Festival season is in full swing, and it’s time to head down to Manchester, Tennessee. After making its comeback last year — COVID-19 paused 2020’s festivities, and flooding from Hurricane Ida stalled the 2021 celebration — Bonnaroo is ready to treat fans to four consecutive nights of blockbuster performances across genres.
The music and arts festival will kick off this Thursday (June 15) with co-headlining performances from dance music superstars Zeds Dead and Liquid Stranger. Pulitzer Prize-winning “Silent Hill” rapper Kendrick Lamar is set to headline Friday night (June 16), with additional performances from “The Hillbillies” collaborator Baby Keem, Taylor Swift-approved Eras Tour opener MUNA, and chart-topping rock band Portugal. The Man.
On Saturday (June 17), Grammy-nominated EDM duo ODESZA will headline the main stage while other sets include pop powerhouse Lil Nas X, Dreamville breakout J.I.D., and rock-pop icon Sheryl Crow. Finally, Sunday (June 18) will feature Billboard 200 chart-toppers Foo Fighters as the night’s headliner, along with performances from country star Kip Moore, musical prodigy Jacob Collier, and This Is Why rockers Paramore.
While the marquee acts are reliable and fun, Bonnaroo boasts performances from over 100 musical acts across hip-hop, rock, EDM, country, and more. From fast-rising indie stars to award-winning critical darlings, Bonnaroo 2023 promises to not only satisfy your hunger to see your favorite major artists but also introduce you to myriad new acts to spruce up your daily playlists.
Keep reading to see Billboard‘s top 10 must-see artists at this year’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
Rina Sawayama
Image Credit: Charlotte Rutherford
Date: Friday, June 16
Time: 5:45-6:45 p.m.
Stage: Which Stage
With two highly acclaimed albums under her belt — 2020’s Sawayama and 2022’s Hold The Girl — Rina Sawayma is something of a critical darling. The British-Japanese singer-songwriter regularly traverses genres as she explores nuanced themes of sexuality, her immigrant childhood and the tragic allure of late-stage capitalism. Be sure to know “XS,” “Cherry,” and “This Hell,” but also familiarize yourself with “Beg For You,” last year’s Charli XCX duet, and “Eye for an Eye,” her stunning original song for John Wick: Chapter 4 — in which she also made her feature film debut.
Image Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Coachella
Date: Friday, June 16
Time: 1:45-2:30 p.m.
Stage: This Tent
This Zambian singer-rapper-songwriter has been a favorite of critics for several years now. Her performance at Bonnaroo this year offers music listeners the perfect opportunity to get more familiar with the force of nature that is Sampa the Great. Give last year’s stunning As Above, So Below album a few good listens, as well as her equally terrific 2019 album The Return. A few months ago (May 12), the Aussie transplant released a deluxe edition of As Above, So Below, with live versions of seven of her songs — so look into those too!
With songwriting credits on tracks by everyone from Ingrid Andress to Snoh Aalegra, JP Saxe is a name you might not realize that you’re already familiar with. If you’re heading to JP’s set, be sure to know his Grammy-nominated Julia Michaels duet “If The World Was Ending,” as well as “A Little Bit Yours” and “The Few Things.” Just this past April, JP Saxe recruited John Mayer and Malay for his heartbreaking post-breakup single “I Don’t Miss You.”
Singer, actress and model Suki Waterhouse has been around for a little over a decade now, but she’s only recently gone full-throttle when it comes to her music. Last May, the alternative-pop singer-songwriter released her debut LP, I Can’t Let Go. Take some time to get to know “Slip,” “Melrose Meltdown,” and the Daisy Jones & the Six star’s most recent single, “To Love.”
This fast-rising Atlanta rapper, who signed to Playboi Carti’s Opium label in 2021, will be treating Bonnaroo attendees to his trademark dark and brooding trap bangers. This past May, debut studio album If Looks Could Kill reached No. 18 on the Billboard 200. Essential Destroy Lonely songs include last year’s “NOSTYLIST” and If Looks Could Kill tracks “Chris Paul” and “How U Feel?”
Big Freedia has singles that date back to 1999, but her music’s longevity and cultural vitality have helped her reach astonishing new career heights in recent years. In 2016, her commanding voice emceed Beyoncé’s “Formation” music video, and six years later, Freedia and Queen Bey reunited for the latter’s Hot 100-topping “Break My Soul,” which samples Freedia’s 2014 bounce track “Explode.” To prepare for Freedia’s set, get initimate with “Rent” and “N.O. Bounce.” Her new album, Central City, is due June 23.
Hailing from Summertown, Tennessee, rising R&B singer Amber Mark isn’t too far from the Manchester, Tennesee festival grounds. At the top of last year (Jan. 28), she unleashed her debut album, Three Dimensions Deep, which housed must-listen tracks such as “Most Men,” “Foreign Things” and “What It Is.” In preparation for her set, also take a listen to “Goddess Reign,” an ethereal collaboration with Sherwyn.
Taylor Swift handpicked this electropop trio to be one of the headliners for her record-breaking Eras Tour, so, if that’s not a sign to check out MUNA, then what is? The Los Angeles-based group boasts three studio albums, the most recent of which, last year’s eponymous 11-track record, became their first title to enter the Billboard 200 (No. 188). Be sure to listen to “Bodies,” “I Know A Place,” the Phoebe Bridgers-assisted “Silk Chiffon,” and their latest single “One That Got Away.”
Image Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Coachella
Date: Saturday, June 17
Time: 6:15-7:15 p.m.
Stage: This Tent
Remi Wolf, a soulful cross-genre savant, is sure to deliver one of the most electrifying performances of Bonnaroo 2023. Prepare for her set by listening to her two trippy studio albums: 2021’s We Love Dogs! and 2022’s Juno. Also, get familiar with her triad of 2023 singles: “Prescription,” “Hospital,” and “Pyjamas” (with Benny Sings).
Destroy Lonely’s fellow Opium signee Ken Carson is sure to take Bonaroo by storm with his energetic, rave-informed trap tracks. Last year, X, his sophomore studio album, climbed to a peak of No. 115 on the Billboard 200. That record, which featured the singles “The End” and “Go,” was Carson’s first to enter the chart. Also be sure to familiarize yourself with “I Need You,” “MDMA,” and “Run + Ran.”
