Friday got off to a strong start with queer favourite King Princess taking the Snapchat Stage in the afternoon. Despite the earlier time slot, fans showed up in full force as she performed a mix of favourites from across her discography, including “PAIN,” “Cheap Queen,” and “Prophet”. The crowd energy proved that an early afternoon set was no obstacle for a dedicated fanbase.

Del Water Gap by @okaynicolita and King Princess by Anna Downs. Cover image: Lorde by Rich Fury. Images courtesy of Governors Ball.

Over on the main stage, Del Water Gap also had a wonderful set on the main stage on the earlier side, but that didn’t stop his fans from jumping and singing along to “Perfume” or “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat”. The Dare brought one of the highest-energy performances of the entire festival. Many attendees agreed that seeing him perform in broad daylight felt unusual compared to the dark clubs and underground venues where his music thrives, but he still managed to create an electric atmosphere. Fans were jumping, screaming, and fully immersed during songs like “Eastside Girls” and “I Destroyed Disco”.

KATSEYE by @okaynicolita, image courtesy of Governors Ball.

KATSEYE brought a noticeably younger crowd, with many parents attending alongside their kids, creating a different atmosphere than some of the festival’s other sets. However, the group’s choreography and vocals completely won over the audience. Watching all five members constantly moving, singing, and perfectly coordinating on stage felt almost effortless — a true display of their performance skill.

Baby Keem and Lorde were major highlights of Friday, closing out the night with massive crowds ready to sing along to every favourite track. Fans erupted for tracks like “family ties” and “The Hillbillies,” turning his set into one of the most energetic moments of the day.

Baby Keem by Rich Fury. Image courtesy of Governors Ball.

Lorde by @okaynicolita and Anna Downs. Image courtesy of Governors Ball.

Lorde’s performance was one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend, and she completely lived up to the hype. Taking the stage with her signature emotional intensity, she created a more intimate atmosphere despite performing for one of the festival’s largest crowds. Moving between newer material and fan favourites from throughout her career, Lorde had the entire audience singing along to songs like “Royals,” “Green Light,” and “Ribs”. Her ability to make a massive festival stage feel personal was one of the standout moments of Friday night, closing out the day on a powerful and emotional note.

Saturday proved to be more unpredictable than expected, as weather conditions impacted the evening performances. The day started beautifully, with clear skies, sunshine, and a refreshing breeze keeping festivalgoers comfortable. 2hollis delivered an incredible set, even ending shirtless to the crowd’s excitement. Ravyn Lenae and Wet Leg also gave standout performances. Ravyn Lenae’s vocals were especially impressive as she performed favourites like “Bad Idea” and “Love Me Not,” while Wet Leg had a packed crowd singing along to hits like “Wet Dream” and “mangetout”.

Unfortunately, thunderstorms disrupted the evening schedule, forcing several changes to the lineup. Some artists were moved to earlier time slots, while others were cancelled or rescheduled. Kali Uchis fans experienced the biggest disappointment of the weekend when her entire performance was cancelled due to the incoming storms.

Major Lazer was moved to the Snapchat Stage, while Stray Kids were moved into an earlier slot. Stray Kids quickly became one of the most talked-about performances of the festival. Marking the first time a K-pop group headlined Governors Ball, the group brought one of the most dedicated fanbases of the weekend. Many fans waited throughout the entire day to secure front-row spots, and their commitment paid off with a high-energy performance. Those who stayed until the end also braved the severe summer thunderstorm that hit Queens just minutes after their set concluded.

Sunday brought a return to sunshine and celebration, beginning with Hemlocke Springs, who captivated the crowd with her ethereal vocals and infectious energy. She performed primarily songs from her debut album the apple tree under the sea, ending her set with “be the girl” and a heartfelt message about growth, change, and embracing new chapters in life.

The sunny weather did briefly disappear when a short rain delay affected Slayyyter’s performance, cutting her set about 15 minutes short. Fans were devastated, chanting “Justice for Slayyyter!” even after the performance ended. Thankfully, her team came prepared, throwing out Slayyyter-themed flags that doubled as rain protection for the crowd.

A major highlight of Sunday was Governors Ball successfully rescheduling Blood Orange for a new festival time slot. Jennie also drew an enormous crowd, further highlighting the growing presence of K-pop at the festival. Alongside artists like Stray Kids and KATSEYE, she helped bring a more international feel to this year’s lineup compared to previous years.

