wilson and Keyshia Cole.

The festival, which is sponsored by Essence magazine, will take place July 6-8 of this year at the Superdome in New Orleans. It is billed as one of the largest gathering of black artists in America. As an additional part of the festival, numerous seminars and panels will be held in the city’s convention center. As it has in the past, the festival is partnering with the City of New Orleans to help the city’s youth population.

The president of Essence Communications, Inc., Michelle Ebanks, told the Associated press that these announcements of performers are only the “first wave,” and that more artists likely will be announced next month. Also announced for the festival was the first wave of speakers, which include Steve Harvey, Rev. Al Sharpton, and U.S. Representative Maxine Waters.

The festival was first held in 1995 as a one-time event that has grown to an annual festival. It has always been held in New Orleans except in 2006, when it was moved to Houston because of Hurricane Katrina. It has been reported that more than 422,000 people attended last year’s festival. Previous performers at the festival include Prince, Alicia Keys, Al Green, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder.

In other Aretha Franklin news, the 69-year-old Queen of Soul recently announced that she is newly engaged, and she also underwent surgery in late 2010 that resulted in the loss of 85 pounds. This will be her third time performing at the Essence fest, as it is commonly known. She sang at the inaugural event in 1995, and returned in 2005.

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