This fall, Austin City Limits Music Festival returned for its 22nd year and further solidified its goal in making Austin, Texas the “live music capital of the world”. I was lucky enough to be chosen to perform media coverage for Weekend 2 of the festival and had a blast exploring the grounds, seeing a plethora of artists perform live, and also having the opportunity to interact with them personally. Before I dive into covering the weekend, I would like to thank ACL for bringing me and KANM on to this wonderful event and for the trust from my team and Station Manager. 

Cover Photo by Dusana Risovic.

FRIDAY

Royel Otis 

I had recently been introduced to this pop-duo from Sydney, Australia by my friend and chose them instantly as my first performance for the weekend. Their cover of Sophia-Ellis Bextor’s song “Murder on the Dancefloor” became an instant hit on the Australian radio station, Triple J, and brought them popularity that furthered them into their place on stage in America. The set design drew me in instantly, a life-sized prawn and colorful visuals to back the band’s incredible stage presence and overall eccentric vibe. 

Photo Taken by Roger Ho

Foster the People

My discovery of the Los Angeles, California originating band, Foster the People, came prior to their performance and I heavily anticipated their show from the moment the lineup dropped. Foster has previously performed at ACL in the past years, and was invited to perform after every single album release since they garnered attention from their debut album Torches in 2011. It was from this same album that I discovered my love for their poppy vocals, electronic sound, and keyboard arrangements. They recently released their newest work, Paradise State of Mind, where they solidified their talent in evolving their sound. Their frontman, Mark Foster, successfully lit up the stage and meshed perfectly with the rest of the band and the indie-pop sounds illuminated by almost psychedelic visuals. They closed with their most notable song, “Pumped Up Kicks”, and reiterated its message and connection to the scope of America moving forward. This was definitely one of my favorite performances of the weekend and I felt more connected to the band than ever before by the conclusion of their set. 

Photo Taken by Taylor Regulski - @the.camera.lady (IG)

The Marías

Adding onto acts coming from Los Angeles, The Marías are another indie pop band that brought their newest album, Submarine, to the ACL T-Mobile Stage along with a cover of “Lovefool” by The Cardigans. I only caught a glimpse of the set before I made my way to the headliner of the night but the lead, Maria Zardoya put on a magical performance. The stage design spoke to the limerence feeling of their music completely and I was entranced by the almost siren-like appearance of the band’s singer immediately. I wish to see how their music and following evolves after listening to the band since their EP, Superclean Vol 1.

Photo Taken by Ashley Osborn

Chris Stapleton

This critically acclaimed country singer was one of the most anticipated performances of the weekend and for good reason. Chris Stapleton began his show introducing his friend and known musician, Willie Nelson, to the set and providing a perfect conclusion to the first night of ACL. I saw him with my group of friends, and even witnessed a proposal in the middle of his set which solidified his great musical impact on the mile-spanning crowd of people who came out to see him. I was floored by the rawness of his voice, the wonderful band who included his wife, and the humbling stage presence he brought to the American Express Stage. He concluded his performance with his most popular song “Tennessee Whiskey”  known by many Texans despite the title referencing another southern state. I have no doubt that this was one of the best sets of the weekend and Stapleton played his role as one of the must-see country artists of the weekend. 

Photo Taken by Pooneh Ghana

SATURDAY

The second day of ACL brought on my first day of interviews, unbeatable heat, and more unbelievable performances. I would like to point out that ACL is all one big fashion show, bringing together all types of styles from music heads from Austin and beyond. I chose all black on Friday, but went for a cowgirl look this day to fit the part and represent my lovely southern school of Texas A&M. I loved making the most out of this day by arriving early in the morning and staying till the very end of the night. 

Jordy

I was introduced to JORDY prior to ACL because of my interview set up and allowed the first-time experience of his music to be his live performance at BMI Stage at ACL. Throughout the weekend, this stage was on fire and debuted a wide-array of newer artists and showcases its talented affiliates. JORDY released his third studio album, SEX WITH MYSELF, over the summer and brought it to his set at ACL along with his wonderfully written pop earworms that spoke to his bubbly, inviting personality that was clearly shown on stage as he conducted the crowd of people that sunny afternoon. I had the pleasure of meeting JORDY and conducting a video interview with him that will be posted following this article. He is truly so humbled by his experiences in his career so far and provides a platform that speaks to the LGBTQ+ community and as an openly gay performer that writes about his experience candidly, but also sends the message of personal expression and self-love to his fans. I was immediately drawn to his music and am overjoyed to have had the opportunity to connect with him over current pop music and the future of his career. As he embarks on his North American tour following his ACL performance, I am excited to see his growth and how he furthers himself into the current state of pop music. 

