Every summer for the past 28 years, Lollapalooza has flawlessly demonstrated why exactly it is the success it is. The festival grows every year in terms of audiences, bigger headliners, higher production value, and more activations. Lollapalooza manages to execute the festival weekend with such ease, at least to the attendees looking from the outside in. While Lollapalooza involves many moving parts, at the end of the day, it is a music festival. Without a stellar lineup, the festival would not be nearly as celebrated. So, with Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino, Twenty One Pilots, The Strokes, and many other top-tier artists decorating the top of this year’s lineup, there are a lot of other bands. Seriously, the lineup is huge. Below, we’ve (somehow) rounded up our top five artists we do not want to miss at Lollapalooza 2019 (August 1 – 4).
Terror Jr performing at Lollapalooza 2018
1. Hayley Kiyoko on Thursday 8/1
This free-spirited, vibrant artist is so full of life on and off stage that since the release of her debut album Expectations in 2018, she has created an unbelievably loyal fanbase in addition to winning the MTV Video Music Award for Push Artist of the Year. She is strong-willed and determined to spread her message of the importance of inclusivity and self-acceptance across the globe.
2. Honne on Friday 8/2
With five EPs and two full-length albums under their belt, this indie pop outfit has enough music to play several sets at Lollapalooza. The dance-centric duo creates synth-heavy music that encourages dancing. Their second studio album, Love Me / Love Me Not, was released in 2018 and since then, the pair of guys that make up Honne have not stopped.
3. AJR on Saturday 8/3
This indie pop trio of brothers offer a captivating sound that feels like it exists on the DIY spectrum, but in an elevated way. The guys put out their third studio album in April 2019 called Neotheater. With upbeat, vibrant songs, AJR is the perfect easy listening for a Saturday afternoon at Lollapalooza.
4. Sam Fender on Saturday 8/3
The statuesque British singer boasts a strong point of view and powerful vocals to back up his message. His debut album, Hypersonic Missiles, is due out August 9 so we can only assume that Sam Fender will be teasing a few unreleased songs during his set at Lollapalooza. Some already released bangers by Fender include “Play God,” “Dead Boys,” and “That Sound.”
5. Bayonne on Sunday 8/4
This solo artist has been creating electronic music since 2012, but decided to change his stage name to Bayonne in 2016. With three albums released as Roger Sellers and two full-length albums as Bayonne, this artist has boundless creativity. Bayonne’s latest album, Drastic Measures, was released in early 2019 and truly showcased himself as a textured artist with many layers to his sound.
