There was something for everyone at the Lollapalooza Paris festival. On the Longchamp racecourse, the festival welcomed around thirty artists a day this weekend, on six different stages. On Friday, rap was in the spotlight with Niska, Bekar and Damso. The Belgian rapper gathered the crowds by playing his biggest titles like 911, Macarena or even Amnesia. On tour of festivals this summer, the artist raised the idea of a next album – while he has not released a project since 2021 – triggering the cries of his fans. “It deserves another album. It warms the heart to see the sounds that come back, in real life we are humans, he explained. Me when I do that, I remember the moments in the studio.
Violinist Lindsey Stirling combines electro with the violin and has become known internationally with her hit Carol of the Bells. She dazzled the spectators by performing a precise choreography alongside her dancers while playing her instrument: she thus found herself balancing on an aerial hoop or suspended by two cables a few meters from the ground.
A few hours later, the Stray Kids perform their show in front of some 60,000 fans. A concert with perfectly synchronized performances by the eight protagonists in front of a tide of lightsticks, these luminous sticks specific to K-pop fans. The award-winning group, which formed in 2018, can lay claim to being the first K-pop group to headline Lollapalooza.
The second day of the festival saw Argentinian rapper Nicki Nicole take to the stage in front of a predominantly Spanish-speaking audience. Soft voice, long black hair and hoisted on platform shoes to deceive her 1m45, she chained her hits like Dispara or Marisola interspersed with hesitant attempts to make herself understood in French, which only softened an already conquered audience a little more. But don’t be fooled by appearances, behind her big smile and her 22 years old hides an outstanding rapper with well-worked punchlines.
Lil Nas X, got Lollapalooza audiences buzzing. Giant sets and elaborate choreography, the 24-year-old rapper won over fans with his devouring energy. For the last date of his European tour, the American singer chained for almost an hour his main titles like Old Town Road or Montero but also fiery covers like that of Michael Jackson Beat it.
Lollapalooza was also Rosalía’s last date. On a world tour since July 6, 2022, the Spanish singer has gathered nearly 70,000 festival-goers for a dazzling show full of emotions. A concert she had already given 65 times. “You know that this date is unprecedented. So, Paris, if this (the tour) is going to end, we’re going to end it like it should!” From the famous chewing gun chewing on her tube Bizcochito to her tears on Hentai passing by the descent into the crowd on La noche de anoche , the singer did not save herself. Trying to find her words in French, the queen of neo-flamenco ended up saying in Spanish, “It’s that French gives hard time!”, causing the audience to laugh.
Revealed internationally thanks to Love Nwantiti or Emiliana, the Nigerian artist CKay made the crowd dance to his Afro tunes and his soft voice. Lollapalooza Paris had also invited the pop rock group OneRepublic. Faced with a convinced public, he chained his greatest hits like Counting Stars or I ain’t worried.
Singer Ava Max set it on fire with her pop songs and sultry choreography. The artist will undoubtedly remember this moment of unity with his audience for a long time, when the crowd sang in chorus the refrain of his title Kings and Queens. A moment she later posted on her Twitter account where she thanked her fans “I love you so much! What a night in Paris!”
The festival closed with Aya Nakamura and Kendrick Lamar. The fans, some of whom had been waiting for several hours for the arrival of their idols, knew the lyrics inside out. The American rapper chained titles like Money Tree or Bitch don’t kill my vibe, in total communion with the Parisian public. There is no doubt that this fifth edition will remain in the memories of many festival-goers.