The final night was especially meaningful for New Yorkers as Harlem native A$AP Rocky headlined the festival. His performance was a massive production featuring a helicopter, dozens of dancers, and a dramatic SWAT team-inspired visual moment. He closed out the weekend with a hometown celebration that perfectly capped off another successful Governors Ball.

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Lorde headlining Friday will bring a wave of 2000s kids to the park to see her live in all her grown-up glory. She last played the festival way back in 2017, which is almost a decade ago now. Since then, Lorde has evolved from a teenage indie-pop phenomenon into one of the defining voices of her generation, and fans are surely extremely eager to see what kind of emotional set she brings to the main stage. Friday, in general, feels geared toward fans looking for a more dreamy and nostalgic festival experience. King Princess, Arcy Drive and Del Water Gap are all examples with their romantic, wistful, and sentimental feelings coming out through their style.

Saturday might be the most global night of the festival, featuring artists from all over the world and all genres. Saturday will absolutely be the day to go if you’re looking for raging, large-crowd energy. K-pop will definitely be having a huge moment at Governors Ball this year with two nights of headliners. Stray Kids and BLACKPINK’s Jennie are absolutely going to rock the house down. Between their massive international fanbases and high-production performances, expect some of the loudest crowds of the weekend. Saturday’s lineup overall feels chaotic in the best way possible, bouncing between electronic, rap, pop, and dance performances all day long.

A$AP Rocky, Harlem native and longtime New York icon, will be closing the festival Sunday night, which will surely end the weekend with a bang. Rocky has always represented a very specific cool, fashion-forward version of New York rap culture, and having him close out the festival feels fitting for a hometown finale. Fans are already speculating about surprise guests, especially considering his long history of collaborations with artists across genres. 

Of course, A$AP Rocky isn’t the only New Yorker representing the city’s musical talent; the Dare, Geese, Del Water Gap, Lexa Gates, and the School of Rock performers are all showing what New York is made of. The Dare specifically has really blown up in the past few years during the Charli XCX-inspired punk-pop and indie sleaze resurgence that’s swept NYC nightlife and music culture. His set — and who he may or may not bring out — will definitely be one to look forward to. Another huge group to watch will be Geese, who have, not so quietly in this past year, become one of the most exciting young rock acts to come out of New York. Their set at the Brooklyn Paramount last November was pretty much the hottest ticket of the fall, so it will be interesting to see how many show up for their festival set.

Hemlocke Springs will be an artist to watch this year, and fresh off of releasing her first album the apple tree under the sea. Extremely unique artist with a very clear style to her music as well as her image. Slayyyter is another artist blowing up right now in the queer hyper pop universe – ALSO fresh off her album release of BROKE BITCH FREE$TYLE, she is sure to bring the party to Queens. 

Governors Ball has always worked best when it balances massive global stars with rising local talent, and this year’s lineup feels especially reflective of the city’s current music scene.

Learn more and get tickets at governorsballmusicfestival.com.

Cover image by Conan Gray by Charles Reagan for Governors Ball 2025.

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T-Pain by Roger Ho for Govenors Ball. Cover image: Benson Boone by Charles Reagan for Governors Ball.

Taking the main stage on Friday evening, T-Pain was definitely a highlight, playing hits like “Buy U a Drank” and “Hey Baby (Drop it to the Floor).” Role Model also came out to the Grove stage to an extremely large crowd all ready to hear his hit “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”. Role Model brought out Conan Gray to be his “Sally,” and they smooched on stage in the middle of the bridge. Back over on the main stage Mk.Gee gave a fun, atmospheric performance to his fans playing his biggest songs like “Rockman” and “Alesis.”

Benson Boone performed to a crowd absolutely filled with adoring fans, all awaiting his famous backflip. His performance was incredibly earnest, and he seemed to be enjoying himself just as much as his fans. Just last month, Boone performed to even bigger crowds at Coachella, but he brought the same energy and stunning vocals to Queens, NY. To the audience’s delight, he threw out multiple backflips for them and performed his biggest hits, “Beautiful Things” and “In the Stars”!

Left: Benson Boone by Taylor Regulski for Governors Ball. Right: Role Model-Conan Gray by Deanie Chen for Governors Ball.

