Lollapalooza, which started off as the brainchild of Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell in 1991, has become one of the world’s most famous festivals. Its popularity — due in part to the festival's ability to draw some of the biggest names in music, as well as buzzy up-and-comers — has allowed Lolla to expand into Brazil, Argentina, Sweden, France and India.
Taking place Aug. 3-6, this year's Chicago headliners include Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lana Del Rey and The 1975. The festival will also host a slew of aftershows all over the city featuring festival performers like A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Carly Rae Jepsen, Portugal. The Man and Noah Kahan.
While these stars will undoubtedly put on impressive performances, they aren’t the only musicians that are drawing fans to the festival. Dozens of artists will appear across Lollapalooza's eight stages. From rap to rock, punk to pop, here are 10 artists who deserve to stand in the spotlight all on their own — and whose sets you shouldn't miss.
The Beaches
Canadian alt-rock group The Beaches embody the effortless cool many bands boast but few fail to execute. The all-female quartet, who beautifully meld new-wave sounds with the ferocity of pop-punk, are gearing up to release their sophomore album Blame My Ex due out Sept. 15.
Lead single "Blame Brett" is an intoxicating anthem in which lead singer Jordan Miller pledges to battle heartbreak with apathy: "I’m sorry in advance / I’m only gonna treat you bad / I’m probably gonna let you down / I’m probably gonna sleep around […] but don’t blame me, blame Brett".
The Beaches scored a major label deal with Island Records and released their debut album, Late Show, in 2016. They've since amassed six No. 1 singles on Canadian alternative radio, and have toured with the Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters and Avril Lavigne.
The Beaches perform at 1:15 p.m. Thursday at the Bud Light stage.
Beauty School Dropout
This L.A. rock trio got the ultimate endorsement after they were signed by Mark Hoppus under the new label Verswire with Pete Wentz and Sherry Saeedi. In a press release, Hoppus stated that he was "always impressed by how hard these guys work, their talent and uncompromising creativity, and their dedication to their fans."
In addition to supporting Blink-182 on their long-awaited reunion tour, Beauty School Dropout released their debut album We Made Plans And God Laughed in 2022. Saturated with heavy guitar riffs, catchy choruses and invigorating percussion, the album has received well over 14 million streams.
Newer songs from the group include the pulsating dance floor anthem "FREAK" as well as "dying to be you." The latter, which was released in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month, was written about the band’s mental health struggles and the unceasing desire to be something else.
Beauty School Dropout perform at 2:10 p.m. Thursday at the BMI stage.
Key Glock
Key Glock is a charismatic emcee who possesses the sagacity of rappers nearly twice his age. In an interview with Billboard, the 25-year-old explained that his influences range from Three 6 Mafia to Johnny Taylor. "The soul music, that’s more of the real life stuff, where hip-hop is more of the entertainment and street life stuff. They both had a toll on me coming up."
This February, Key Glock released his third studio album, Glockoma 2, which followed the murder of Glock's cousin and Paper Route Empire founder Young Dolph. Paper Route Empire’s in-house producer Bandplay is responsible for producing half the songs on Glockoma 2, which are a slick combination of pulsating, infectious beats ("Work") and darker, more cerebral offerings ("F— Dat S—"). As Glock continues to double down on his craft, he has stated that Dolph will always serve as his motivation.
Key Glock performs at 7:45 p.m. Thursday at the Bacardi stage.
Karol G
This Columbian siren fiercely established her place in reggaeton with 2020’s her smash hit "Bichoita." Since then, Karol G has performed at Coachella, collaborated with Shakira on the song "TQG" and sold out Madison Square Garden. She was also nominated for a GRAMMY in 2022 and a Latin Grammy that same year.
She also made history when her most recent album, Mañana Será Bonito ("Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful"), became the first fully Spanish-language album by a female artist to top the Billboard 200 chart. Mañana Será Bonito explores everything from pop-rock to Caribbean melodies. During her attendance record-breaking performance in June as part of TODAY‘s Citi Concert Series, Karol remarked: "The last two years we’ve been growing as a movement and Latinos, we support what we do around the world so we’re here proud of all of us and it’s such an amazing moment."
Karol G performs at 8:40 p.m. Thursday at the Bud Light stage.
Declan McKenna
Irrefutable pop prodigy Declan McKenna is known for drenching infectious sun-soaked melodies with fiery lyrical realism. His 2015 single "Brazil" catapulted McKenna into the spotlight, and earned him a spot in Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition — which he won.
The 24-year-old has continuously cranked out tunes that drastically set him apart from his peers. Older gems like "Isombard" challenge repulsive right wing rhetoric while newer songs from Mckenna’s catalog — including his latest single, "Sympathy" — reiterate the importance of authenticity and positivity. That sentiment is present throughout McKenna’s currently unannounced third album, and he couldn’t be prouder. "I’ve made a hella weird new album: it’s got a lot of strangeness to it, but that hasn’t come through me trying to be anything other than myself," he told NME in July.
