The artist Kaytranada and the group Men I Trust take pride of place on the posters of the Coachella and Bonnaroo festivals, two of the most important musical events in the United States.
• Read also: Kaytranada at Coachella
Proof that his star shines even brighter since winning two Grammy awards in 2021, Montreal producer and DJ Louis Kevin Celestin, alias Kaytranada, is even one of the most anticipated artists on the poster for the days of the 14th and April 21 at Coachella, a festival that takes place over two weekends and attracts more than 125,000 spectators.
By consulting the daily lineup of some fifty artists, his name is the fifth in importance, behind the headliner Bad Bunny, then Gorillaz, Burna Boy and the Chemical Brothers.
For its part, the name of the trio Men I Trust, which was born in Quebec almost 10 years ago, rubs shoulders with that of the British formation Franz Ferdinand on the schedule for June 18, in Bonnaroo, during a day starring the Foo Fighters.
Positive impact for Men I Trust
Photo archives, AFP
The group Men I Trust during its participation in the Coachella festival, in 2019. The Quebec indie pop formation is in the alignment of the Bonnaroo festival, next summer.
Oddly, keyboardist Dragos Chiriac hadn’t realized the importance of Men I Trust’s presence at Bonnaroo when The newspaper spoke to him.
“I don’t know this festival that well. You teach me that it’s a big deal, I had no idea,” laughed the musician.
He knows on the other hand – because his group has already participated in the Lollapalooza and Coachella festivals – how much obtaining a place on the poster of a prestigious festival can have a positive impact for an artist.
“Once we were able to put the names of these festivals on our curriculum vitae, we were able to raise our fees and a lot of people started to take us seriously. It gives a certain notoriety and the promoters are then more ready to take a risk by hiring us, ”he says.
On four continents
One thing is certain, it hasn’t harmed Men I Trust, which can play almost anywhere in the world, whether in America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.
The demand is there. Moreover, as was the case in 2022, Dragos Chiriac and his accomplices Emmanuelle Proulx and Jessy Caron will spend a good part of 2023 traveling the globe. Nearly 90 concerts on four continents are on their agenda.
“We are also working on new music,” adds Dragos Chiriac.
Later in the year, we will see them in Montreal. There was talk of a presence at the Festival d’été de Québec, but the call from the programmers came just when Men I Trust had just said yes to dates in Europe. It will therefore be postponed.
The other big names
Coachella
From 14 to 16 and from 21 to 23 April 2023
Bad Bunny, Blackpink, Frank Ocean, Gorillaz, Rosalía and Björk
bonnaroo
From July 15 to 18, 2023
Kendrick Lamar, Odesza, Foo Fighters, Zeds Dead, Lil Nas X and Paramore