Conan Gray by Deanie Chen (left) and Paigge Warton (right)for Governors Ball.

Tyler the Creator by Roger Ho (left) and Deanie Chen (right) for Govenors Ball.

Finally, Tyler the Creator took the main stage just as the sun was going down to much excitement and anticipation from the fans. Tyler began his set by performing the first four songs off his latest album, CHROMAKOPIA, released last year, and then ended with some of his biggest hits like “Balloon” and “See You Again”. Tyler gave one of the most enigmatic, dynamic performances of the festival with explosive dance moves and even a huge fireworks display to close out Friday night.

Saturday took a strange turn when the entire day was delayed four hours due to rain and wind, but that didn’t stop music lovers from showing up to support their favourite artists. Sadly, several acts had to be cancelled due to the delay.

Artemas kicked off the afternoon with an angsty set and played his huge hit song from last year, “I like the way you kiss me”. MARINA took the main stage to a huge crowd, most of whom were here lining up early for Olivia Rodrigo. MARINA’s new album, Princess of Power, was released the day before on Friday, and she debuted several songs live, including “Princess of Power” and “I <3 You”.

Marina by Paigge Warton (left) and Anna Downs (right) for Govenors Ball.

Conan Gray was a wonderful opener for Olivia Rodrigo, as most fans know of their close friendship and even encouraged everyone to make sure to stay and watch his friend. He opened with his new track “This Song” and delivered beautiful vocals on each and every one of his tracks. Olivia Rodrigo opened her set with “obsessed” and dazzled the crowd with more tracks from her two albums, Sour and Guts. It was a very family-friendly set, as most of the crowd was filled with kids under fourteen there with their parents. Rodrigo even brought out Talking Heads member David Byrne for a duet of “Burning Down the House”. It was a very fun, bright set to close out a rainy, gloomy day filled with setbacks.

Olivia Rodrigo by Dusana Risovic for Governors Ball.

Sunday was still a little gloomy, but the festival kicked off on schedule to everyone’s delight. RAYE had a particularly sparkling set, performing with a full band and insane vocals. She was all smiles and looked just so happy to be there performing. RAYE was also extremely vocal about how much she appreciated all her fans who came out to see her perform.

The Japanese House went on to a crowd full of cheering fans, opening with “Touching Yourself” and playing other hits like “Something Has to Change” and  “Boyhood”. She shouted out the Queer community and specifically Trans People, letting them know that they are loved and belong.

The final act of Governors Ball, Hozier and his band, closed the festival Sunday evening. He told the crowd he and his band were recovering from a cold, but were happy and ready to perform. No one could even tell because Hozier’s voice was just stunning. Singing through some of his most popular tracks, “Cherry Wine” and “Too Sweet”, and ending with his old hit song “Take Me to Church,” Hozier truly gave a magical final performance.

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The crowd was definitely filled with long-time fans because every time she performed one of her old hits, the entire venue would go absolutely wild. Usually, artists save their biggest hits for the end of the show, but Hope whipped out both “Cherries” and “All My Girls Like To Fight” within the first few tracks. Hope Tala’s voice is just so incredibly soothing to listen to, and she has quite a unique sound that’s somewhat a blend of R&B and Bossa Nova. You can really hear it in her track “Cherries” as well as “Mad.” You can really hear the Bossa Nova style come out in the drum beat as well as the light guitar strings. These were super fun and easy to dance to, so naturally, you could see the entire crowd dancing along. There were even a few couples who were partner dancing in the back of the venue, where there was a bit more space for moving.

One of the highlights of the show was the sweet moment Hope Tala shared on stage with her band member Lexi. She pulled out her acoustic guitar and asked the audience to sing along with her as she wished Lexi a happy birthday. The whole crowd pulled out their phone lights to shine around the room, and everyone sweetly sang Happy Birthday to Hope’s guitar player, Lexi.

Another wonderful moment was Hope’s surprise cover of Lily Allen’s song “Smile,” which everyone absolutely loved. There was even someone filming her on their Nintendo DS during this song, which made her crack up in the middle of a verse. Another amazing track was “Lovestained,” which is arguably her biggest track, and she became quite emotional with how many people knew every word. Hope had such a fun presence on stage and just gave off such earnestness. She really conveyed to the crowd how grateful she was to be up on that stage playing her art for everyone.

