DON’T MISS
THESE EIGHT EMERGING ACTS AT LOLLAPALOOZA IN CHICAGO
From Thursday to Sunday, Lollapalooza will invade Chicago’s Grant Park with the likes of Chance the Rapper, Lorde, Arcade Fire, Muse and the Killers.
But a significant portion of the 176 Lolla artists are newcomers, some of whom could go on to be marquee names and headliners. Once, long ago, a little-known Lady Gaga played an afternoon set on a small Lolla stage.
Acts like Jain, Sampha and Mura Masa may not be household names yet, but they’re among our picks for eight up-and-coming artists you have to see at Lolla this year, listed in order of appearance:
1. Declan McKenna: The only silver lining to the 2015 FIFA corruption scandal was “Brazil,” a musically breezy, lyrically blistering protest song that kickstarted a promising career for the teen British rocker. (Noon Thursday, Lake Shore Stage)
2. Jain: Turning her globe-trotting upbringing into a one-of-akind sound, Jain splices together French electronic music, Congolese rhythms and Arabic percussion. (2 p.m. Thursday, Tito’s Stage)
3. Mondo Cozmo: The folkflavored rocker has been building momentum with euphoric live shows ahead of “Plastic Soul,” the debut album he’s dropping the day of his Lollapalooza set. (1:50 p.m. Friday, Pepsi Stage)
4. Mura Masa: The British producer’s addictive, self-titled debut album is dance music to a different beat, incorporating unexpected rhythmic samples into a soulful house sound fit for London’s hottest club. (4 p.m. Friday, Pepsi)
5. Blossoms: The Brit band’s glossy take on ‘80s pop rock is the cross between Arctic Monkeys and the 1975 you never knew you wanted. (1:15 p.m. Saturday, Bud Light Stage) 6. Maggie Rogers: Pharrell Williams was visibly shaken listening to Rogers’ folk-pop anthem “Alaska” at her New York University class, making her a literal overnight sensation. (2:30 p.m. Sunday, Grant Park Stage)
7. Noname: Chance the Rapper’s blockbuster success has shined a light on Chicago’s rich hip-hop scene, and arguably no budding artist in that scene is brighter than his recurring collaborator Noname. (2:50 p.m. Sunday, Pepsi)
8. Sampha: Turns out collaborations with major artists like Kanye West, Frank Ocean and Solange were just the warm-up for this soulful R&B artist, whose debut album “Process” is destined for many best album of the year lists. (6:30 p.m. Sunday, Pepsi)