The difficulty of deciphering Lollapalooza lineups has become as much of a mainstay as the festival itself. Lollapalooza is set to celebrate its 28th anniversary in August and will continue to spotlight some of the most commercially successful artists atop of its lineup. More than one hundred other artists encompass the bill, though, without necessarily sporting much in common musically. For example, this summer will feature a four-time NBA champion performing on the same festival grounds as the guitarist from Guns N' Roses. One aspect of Lollapalooza continuity, however, has stemmed from artists being “promoted from within” to headliners throughout future lineups.
Since permanently returning to Chicago in 2005, Lollapalooza attendees have had the opportunity to witness emerging artists perform early afternoon sets before ascending to headliner status years later. Two recent Lollapalooza headliners, the xx in 2017 and Tame Impala in 2019, both showcased their sonic auras during 3:15 pm sets seven years before topping their respective festival bills. The following three artists could continue the trend of progressively climbing from lower levels to the top of Lollapalooza lineups.
Maggie Rogers
Japanese Breakfast
Michelle Zauner has been one of the most imaginative, multi-talented artists to emerge out of the dreampop community in recent memory. She has released two albums under Japanese Breakfast, which contain a balance of glittery, uplifting tracks like “In Heaven” and anthemic hits like “Everybody Wants To Love You.” She has a multidimensional grasp of indie music, having directed music videos for bands such as Better Oblivion Community Center. In addition to announcing that she has an upcoming memoir, Zauner’s vision for expanding and layering her work makes her a necessary artist for the radars of music enthusiasts. Fans of The Cranberries might adore her excellent cover of “Dreams” at Pitchfork Music Festival last summer.
Mitski