The OSHEAGA Music and Arts Festival presented by Bell in collaboration with Coors Lightis fast approaching, and the lineup for 2023 is here with tons of great surprises, new discoveries, and many festival favourites converging for a non-stop, star-studded 3 day event!
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This year’s festival looks to be one of the best and most forward-thinking editions in the festival’s storied history, with some of the most creative, buzzed-about, and talented artists in the world getting together for three days of pure celebration, to the delight of the adoring crowd. Between Aug 4th – 6th, 2023, at Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau (widely known as one of North America’s top festival sites), headliners RÜFÜS DU SOL, Billie Eilish, and Kendrick Lamar will be joined by some of the top talent in the musical world, including Lil Yachty, Fred again.., Kim Petras, Japanese Breakfast,Central Cee,The National and The Flaming Lips who will perform their seminal album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots in its entirety.
One term that has always been at the heart of OSHEAGA’S programming is the word eclectic – and for the 2023 edition, sounds and styles range from all over the world, all across the spectrum, and all the way around the globe. This year’s lineup has Afro pop, indie rock, bass, rap, electro, synth pop, disco, and everything in between. The UK’s Fred again.. will bring the energy, raising the temperature with a unique sound that has made Fred a global phenomenon; Nigeria’s Rema – the current king of Afro pop (whose collaboration with Selena Gomez, “Calm Down”, is one of the songs of the year) will undoubtedly be a highlight of this year’s festival. Fans will also find plenty of international offerings from groups like Altın Gün(Turkish psychedelic rock), Japan’s Rina Sawayama (who brings the bombast), and Bomba Estéreo (the Colombian band whose collaboration with Bad Bunny, “Ojitos Lindos”, has been streamed almost half a BILLION times on Spotify). Big bad dance beats will also be on the menu, with an exclusive live set from Belfast’s Bicep, and Saint Levant, the Palestinian/French/Algerian/Serbian rapper who calls LA home, will be a revelation for many with his laidback flow and bedroom pop beats.
Hip Hop looms large at the festival this year, with some of the biggest names on the charts and some of the most important figures in the underground making their OSHEAGA debut. Of course, everyone is excited for Kendrick Lamar, and this time, his protege and cousin Baby Keem, will take the stage as well for his own set. The two artists won a Grammy last year for their collaboration on the song “Family Ties”. Lil Yachty is one of the most popular rappers in the world today, and his evolution is happening in real time with the release of his adventurous and psychedelic new album, Let’s Start Here. Jersey-born Dominican singer/rapper, 070 Shake will show the crowd what real girl power is all about; UK rap will get its moment as well, with Central Cee and his drill-hop sounds; while Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$, (who sold out MTELUS at last year’s Montreal Jazz Festival) will prove why he is among the kings of the underground.
Indie Pop has always been a core part of OSHEAGA’s DNA and this year is no different. As a back-to-the-source kind of moment, The Flaming Lips, who played the very first edition of the festival in 2006, will make their triumphant return to the festival stage. Fat Possum recording artist Soccer Mommy has been crafting perfect indie pop ditties since she first burst onto the scene in 2017, and she’ll surely grow her loyal fan base when she performs at the festival. On the indie folk tip, there is Dope Lemon, a side project of Angus Stone (of Angus & Julia Stone fame), who branches out a bit more into some exotic sunshine sounds with his own band. Japanese Breakfast, who gained a lot of fans with a fantastic SNL performance this year will get things moving just right with their chill dream pop, while Asbury Park’s Fletcher’s unabashed pop takes fans on a trip through so many styles that she could perform alongside anyone at the fest, and it would be a perfect fit.
Homegrown talent has always been a cornerstone of the OSHEAGA experience, and this year is no exception with performances by Canadian acts like Timmins, Ontario Juno nominee Preston Pablo; pop queen Carly Rae Jepsen; left-field punk sensation pup; Ontario’s mysterious and exciting Lido Pimienta; Bass powerhouse Rezz; and bbno$, the left coast rapper who had everybody bouncing to his massive hit “Edamame”! Local talent is also paramount to the festival, with a ton of great Quebec artists representing la belle province, including singer/songwriter Alicia Moffet, as well as Sarahmée – the first hip-hop artist to be nominated at the ADISQ Gala in the category Revelation of the Year, Mindflip – the Gatineau rapper whose melodic excursion with multi-platinum producer Soké of Banx & Ranx has created a major buzz, helping him amass over 40 million streams over the last 4 years – and many more local acts that prove why Montreal is considered one of the major music capitals of the world!
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