JACK ANTONOFF OF BLEACHERS TO HOST "2015 mtvU WOODIE AWARDS" LIVE ON MTV FRIDAY, MARCH 20 FROM SXSW

Emerging U.K. Trio Years & Years to Make U.S. TV Debut as Woodie Awards Performers

Wiz Khalifa, Zoe Kravitz, Tove Lo, Action Bronson, The Fat Jew and Marina & The Diamonds to Present Awards

New York, NY (March 5, 2015) - mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, today announced that two-time Grammy Award-winning musician Jack Antonoff will host the "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards," which airs live on MTV Friday, March 20 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT from the 2015 SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Antonoff will be making his third appearance on the Woodies stage, having previously performed with his bands Fun. and Bleachers at the "MTV Woodie Awards Festival." Additionally, emerging London electro-pop trio and Woodie Award nominee Years & Years will make its U.S. television debut in a live performance at the "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards." The group joins Big Sean as the announced performers for the show.

Joining Antonoff and Years & Years on the Woodie Awards stage will be awards presenters Wiz Khalifa, Zoe Kravitz, Tove Lo, Action Bronson, The Fat Jew and Marina & The Diamonds. Additional "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards" performers and presenters will be announced at a later date.

"It means a great deal to me to be hosting the Woodies because Fun. played the Woodies before we had any success and the same for Bleachers last year," said Antonoff. "It's been a platform for the two bands I've most recently been a part of to really go somewhere. I couldn't be more excited to come back and host the show."

"We're so excited to be playing the mtvU Woodie Awards as one of their 'Artist to Watch' nominees," said Years & Years. "It's been a really incredible start to the year for us and we're very, very grateful for MTV's support."

Antonoff's latest musical endeavor, Bleachers, released the debut album "Strange Desire" on RCA Records this past July with the first single "I Wanna Get Better" quickly rising to No. 1 on the alt radio chart. USA Today called the album, "full of hooks and full of heart" and Stereogum declared it "triumphant." This past year, Antonoff also collaborated with Taylor Swift co-writing and producing her chart topping hit "Out of the Woods" along with two other tracks from her No. 1 album 1989. Currently, Bleachers' second single "Rollercoaster" is at No. 4 at alt radio and the "Bleachers Come Alive!" tour is fully underway.

Formed in London, Years & Years consists of bassist Mikey Goldsworthy, keyboard player Emre Turkmen, and vocalist Olly Alexander. The band recently released their U.S. debut Y&Y EP on Interscope Records and performed their first U.S. show to a sold out crowd at Brooklyn's Rough Trade, with a forthcoming West Coast tour having already sold out. Years & Years also won the prestigious BBC "Sound of 2015" Poll, an annual list that has a history of predicting chart-topping acts since 2003. The band joins such previous winners as Sam Smith, Adele, Ellie Goulding, HAIM, and Jessie J. Their song "King" recently hit No. 1 on the U.K. charts.

As previously announced, "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards" nominees will vie for the chunks of wood during a 60-minute special in primetime on MTV. The hour-long show will feature epic performances and appearances by some of the most innovative, influential and groundbreaking artists - from headliners to the underground - while honoring those who made the biggest impact in music over the past year. This year's nominees include Drake, Sia, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, FKA twigs, Raury and Childish Gambino. Woodie Award voting is currently open at Woodies.MTV.com.

The "MTV Woodies Festival" and "mtvU Woodie Awards"

Kicking off the "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards" will be the "MTV Woodies Festival," an all-day party with performances from the hottest new names in music. Festival doors open at 3 p.m. CT on Friday, March 20, 2015 at 305 South Congress Avenue in Austin and performances will be live streamed on Woodies.MTV.com starting at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT. The "MTV Woodies Festival" will lead up to the "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards," which takeover the festival beginning at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. Entrance into the "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards" and festival is free, with an online RSVP available at a later date.

The "mtvU Woodie Awards" promises to be an unforgettable night of music and performances. The show was established in 2004 and has since propelled numerous recognized acts to the next level of their careers - including surging record sales, headlining tours and mainstream acclaim. Examples include: The Killers (Breaking Woodie '04), N.E.R.D. (Left Field Woodie '04), Death Cab for Cutie (Best Video Woodie '05), Fall Out Boy (Road Woodie '05), 30 Seconds to Mars (Best Video Woodie - Live Action '06) Muse (Performing Woodie '07), Lupe Fiasco (performed at Woodies '07), Vampire Weekend (performed at '08 Woodies), Kings of Leon (Woodie of the Year '09), Jack White (performed at '09 Woodies with the Dead Weather), Rick Ross (performed at '09 Woodies), Matt & Kim (Best Video Woodie '09), Wiz Khalifa (Woodie of the Year '11), Odd Future (performed at '11 Woodies), Sleigh Bells (performed at '11 Woodies) MGK (Breaking Woodie '12), Mac Miller (Woodie of Year and Performing Woodie '12), Zedd (performed at '13 Woodies), Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (Branching Out Woodie '13) and Iggy Azalea with Charli XCX (performed at '14 Woodies).

Official sponsors of the "MTV Woodies Festival" and "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards" include CLEAN & CLEAR(R), ICE BREAKERS Mints, Pepsi(R), Taco Bell(R) and U.S. Army.

Ryan Kroft, Amy Doyle, Gina Esposito and Jesse Ignatovic are the Executive Producers of the "2015 mtvU Woodie Awards," with Andria Parides acting as supervising producer. Joe Buoye is the Executive in Charge of Production.

For more information, visit Woodies.MTV.com.

About mtvU

Broadcast to nearly 750 college campuses as well as via top cable distributors in 700 college communities nationwide, mtvU reaches more than 8 million U.S. college students - making it the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S., as well as on cable systems from Charter Communications, Verizon FiOS TV, Suddenlink Communications, AT&T u-Verse and nearly 70 others. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are: on-air, online and on the campus. mtvU airs music videos from emerging artists that can't be seen anywhere else, news, student life features and initiatives that give college students the tools to advance positive social change. mtvU is always on campus, with hundreds of events per year, including exclusive concerts, giveaways, shooting mtvU series and more. For more information about mtvU, and a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvU.com.