Billie Eilish
(Sunday, 11:15 p.m., Downtown stage)
Some artists are in such high demand that they have to play two festivals on the same weekend in Vegas. Pop music prodigy Billie Eilish runs both Life Is Beautiful and the iHeartRadio Music Festival, for obvious reasons to the music-loving world.
She challenged genres when she debuted in 2019 When we all fall asleep, where do we go? Inspired by nightmares and lucid dreams, the album stumbled on the ladder of electro-pop, hip-hop and the beautiful dark ballad. At 18, Eilish became the first woman and youngest musician to win the Grammys for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist in one. evening. That January 2020 party affirmed what fans already knew: We were listening to one of the most influential artists of this generation.
In July, Eilish released her second album, Happier than ever, symbolically abandoning some of that “Bad Guy” skin in favor of jazz-infused arrangements and masterpieces of silent lyrics like “Not My Responsibility”, which is aimed directly at people too obsessed with the body of the 19-year-old and what she chooses to do with it. Eilish’s work was, and remains, rich in mature themes, but Happier than ever feels more sophisticated. This takes the pop star to new heights, and with her brother and music producer Finneas by her side, the young icon seems unstoppable.
Megan you stallion
(Friday, 11:30 p.m., Bacardi Stage)
The Houston native hits LIB as one of the hottest female rappers in the game, making Timeon the Most Influential People of 2020 list and becoming the first female hip-hop performer to win the Grammys’ Best New Artist award since Lauryn Hill in 1999.
Megan’s acclaimed 2019 mixtape, Fever, established his place in the rap world as a confident lyrical genius with relentless sex appeal and a knack for making certified freak anthems. The rapper exerted her influence on pop culture with “Hot Girl Summerâ€, the viral hit and slogan heard “around the worldâ€. A year later, she did it again by contributing to Cardi B’s “WAP” vocals, a sexually liberating track that even sparked conversation among US officials.
All of Megan’s brand says it all and she’s using it for good. In 2020, the 26-year-old musician launched a college scholarship fund for women of color, while revealing that she is studying healthcare administration at Texas Southern University with the intention of opening residences- services in Houston.
Hot Girl Meg is a rapper for the people. One minute she’s freestyle on her Instagram story, the next she tweets about The vampire diary. His festival set seems to be just as unpredictable.
Chaim
(Saturday, 9:20 p.m., Downtown scene)
As with Eilish, this isn’t Haim’s first Life Is Beautiful, but the sibling pop-rock trio are good at making every performance feel like the first time. It has been a long time since we saw Danielle, Alana and Este in action, but the festival should be a great opportunity to discover their work which continues to grow.
The pandemic kept the sisters from turning behind last year Women in Music Pt. III, but the reviewers loved it. The sisters dug deep into this junior LP, watching the depression in “I Know Alone” and channeling Joni Mitchell on “Man From the Magazine”. It’s music that deserves to be heard, especially from a giant stage.
St. Vincent
(Sunday, 7:50 p.m., Scène Center-Ville)
The Dallas-raised Empress of Experimental Rock Shoved the genre’s norms with her 2007 debut Marry me, and the world has been spoiled since. St. Vincent is the nickname for Annie Clark, 38, whose musical prowess and eccentric but electric stage presence perpetuate the spirit of icons like Prince and David Bowie.
Clark’s eclectic discography now spans seven studio albums, each standing comfortably on their own, advancing the narrative and raising the bar for style and sound. The rock star is also watching the role on stage, conjuring up different archetypes with her outfits, latex and leotards from her. Masseduction days for sleazy, 70s New York glam for latest release daddy’s house.
The Saint-Vincent show promises something special, if not a little bizarre. In a September interview with NME, she told the publication: “I want people to be like, ‘What just happened to me?’ If people walk away and say, ‘Oh, that was a beautiful show,’ then I failed.
Brittany Howard
(Friday, 6 p.m., Downtown scene)
It takes courage to change direction, especially when the path you are on has produced four Grammys, an invitation to the White House, and a performance with Prince. But in 2018, Alabama Shakes singer and guitarist Brittany Howard indefinitely suspended the blues-rock group to pursue a solo career.
The Alabama-based Belter told NPR it was a dream she had since she was 11. Howard’s release in 2019, I like, emerged from this dream. And if listeners thought the singer was pushing musical boundaries before, this moving record proves that she has learned to bend them to her will. It is impossible to skip this monumental complex, nor any of the others mentioned above, unless you agree with a serious case of FOMO.
Life is Beautiful September 17-19, Downtown Las Vegas, official ticket exchange at lifeisbeautiful.lyte.com.
