Festival season is beginning to wind down, but just because temperatures are cooler and the every-weekend onslaught of crazy performances, news and collaborations are starting to slow, doesn’t mean the madness is over yet. Life is Beautiful is proof of this, because the festival doesn’t just bring together a wildly diverse lineup of pop, rock, EDM and hip-hop artists, they also stack the lineup with celebrity chefs, mixologists and food vendors, and surround festival-goers with innovative art. One of the most exciting parts of Life is Beautiful is the emerging artists. From up-and-coming producers like Cashmere Cat to upstarts in R&B like Alessia Cara, there’s much more to see at the festival besides the headliners.
Alessia Cara
Alessia Cara burst into our consciousness this past spring, when her debut single “Here” got half a million streams within a week of its release. The 19-year-old Canadian singer’s star has grown astronomically with a performance of the single on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the release of her debut EP. Cara hasn’t done too many live performances, and this will be one of her only festivals this summer. Don’t miss the chance to see this rising voice in R&B — this is going to be one of those performances that will let you say, “I saw her when,” in a few years time.
Cashmere Cat
Cashmere Cat has been making his mark on pop, hip-hop and electronic music for a few years now, but 2015 was really his year. After being featured as a producer on Ariana Grande’s My Everything, the young Norwegian went on the road with the pop star, supporting her on her Honeymoon tour this year. In addition to touring with Grande, the producer and DJ is also one of the masterminds behind fellow Life is Beautiful performer Ryn Weaver’s breakout single “Octahate.” That’s just the tip of the iceberg — he reportedly produced “Wolves,” one of the tracks from Kanye West’s upcoming album SWISH.
Halsey
If you haven’t heard Halsey’s single “New Americana” at least 100 times this summer, you likely haven’t turned on a radio, entered a store, or been to a sporting event. The song is everywhere. She’s also opening for The Weeknd on his The Madness tour, and promoting her album Badlands. It’s been a big year for her, to say the least, but there’s still further for her to go, so catch her now, when she’s still on the way up. The singer also brought some very special guests to her performance at Made In America — her parents — so the potential for cuteness at her LIB performance is high.
Giraffage
Charlie Yin, who performs using the stage name Giraffage, has been on the verge for a while now. His R&B remixes have long been blog favorites, but he has yet to fully break into the mainstream. Will 2015 be the year Yin becomes a radio staple? Only time will tell, but his sets are not to be missed —he plays inventive, high octane remixes of some of the most danceable hip-hop and R&B tracks around, and you won’t stop boogieing down for a minute. That’s a promise.
Saint Motel
With a main stage performance at Coachella and an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live already under their belts, Los Angeles-based four-piece Saint Motel were set up to have a big 2015. The quartet released a four-song EP to tide fans over in May of this year viaParlophone in the UK, but there’s a lot more to come from them with a full-length LP on the way from Elektra Records to close out the year.
