Osheaga 2015: 10th Anniversary Preview!

Summer would not be complete without attending at least one concert, better yet a music festival. Montreal is home to one of the biggest music and arts festivals, which is none-other than Osheaga. This year Osheaga is celebrating its 10th Anniversary at Parc Jean Drapeau starting July 31 and running until August 2nd. Most packages are sold out by now, but if you're lucky enough, you can still purchase a single day pass. Hopefully the weather will be great so that we can dance the night away.

This year's headliners are Florence & The Machine, Kendrick Lamar, and The Black Keys, but there are many other artists to look forward to. From local Montrealers like Milk & Bone, to worldwide electronic DJs and producers like Robin Schulz and Oliver Heldens, to pop singers like Tove Lo and Charli XCX, to rappers like Nas and Tyler, The Creator. All of this to show that Osheaga is providing a wide variety of artists for everyone's musical taste buds.

I have heard great things about Osheaga, but I have never experienced it for myself. This year all of that will change as I take on the duty to cover the whole festival through interviews, pictures, and videos. I know that there tends to be bold fashion statements at music festivals, so I'm super excited to see what this year's fashion trends will be. There will definitely be some flowered head pieces and flash tattoos. What will not be allowed are traditional First Native Headdresses. They have been banned from the festival out of respect to a Native artist on the lineup and, as explained in a photo posted on the Osheaga Facebook page, "First Nations Headdresses have a spiritual and cultural meaning in the native communities and to respect and honour their people, Osheaga asks fans and artists attending the festival to not use this symbol as a fashion accessory." 

Source: Osheaga on Facebook

Now let's get into some of the artists who are coming to Montreal, and that I happen to be excited to watch perform! 19-year-old Raury from Stone Mountain, Georgia will be making his first trip to Montreal, and hopefully he will be bringing his icon straw hat with him. Raury is a soulful singer who is mostly accompanied by his guitar. He burst onto the music scene almost a year ago, and since then he has been touring across not only America but Europe as well. I was first introduced to Raury listening to a YouTube playlist by The Sound You Need, in which they did a remix to Raury's "Cigarette Song". Falling in love with the remix, I had to go and check out the official song and so I did, and that's when I became a fan. On his site, Indigo Child Project, Raury has an interactive game that you could play and once you beat the game you gain access to his project which is his music. Take a listen to his "Cigarette Song ", and don't be afraid to listen to some of his other songs because he has a great repertoire. Raury will be performing at Osheaga on Sunday July 2nd.

G-Eazy is another artist that I'm looking forward to seeing, since I didn't get the chance to see him when he first came to Montreal back in January. G-Eazy is a rapper from California who has collaborated with artist like A$AP Ferg, E-40, and Devon Baldwin. I really enjoy listening to his music because he has a sweet and subtle style of his own when he raps. He has been festival hopping this summer, and before coming to Osheaga he'll be attending the Way Home Festival in Toronto, and after Osheaga he'll be stopping at a few others festivals before the summer ends. G-Eazy released his third album, These Things Happen, last summer, and it was ranked as one of the Top 3 albums by Billboard in June last year. Take a listen to one of my favourite tracks, "Tumblr Girls" featuring Christoph Andersson, and if you enjoy that song, I'm sure that you will also enjoy his performance at Osheaga on Friday, July 31st.

Just by looking at the lineup on Saturday, I can tell it's going to be a dancing kind of day. Artists like DJ Kygo, Robin Schulz, and Olivier Heldens are performing, and for the past month I've been listening to their music on Souncloud to get familiar. Right now I'm in love with "Firestone" by Kygo, which is a sweet mix of vocals from Australian singer Conrad Sewell, and a nice summer vibe. He does some amazing remixes, so make sure to check them out on his Soundcloud.

Robin Schulz, the German electronic DJ, will be one of the artists to end off Saturday's performances. Hopefully he will be performing some of his popular remixes like "Waves/Prayer in C". Finally there is Oliver Heldens, straight out of the Netherlands. Heldens mixes some great songs into one big mix worth listening to. His music has a nice mix of EDM, deep house, and electro house. Head on over to his YouTube channel to hear some great work via Heldeep Radio.

Get ready CJLO readers, this is going to be a wild ride! Make sure to check in after the festival for my review on Osheaga. Until then, you can follow me on twitter @ItsKrystalC to see how I plan on preparing for Osheaga's 10th Anniversary, and tune into The Trend every Tuesday night at 9:00 pm.

See you at Osheaga! 

Krystal Christine

Check out Osheaga's stellar lineup this year: