Osheaga | Full lineup revealed

Fred again.., Kim Petras, Soccer Mommy, The Flaming Lips, Carly Rae Jepsen, Baby Keem: there will be something for everyone at 16^e Osheaga Festival, from August 4 to 6. Dozens of names thus complete the programming, which already included the headliners previously announced, namely Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, RÜFÜS DU SOL, The National and Aya Nakamura.

Again this year, Osheaga offers nearly a hundred concerts by artists of eclectic styles, representing a diversity of musical genres and origins. Festival guests come from hip-hop or indie rock, afro pop or electro, disco or synth pop. Among them, some big names in the current music scene, such as Lil Yatchy, Fred again…, Central Cee, Japanese Breakfast or Kim Petras. Others, like The National or The Flaming Lips (who will perform the repertoire of their 2002 album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots), veterans accustomed to frequently stopping here, will return to meet the Montreal public.

Hip-hop keeps a large place at the festival. Rather than a day where most rap artists are gathered, we have scattered their names over the three days of the festival. Thus, Aya Nakamura and Joey Badas$$ will perform on Friday, Baby Keen, Lil Yachty and 070 Shake will be on stage on Saturday, while Kendrick Lamar, Osheaga’s biggest acquisition this year, will close the festivities on Sunday.

Indie pop rock, “which is part of the identity of the festival”, according to Camille Guitton, one of the chief programmers for Osheaga, is also in the spotlight.

It is also “important for Osheaga to put women forward”, with Billie Eilish, Kim Petras (for her second presence in Montreal) or Aya Nakamura, in particular, says Camille Guitton.

The festival seeks to open its musical borders – we note the presence of the king of afro pop, Rema, originally from Nigeria, the Japanese artist Rina Sawayama, as well as Bomba Estéreo, a Colombian band which has accumulated almost a billion plays on Spotify for his song Ojitos Lindoswith Bad Bunny.

The Quebec touch remains: Alicia Moffet, Sarahmée, Mindflip, Jonathan Roy and many others will represent the province and its music from August 4 to 6.

Completing a program in 2023

“There is no magic recipe. Each year, we start from scratch, we wonder what the trends are, which artists stand out, which ones are making a comeback, ”says Camille Guitton, in an interview with The Press.

One thing remains constant: the imperative to find headliners early. The presence of Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and RÜFÜS DU SOL was announced last fall, after several months of work. The team of six programmers then continued to work on the rest of their programming until… a few days ago. “It ended this week,” says Camille Guitton, a laugh in her voice.

It’s not uncommon for final programming details to be ironed out just before the unveiling. But this year is special. Current circumstances have put some obstacles in the way for the Osheaga team.

The Montreal festival, the largest of its kind in Canada, can count on its good reputation, she observes. And if the COVID-19 made the holding of events like Osheaga and the tours more complicated, “we came out of it stronger”, adds the programmer. “The dialogues are more open with the teams of artists. Agents have been there too. There are still major challenges, but I think there are more [bienveillance]. »

Some changes are to be expected for this 16^e Osheaga festival. The City of Montreal having redesigned certain areas of Parc Jean-Drapeau, there will be one less stage. The Trees stage, “a playground for programmers”, who programmed emerging and local artists there, will not be there this year. “It’s also our role to constantly adapt to new challenges that arise and this year again we rolled up our sleeves to offer strong artists from 2 p.m. As always, our team will be able to highlight this site that we love and which is an integral part of the festival’s DNA,” says Camille Guitton.

Another difference to note: the Osheaga poster is unlike any previous one. “The artistic direction has changed, we want to put festival-goers forward by creating characters on the poster, says the programmer. We want to send the message that in Osheaga, you can show your colors. We are a fun place, a safe space. These values ​​are found in the programming itself, she believes. “As much in terms of music as of origin or sexual orientation,” says Camille Guitton. It’s super important to us. We always want to open our borders, while remaining true to who we are. »

Day tickets for the Osheaga Festival go on sale March 11. Passes for the three days are already on sale.