Hope closed her set with the perfect song to end the night, “Leave it on the Dancefloor,” which is exactly what everyone did.

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A full-fledged jazz band backed him up the whole time just filled with incredible talents. Cautious Clay’s sound flows in between pop, R&B, and rhythmic jazz, and this venue blended into his own unique style. Although Clay’s main instrument for the night was his vocals, he showed incredible skills on the guitar, saxophone, and even more on the flute. His flute solos were incredible and absolutely a highlight of the performance paired beautifully with the rest of the jazz ensemble.

The show featured some of Clay’s older fan favourites like “Roots,” “Shook,” and “Agreeable”. A lot of his songs were also performed at a slower tempo which allowed his voice to stand out. During the performance, Clay debuted a fair amount of new songs including “Tokyo Drift”. He spoke a great deal about the process of his songwriting and how he’s probably written over sixty songs while producing his new album. Whenever he introduced a new song Clay also touched on how he thought his songs felt and sounded like certain times of day. He teased a lot of new songs this evening and promised an album is coming sooner rather than later causing plenty of excitement in the room.

It was a special, not-to-be-missed show. Hopefully, we will be hearing about an album release from Cautious Clay and a new tour within the next few months.

All images by Jen Roman

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Governors Ball returned to the Big Apple in the Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens for another weekend of music showcases. Unlike last year’s panic about possibly shutting down the festival due to air quality, this year had bright, blue, and sunny skies for all three days. Friday had some fabulous performers despite some people commenting that the Governor’s Ball hasn’t been at the same caliber in the past couple of years as it used to be.

Underscores was one of the first performers on Friday at the IHC stage and blew it out of the park. Her stage design and outfit were minimal but she brought 110% of her energy to the crowd. Underscores had a lot of similar qualities to 100 gecs but in the best way possible. Her music passion was visible from the get-go, she was just happy to be up there having fun sharing her talent with her audience. It was a smaller crowd, but a crowd you could tell really appreciated her talent. Everyone was dancing, jumping, and whipping their heads back and forth to “my guy (corporate shuffle)”.

Left image: Underscores by Paigge Warton; Right: Yung Gravy by Josh Sobel

Yung Gravy, performing at the GoPuff stage was another Friday highlight. It was definitely a younger crowd, probably because he has a large tikTok presence, but folks of all ages were in attendance to some extent. Yung Gravy, dressed in a bright yellow button-down with a white suit covered in flowers, immediately had the crowd swooning with his low, sexy baritone vocals. He debuted his new single “white claw” which he just dropped that day in collaboration with Shania Twain, probably the biggest collab in his career thus far. He even joined the crowd during his last song to distribute roses to fans in the audience and kissed one of the fans, her husband didn’t look too happy, but she looked absolutely thrilled.

Dominic Fike took the main stage in the early evening with his little nephew in his arms. An extremely sweet, adorable way to start his set. He played a variety of old and new tracks, but much to everyone’s dismay, he did not play arguably his most popular song “3 Nights” but did play tunes like “Babydoll” and “misses.”

Post Malone ended the night with a performance filled with fan favorites like “Better Now” and newer songs like “I had some help”. His energy and personality were one of the most incredible of the festival. You could tell he was having just as much fun performing as every fan in the audience watching him. He even brought up two fans in the middle of his show to perform a song with him, which was incredibly heartwarming.

Images: Post Malone by N Bradley

Saturday’s highlights included an incredible set from Sabrina Carpenter, who is fresh from her tour with Taylor Swift. She charmed the audience with her beautiful yellow dress and bubbly personality. Sabrina performed her new single “Please Please Please” for the first time ever which was a real treat for all her fans. She was another performer you could tell was having great fun on stage and had nearly every person in the crowd singing along with her. Another highlight of Saturday was Carly Rae Jepson who feels like an artist you want to see perform on a beautiful summer day and that’s exactly what we got. “Talking to Myself” and “Call Me Maybe” were just a couple of the hot hits she sang during her energetic performance.

