We’ve had our fair share of Bishop Briggs sightings, but to see her in full form, in front of such a giant crowd at Bonnaroo, was absolutely wonderful. Her vocals electrified the audience, who had taken shelter from the heat of the mid-day sun under the tent. Prep for your holiday tomorrow with these fun photos and some of your favorite Bishop tracks!
Keep up with Bishop Briggs here.
I’ve never witnessed a man with such notoriety sip a beer so calmly and pointedly on stage as he stares out at individual faces in the crowd. At least, you get the sense that Matt Berninger is putting a lot of thought into those glances, though perhaps he just has an important tactic of his stage performance down after so many years entertaining. Either way, The National‘s performance at Bonnaroo was enigmatic. Highlights below.
Keep up with The National here.
On Saturday, June 15th, Hozier played as the sun set on the third day at Bonnaroo. His carefree style was plastered throughout the crowd, as people spread out at main stage to enjoy the relaxing soundscape. Into the set, he introduced special guest Brandi Carlile, who was scheduled to play her own set the following day. It was magical, and highlights can be seen below.
Keep up with Hozier here.
Bonnaroo 2019 was our favorite lineup so far. And we aren’t kidding about that. When you think about the comedy and energy integrated into different aspects of the event, it’s almost overwhelming. Take, for example, the incredible duo Princess. Comprised of Maya Rudolph — Yes, that Maya Rudolph! — and jazz vocalist Gretchen Lieberum, they have taken the time to perfect a stage presence worthy of PRINCE himself. Because they are a Prince cover band, and have been since 2011. (Yes, they have been acknowledged and approved by the man himself.) Their performance was the last we enjoyed at Bonnaroo this year, and it was one of the highlights. As the first lines of “Let’s Go Crazy” opened the show, Rudolph and Lieberum’s stoic glances around the crowd brought us so much joy, we actually started crying. (Yes. Both iF reps in attendance started crying from different areas of the crowd. Everything is fine. We have been validated. It was incredible.)
Keep up with Princess here.
Today, indie pop songstress Marielle Kraft premieres the new music video for her enigmatic track “Better Without You”. As the viewer follows Kraft around, we see her singing next to tall windows, taking to the subway, and enjoying the sunshine. Her gorgeous vocals lead us along, as the emotion from the lyrics is palpable on her face. With each passing second, we allow ourselves to fall more deeply into this incredible soundscape.
Check out the new video below, followed by some words with Marielle, who gave us a behind the scenes look at the production process.
What songs/artists/feelings did you specifically draw from for “Better Without You”?
This song came from a place of finally wanting to move on, even when I didn’t feel ready. I had just moved back to Delaware, and was faced with so many difficult memories again from both a fully joyful and painful chapter of my life there. Instead of writing a sad or angry song about these wounds reopening, I chose to write about moving forward despite my past, and becoming a better version of myself. Instead of this being a typical breakup song, it became a self-empowering anthem for growth and independence.
In the production of the song, I drew from artists Lauv and Betty Who, both of whom write honestly but arrange their songs with hopeful pop beats. I wanted this song to be fun, even if it wasn’t fully “happy.”
You gave a TEDX talk on songwriting at Firefly Festival. Do you find that you tend to follow a pattern or specific process in your songwriting, or does it differ song to song?
Most of my songs are hashed out and finished on my bed or bedroom floor, but they all begin in different ways. Sometimes a lyric idea will hit me when I’m out with friends and I overhear an intriguing conversation, or when I’m on the road, or in the grocery store, or cooking a meal. I’ll jot it down in my phone notepad, or record a snippet of a melody as a voice note. Tons of lines and ideas are scattered throughout my phone, but only a handful end up taking shape as complete songs.
“Better Without You” was born from the simple iPhone note, “working on having more empathy” – which later became the opening line to the song once I sat down on my bed to revisit the idea a few days later.
Where did the idea for the video come from, and what was the production process like?
I worked with Mitchell Straub on this video, who is another young and driven dream-chaser in the arts industry. We wanted this video to reflect my difficult thought process of leaving behind heart-break to finding empowered independence. It would feature only me, reflecting on my past and future in different aesthetic environments: some more vacant (the empty warehouse, symbolizing the emptiness I felt leaving behind my past relationship, yet still letting hopeful light in through the windows), and some more vibrant (the green field representing growth, the city light representing new opportunities). Throughout the video, there are b-roll clips of me traveling around the city, via Subway and walking, meant to represent moving forward to something better despite the hurt. Filming lasted 2 days, and we shot in 8 different locations in and around Pittsburgh.
Any fun anecdotes from filming?
One shot we were determined to capture was the subway arriving, rushing past me as I waited to board. We waited on the platform for 15 minutes, only to miss the subway because it arrived on the opposite track. Then we waited again and other people obstructed the shot. Finally on our third attempt, we were set to nail it when the train rolled in at snail pace – the most anticlimactic arrival we could have ever imagined. It was hilariously lame. My hair didn’t whirl like we had envisioned, the sound didn’t roar, and we cracked up having tried so hard for one shot that simply wasn’t meant to be that way.
What environment can you imagine people listening to this track in?
This track is a road trip windows-down, traveling to a better place song to belt on back roads or the highway. It’s a “I need to pick myself back up from my bedroom floor” track, too, and one to share alongside friends who encourage you to be the best version of yourself. I hope that wherever people listen, it makes them feel free.
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Keep up with Marielle here.
Bonnaroo 2019 — if you couldn’t tell already, from every post we’ve had or every gushy memory we’ve shared — was one for the books. Between sets from some incredible artists — Childish Gambino, The Lonely Island, PRINCESS, Bishop Briggs, Juice Wrld, Gucci Mane, Post Malone, Phish, and more — were sun kissed memories made of magic. High fives, glitter all around, and self love the topic of the event, there wasn’t an aspect of Bonnaroo that went unappreciated. See the people of Bonnaroo below!
P.S. Bananas… new fruit trend?
Last week, dark alt-pop musician Boy Epic released the brand new music video for his track “DRAMA”. The song’s direction was definitely dictated by its name, and the music video insinuates the same. From the very beginning, striking contrast in color and shooting elements make you feel like you’re part of an insanely dramatic storyline.
Inspired by pop culture fixations Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Blade Runner, and Love, Deah + Robots, the video is an alternate reality that is something we might be very, very into. Check it out below!
Keep up with Boy Epic here.
On our last beautiful day at Bonnaroo 2019, we were lucky to catch Jared & The Mill‘s electric performance at WHO. Check out the highlights below!
Keep up with Jared & The Mill here.
The most invigorating day of my life was probably glimpsing the lineup for Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival 2019. I’ll probably get a lot of flak for this, but The Lonely Island was on the list and I [probably] literally fell to the floor in excitement. This trio entered the pop culture stage at a time when they could really seep into my every day life. My whole family latched on to their brand of comedy from day 1 with “Lazy Sunday” and continued to release gem after gem over the years. “I’m On A Boat” was definitely on my life soundtrack in high school, and even convinced my sister and I to buy my mother a Pashmina afghan with sailboats on it when I lived in New York.
But their hits since are notable as well, and as Andy Samberg’s hair has changed shape from that original boyishly cute triangular shape, we have fallen more in love with his cohorts Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, who are incredible writers with insanely diverse careers.
The evening was absolutely epic. Photographers were packed into the photo pit like nothing I — or many in attendance — have ever seen. And for good reason. Highlights below.
Keep up with The Lonely Island here.