Declan McKenna performs Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Bacardi stage.
Hemlocke Springs
Hemlocke Springs’ major breakthrough came courtesy of TikTok, where "Girlfriend'' became a viral sensation. The synth-laced sparkly pop gem has since amassed nearly 30 million streams on Spotify. "People are saying this reminds them of a Prince song, and I’m like ‘Prince?!’ I’m just a small country girl!" the singer told Rolling Stone.
Springs, who was born in Concord, North Carolina was embarking on a journey to receive a Master of Science degree from Dartmouth when she became more serious about music. Though she hasn’t abandoned her educational aspirations, she does have a few more songs under her belt including "heavun," "stranger danger!" and "sever the blight."
Hemlocke Springs perform at 1:00 p.m. Friday at the BMI stage.
MAVI
The poetry that MAVI enraptures his listeners with is ripe with blistering sincerity. His first album, 2019’s Let the Sun Talk, was made while the musician was just a freshman at Howard University and was praised for its complexity.
MAVI’s second independent project, End of the Earth, was lauded even more and landed the emcee opportunities to work with the likes of Earl Sweatshirt and producer the Alchemist (MAVI also opened for Jack Harlow on tour in 2021). His latest album, Laughing So Hard It Hurts, shows off the musician’s maturity as he explores themes of generational trauma as well as the painful aftermath of losing people closest to you.
"I made this gentle album to be gentle with myself," MAVI told OkayPlayer. "Everybody else don’t got to be gentle with me. Being gentle with the album, I feel is the best way to hear it and to listen to it."
MAVI performs at 2:50 p.m. Saturday at the Bacardi stage.
Pusha T
Rap’s most infamous kingpin has been working the festival circuit hard in 2023: Pusha T has performed at Coachella, Governors Ball and Primavera Sound. The Daytona rapper will bring his bold antics (like transforming the stage into own personal drug den) to Lollapalooza with a solid catalog featuring some of hip-hop’s most memorable hits.
Pusha started out his career as one half of the popular duo Clipse, alongside his brother Malice. The GRAMMY-nominated pair released a slew of impressive albums, including 2002’s Lord Willin’ and 2006’s Hell Hath No Fury. Once they disbanded in 2010, Push signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music record label. In 2013, the emcee released his debut album My Name is My Name which featured the popular single "Numbers on the Boards." Over the last decade, Pusha T has collaborated with artists like Jay-Z, Pharrell, Kehlani, Rick Ross and Kid Cudi. On 2022's It's Almost Dry, fans were treated to a Clipse reunion as Malice appeared on the album’s final track entitled "I Pray For You."
Pusha T performs at 8:45 p.m. Saturday at the Perry’s stage.
Tomorrow X Together
This K-Pop group formed in 2019 and is the second boy band to debut under Big Hit Music, a subsidiary of HYBE corporation (Big Hit is also home to BTS). Earlier this year, Tomorrow X Together embarked on a 16-city worldwide tour, and will be playing Lollapalooza for the second year in a row. The newest EP, The Name Chapter: Temptation, was released earlier this year.
They have recorded three studio albums total and during their debut became the fastest K-pop group to reach number one on the Billboard World Albums and World Digital Song Sales charts with their hit single "Crown" and EP The Dream Chapter: Star.
Last year, Tomorrow X Together made history by becoming the first K-pop act to perform at Lollapalooza, making the headlining slot they hold this year that much sweeter. In July, they teamed up with the Jonas Brothers for the light-hearted and cheerful "Do It Like That," which was produced by Ryan Tedder.
Together X Tomorrow perform at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bud Light stage.
Dehd
This Chicago trio specializes in moody, midtempo songs with an alt-rock feel. Dehd’s most recent album, Blue Skies, is a sonic testimony to the group’s effortless chemistry as evidenced by their creative approach. The pulsating dexterity of "Bop" feels like the equivalent of catching lightning in a bottle, while "Empty in My Mind" is alluring for its crisp vocals and surprising simplicity.
However, that straightforwardness also contains depth. On "Waterfall," they speak on the country’s current cultural landscape by saying: "I don’t care about American ways/It doesn’t change/I’m dreaming of the one who understands." In an interview with Under The Radar, singer/guitarist Jason Balla explained the song was written "in the context of all this social unrest. I think America stands for a lot of things, and it can feel so discouraging…but it’s also a reminder that you have to keep working towards undermining that loop."
Dehd perform at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the T-Mobile stage.
19 Concerts And Events Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of Hip-Hop