Left image: Sabrina Carpenter by @deaniechen; Right: Chappell Roan by N Bradley 

Sunday was the biggest day by far and getting tickets for this day seemed reminiscent of the Hunger Games. Everyone was fighting for their chance to see SZA, but arguably the more sought-after artist to see was Chappell Roan since her skyrocket to stardom over the last two months. The quote circulating across the internet this past weekend was that Sunday’s GovBall lineup was for the girls and the gays, which felt pretty accurate when looking at the majority of the crowd. Chappell took the stage to one of the biggest crowds of the entire festival. People lined up several acts in advance for her set which you could tell by all the signature pink cowboy hats. To say Chappell put on a fabulous show is a gross understatement. She entered the stage in a giant paper mache apple and exited the apple painted green and dressed like the Statue of Liberty. The enormous amount of creativity put into the outfit, the stage, and even her on-stage support team (her backup dancers were dressed like NYC taxis) was undeniable. Her entire show was incredible, but the most memorable moment for most people was “HOT TO GO!” which had every fan dancing to the signature dance that’s been blowing up all over the internet.

Left image: Saint Levant by @deaniechen; Right: Elyanna by N Bradley 

There was also the incredibly powerful and moving performance from Jerusalem-born Palestinian rapper Saint Levant. His Sunday fans came prepared with Palestinian flags and “free Palestine” posters. Saint Levant offered a beautiful set filled with great songs like “Nails,” “Very Few Friends,” and closed it all with “From Gaza, With Love“. It was one of the most emotional performances of the festival.

Elyanna was another Palestinian performer, not only is she a wonderful vocalist, but she is an incredible dancer. Elyanna and her dancers were dressed in stunning white outfits and her set included a lot of unique choreography with long white fabric.

SZA closed out Sunday’s festival with screaming excited fans. The artist didn’t disappoint and put on what some might call a jaw-droppingly fantastic set. “All the Stars” was beautiful and fans went wild when she brought out two swords for an insane Kill Bill-inspired dance number. One of the most powerful voices of the decade, not to mention an unbelievable dancer as well, SZA closed out the Governors Ball with a bang.

All images courtesy of Governor’s Ball

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Friday was arguably the most popular day overall because there was a great range of popular and upcoming artists spread out over the course of the day. Joey Badass delivered an incredible set with high energy to his die-hard fans. Remi Wolf was an absolute joy and her friendly, but funky stage presence made the crowd feel at home. Opening with “Disco Man” and closing with “Photo ID,” she had the entire audience dancing from start to finish. On the other stage, Ice Spice killed her short, but fabulous set with one of the largest crowds of the festival. New York absolutely showed up to watch the Queens’ native perform on her home turf.

Kim Petras and LIZZO were a perfect end to Friday and were amazing artists to kick off pride month with. Kim opened her set with her new single “Alone” and then proceeded to play the entirety of Slut Pop EP. She was nothing less than incredible and continued fiercely even as her set was interrupted by a downpour of rain. “You guys sure look wet out there” she shouted at one point after “They Wanna Fuck” teasing the crowd with her insinuation. LIZZO took the main stage playing all her hits and giving a killer performance as well as showering the audience with positive affirmations. “Soulmate” and “Good as Hell” had the entire crowd feeling self-love.

Saturday’s highlights included an incredible set from Rina Sawayama. She had earpiece troubles during her opener “Hold the Girl” but quickly recovered to deliver an amazing performance with beautiful visuals set as a backdrop. FINNEAS also delivered an amazing set, fairly simple. He and his band had the entire crowd singing along to “I Don’t Miss You At All”. One other highlight of Saturday was aespa’s Governors Ball debut performance. Although missing one of their members, Giselle, the group still delivered an impressive high-energy performance.

With Kendrick Lamar being the closing act  Sunday was the most packed day at the festival by far. There were people lining up for Kendrick the moment the festival opened. The other artists, however, still drew large crowds for their sets. Pusha T played a really fun set on the Bacardi stage dropping hits like “Diet Coke” and “Runaway”. Pink Pantheress charmed the crowd with her cute demeanor and bubbly personality. She was smiling and clearly having a lot of fun during her set, the audience couldn’t help but have fun with her. Closing with “Boy’s a Liar,” she promised the audience she’d be out there dancing with them to Kendrick later that night.

Lil Nas X had quite the performance as well, although I don’t think he’d argue it was his personal favorite. Halfway through the opening number “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” his earpiece blew out and he stopped the song exiting the stage to solve the issue. Lil Nas X returned soon enough letting the audience know this just was not his day. In all honestly, however, he still delivered an incredible set for the artist being down bad, but you could sense he wasn’t having the greatest time up on stage.

Kendrick took the main stage at 8:45 pm and gave one of the weekend’s best performances. No one would argue that he had the biggest crowd of the festival by far. That being said he had a lot of hype to live up to and his fans were itching for him to take the stage all day. Kedrick did not disappoint and delivered an unbelievably fantastic set. Opening with “N95,” the crowd absolutely roared when the beat dropped. He played a variety of songs from his collection including tracks like “King Kunta,” “Backseat Freestyle,” “DNA,” and “Humble.” One of the biggest highlights of the set was “family ties” where he surprised the audience and brought up Baby Keem. The chemistry between the two of them was remarkable to watch and listen to. It was an unforgettable night and a spectacular end to the Governors Ball.

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Almost Monday opened the rooftop concert with their gorgeous pop-rock tunes which got everyone in a sun-soaked Cali mood. This trio has a style is similar to The Driver Era and was definitely a fantastic precursor group for The Driver Era duo.

The Driver Era was welcomed to the stage at 8:30 pm with a massive wave of screams and cheering. One thing you can definitely say about The Driver Era’s fans is that they are absolutely beyond committed to this group. We talked to a few gals up front who had been waiting outside the venue in line since the very early morning and had bought their tickets seconds after the tour was announced.

Ross and Rocky Lynch opened with their new single “Keep Moving Forward,” which is a tad bit funkier and more experimental of a tune than their older music. The change in style absolutely speaks to their new song’s lyrics “I’ve got to keep moving forward”. However, the group did play a great mix of old tunes, as well as their new ones. The first half of their set included classics from their first album X (“Natural” and “Preacher Man”) which highlighted Ross’ crisp vocals beautifully. “Low” was another stunning crowd pleaser in the first half, giving Rocky more of a chance to shine. His low vocals and the slower, more relaxed energy were a great follow-up to the more upbeat, wild songs previous. The Driver Era duo even threw in a couple of covers of some older pop tunes including a fun rendition of “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson, which featured Ross in a green feathered cowboy hat that was thrown onstage by a fan.

The duo has incredible back and forth between one another and the crowd couldn’t get enough of the sweet moments between Rocky and Ross. The brothers very clearly have a complete blast performing with each other on stage, which makes the atmosphere of the show even more endearing and engaging. They even paused their show to announce that their sister had given birth that day, giving a warm, heartfelt end to their heart-pumping show.

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Friday’s set list was packed with artists and was a fairly hip-hop-heavy day, but Aly & AJ kicked off the event with a flash from the past but chose to omit “Potential Break Up Song” from their set which left some fans quite disappointed. Coi Leray gave a fun and energetic performance that got her whole crowd movin’ and groovin’. Her fabulous red bikini fit also rocked everyone’s world.

left: Dev Coi Leray after her set; right: Del Water Gap

It was a rap-filled afternoon after the first few sets and JPEGMAFIA gave a vibrant and entertaining performance. He completely lit up the stage, dancing and interacting with the crowd. This was arguably one of the best performers of the weekend. His cover of “Call Me Maybe” was beautifully haunting and a perfect break in between his more brash and intense numbers. 

Some craziness and complications clearly happened in the day leading up to Friday, because a single time slot was replaced not once, but twice last minute. First MIGOS were replaced with Lil Wayne and then (an hour before) Lil Wayne was replaced by A$AP Ferg [cover image]. A rollercoaster of emotions for hip hop and rap fans, but A$AP Ferg did not disappoint. A$AP Ferg took the stage with confidence and charm, commenting on the situation:  “I was just chillin’, and then I got a call from the festival like, ‘Yo Ferg! We need your ass to come right now!” The whole crowd laughed and A$AP Ferg gave an incredible performance despite being a last-minute addition to the lineup. The ground was shaking during “Plain Jane”.

Jack Harlow gathered what seemed like one of the biggest crowds of the night. The air was filled with excitement for this set, but while Harlow’s looks and vocals were very much on point that set felt deflated, something was missing in his surprisingly subtle stage presence. In parallel to this performance Kid Cudi’s set began and halfway through Harlow’s set a stampede of people headed towards the main stage for Cudi’s performance. Kid Cudi‘s fantastic energy and performance brought day one to an incredible end. there wasn’t a person in the crowd who wasn’t jumping to “Memories” or “Pursuit of Happiness”.

Day two started off a little cloudy and was fairly mellow with the earlier performers. Gus Dapperton and his band gave a calm and emotional set. Things REALLY picked up when Tove Lo took the main stage. Her crowd was enormous, especially for an afternoon time slot. People were thrilled to see Lo and everyone screamed their hearts out to her classic OG hit “Habits (Stay High)” and her brand new single “No One Dies From Love”.

Ashnikko was also a highlight on Saturday, femme fatale in her songs as well as on stage, she brought a crazy fun energy to her performance. Proving she’s not just a TokTok viral star, Ashnikko took the party to the crowd and everyone was vibing during her reimagined cover of Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8ter Boi”.

The night ended with a fantastic performance by Flume which people were talking about well into the next day. Naturally, Halsey stunned the audience with her gorgeous vocals, she even gave all the Stranger Things fans a beautiful cover of “Running Up That Hill”.

Sunday started out with the threat of rain, but luckily it never came. No make-up was ruined and no outfits were soaked. It was actually near-perfect weather for jumping to your favorite tunes in the middle of a sweaty crowd.

100 gecs was another crowd favourite performance. They had a really large crowd despite it being relatively early in the day. Definitely one of the wildest crowds of the weekend! Head banging, moshing, and screaming all naturally took place.

Del Water Gap also gave a stunningly beautiful performance, once on the Bacardi Stage and then again in a more intimate setting at the Bud Light Seltzer Sessions. “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” is just one of the most subtly striking tunes you could hear. After the set, we were able to chat with Holden about his performances and his festival experience:

“Big shows are great because you’re just getting all this energy and all this adrenaline. It’s like gasoline! But little shows are great because you can be a human, and it’s intimate, you can talk and take your time. Festivals are great because you get to be around new people, you get to be outside and I just love being around other artists too. I mean especially after the last two years. I made all these friends on Instagram you know, these other musicians, and getting to walk out of my trailer and see a musician I admire and walk up to them and be like hi were here together. It’s just such a gift.”

Another amazing performance was given by Jazmine Sullivan. Her insane vocals reached new levels of perfection and had many fans in tears by the end of the set. She was extremely honest on stage, gave beautiful vocal runs, and was sending love to each and every person in the crowd.

J Cole was the final artist of the festival and ended the night on a high note. J Cole is one of the biggest artists in the rap universe so it was legendary to hear iconic songs like “Wet Dreamz” and “No Role Modelz”.

The atmosphere and ambiance were unique at Governors Ball this year. People were riled up and ready for music festivals again. Some sets bumped, some disappointed. The sun was burning hot all day, but that didn’t stop people from having a great time. Every artist came out with full energy for the fans. What was the best moment of the festival? Kid Cudi’s absolute fire performance of “Pursuit of Happiness?” A$AP Ferg’s heroic save of Friday’s afternoon? Tove Lo flashing a crowd of thousands? Guess that’s up to each attendee’s personal opinion.

photos by Devin Kasparian

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Original Classic was released in November with features from well-known artists like Juicy-J, Lido Pimienta, and Haviah Mighty, just to name a few. In light of this highly successful release Keys N Krates sat down with Quip to discuss the new direction they’ve taken and how it came to fruition.

Cait Schmitz: How has the tour been going, was it exciting being back on your home turf in Toronto with your new album?

Keys N Krates: Yeah that was a highlight for sure. I guess it’s a little weird, we played a couple of sets in September, so it sort of felt like it started then. But I guess we officially started a couple of weeks ago and playing Toronto was definitely a highlight.

CS: Is it different playing festivals vs smaller intimate concerts?

KNK: I think there are pros and cons to both. Playing a festival sometimes feels like a sprint, but there’s also something to be said about a large crowd all dancing together at a huge venue… 

The band explained how smaller clubs give them the time to explore what they can do with certain beats and really get the audience vibing to different tempos. They also spoke to how the album came to be and how their process is largely a collaborative effort and they thrive off feedback from one another as well as critiques or suggestions from select others. Almost every song includes influences from all three of the group members, but they do give space for individual creative freedoms in order to explore their own distinct sounds. 

CS: Your music has quite a blend of different influences, especially on this new album, can you speak on where you drew influences for this album?

KNK: So we had already started this album before going into the pandemic. We kind of had an idea of what we wanted to do. I think the three of us after our last couple of projects knew what direction we wanted to go in. Our last few projects were more dance-driven and we wanted to continue in that direction heading away from just trap.

The one goal they had with this project, the band commented, was finding their place in dance music and really understanding how to make people groove and dance from a more global standpoint. Safe to say that goal came to fruition because this thirteen-track album does a fantastic job of blending together house, hip hop as well as dance music.

CS: Original Classic has a ton of collaborations with some incredible artists, was it easy working with these other artists?

KNK: It was actually really great. We love working with artists who might not have done something like this within their own body of work.

Haviah Mighty was an artist they really enjoyed collaborating with because together they were able to bring out aspects of her strengths she doesn’t normally use in her own work. Her work is incredible to begin with (hence the Polaris prize) but it was fascinating to travel in a different direction together, the band shared. 

Reflecting on other collaborations  Jr Flo expressed how the group wanted to do something different with a lot of the artists featured on the album and explore what they could do when pushed into a style of music that was maybe outside their normal genre. Pushing musicians outside of their comfort zones is often when you can get the best results, KNK pointed out with passion. It would also be evident pushing the limits is something they apply to their own work, we have come a long way from “Dum Dee Dum” and this growth is an ongoing adventure.

Keys N Krates new album Original Classic was released November 12^th and is an album you won’t want to miss. The group has just embarked on a tour with dates continuing all throughout the winter and into the spring – hopefully. This band of intricate rhythms and various styles are absolutely worth the listen and their live shows are a party you will want to attend.

Images by Mitch Brown, courtesy of the artist

The post Keys N Krates head in a new direction with the latest album “Original Classic” appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The show at Terminal 5 kicked off with a bang with opening tunes from both of their albums. Ross and Rocky Lynch have an undeniable charm and incredible stage presence. They were backed by former R5 group members Rydel and Riker, who also brought their best performances to the venue. Their dazzling smiles and stunning vocals kept the audience captivated during every moment of the performance. 

The duo took the stage around 9 pm with “Take Me Away” and “Heaven Angel” from their latest record. Cheers from the crowd were ear-shattering and fans were quite literally singing at the top of their lungs. “Preacher Man” was definitely a highlight of the opening lineup. Ross’s vocals were clean, clear, GORGEOUS and the sex appeal noticeably exudes from this brother duo. Ross actually changed shirts after “Preacher Man” and was met with the absolute highest of praise from the crowd. He laughed and apologized for everyone’s ears. 

One noticeably charming way the Driver Era succeeds in enchanting their fans is how they convey their love of performing together – the entire concert was filled with cute onstage interactions between the brothers, including Ross’ shirt getting stuck on Rocky’s guitar which resulted in some fun shoves that had everyone laughing.

They played all the hits and performed them all at their absolute highest energy. “Nobody Knows” was another tune from the night that got everyone in the audience moving and could have been the highlight of the show. There wasn’t a single person standing still and their vocals mixed with the contagious energy brought the song to new heights. Fans almost overpowered the duo with how much uproar they gave to the song, singing along to the lyrics: ‘she wants to dance like his girlfriend.’ The Driver Era somehow gets their lyrics to reach each fan individually making them feel like the duo is singing directly to them. They understand perfectly how to have the audience feel captivated and content while simultaneously keeping them craving more.

The concert came to a close with “Low” and “Feel You Now,” both from their first album, X. Rocky’s low vocals on “Low” left the entire crowd with chills which is exactly what one would expect from “Feel You Now.” The band’s songs feel somehow nostalgic and new at the same time, making them twice as emotionally driven. The encore included a beautiful rendition of “OMG Plz Don’t Come Around” with just Ross, Rocky, and a piano on stage, which was an enjoyable pause before the last few high-energy songs. It feels as though through this performance the two brothers are looking back on their past experiences, as well as being optimistic about their future ones.

The night ended with “A Kiss” the hit single from their latest album Girlfriend. Everyone was on their feet jumping up and down for the final number and I don’t think anyone wanted the night to end. The duo strikes the perfect balance between cool and collected while being unapologetically loving of their adoring fans. Charisma just exudes from The Driver Era, especially when they’re performing. It was a fantastic concert that fans won’t forget anytime soon.

The post The always fabulous Driver Era duo take Terminal 5 appeared first on Quip Magazine.