Jon Muq

Another lovely artist brought to the BMI stage, Jon Muq is a Ugandan artist who came into his career as a student of the English language and eventually got signed by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach through a gig on a Norwegian cruise line. Jon’s music exudes his fun-loving, calm, and welcoming personality. I was captivated by his lyrics, band, and wonderfully formed crowd connection. I had the chance to interview him as well, and it felt like I was reconnecting with an old friend. As a person who is ethnically Ugandan, I felt drawn to Jon’s music instantly especially since we come from the same bustling city of Kampala. Jon also has his own chosen family that lives in College Station which further solidified our connection and made me more overjoyed at the experience of his music. He has so much to offer to the community of local music in Austin and I am anticipating his success as he moves forward in his career. 

Eyedress

Filipino singer-songwriter and musician, Idris Ennolandy Vicuña, also known as Eyedress graced the American Express stage Saturday evening with his beautifully arranged shoegaze, bedroom pop sound. I was in awe at the experience of this set as it was equipped with stop-motion handmade visuals and an overall unbeatable calm vibe to lead into the later sets of Saturday. I had to appreciate the detail of this set and the fact that it was my first true introduction to Eyedress’ music and at the same time purely live and full of energy. I definitely grew a soft spot for the singer as he led the crowd into a touching performance and ended the set by running off with his baby son. 

Remi Wolf

Hailing all the way from California, Remi Wolf brought electrifying energy to the Miller Lite Stage and live debuted songs from her newest album, Big Ideas, and formed one of the most crowd attracting performances of the weekend. Prior to her set, I had the mind-blowing opportunity to meet her casually in the press lounge and as a huge fan, I was so grateful for the time I had to speak with her. I had asked about which songs she was most excited to perform in which she replied, “Disco Man” and “Liz”. I was not surprised to see her tear up the stage with songs from her early discography, her newest album, and a cover of "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts. This definitely went down as one of the best performances of the weekend as she garnered the attention of not only her fans, but thousands of other people flowing in to watch her in anticipation of the next performance. 

Photo Taken by Ashley Osborn

Jungle

All the way from the UK, Jungle put on a show that was visually pleasing in addition to their already impressive performance of electronic, groovy sounds spanning from their past four albums, but mostly consisting of their semi-recent album release, Volcano. Their range of music reflects their awesome synergy as a band and their entire set exuded their British flair. I had such a fun time watching and dancing along to their songs, especially their most popular, “Back on 74”, that received millions of streams after gaining traction on TikTok over the summer. 

Photo Taken by Roger Ho

Vince Staples

Coming out of a live-sabbatical, Vince Staples put on a show that resembled his overall laid-back R&B and hip-hop persona and overall lived up to his anticipated hype after stepping out of the limelight to produce his new show, The Vince Staples Show. Vince has always been a staple in conscious rap in the era of the 2010s and I sincerely appreciate his musical presence and how he carries himself as a public figure. He used his set as a way to show off his lyrical flow and creativity especially with the way he transitioned from song to song with an interlude and outro. He performed one of my favorite songs, “ARE YOU WITH THAT?”, from his self-titled fourth studio album and I definitely felt like I got everything I came for solely based on his energy and direction of the crowd. Vince Staples made his Austin festival debut a must-watch performance for the weekend and solidified himself as another one of my favorite acts. 

Photo Taken by Greg Noire

Dua Lipa

Another smash-hit UK artist, Dua Lipa carried her explosive pop presence to the American Express stage and closed out the Saturday night festival packed with crowds ranging from all ages and backgrounds. I originally saw Dua Lipa in a standing room in Dallas with about 150 people and her overwhelming amount of growth was able to be seen just by her elaborate set design, energizing choreography, and interactive crowd. I believe everyone had nothing short of a good time and I was happy to close out such a long day with an exciting performance.

Photo Taken by Charles Reagan

SUNDAY 

Leading up to the conclusion of the festival, I was already anticipating the performances this exact day because of all the hype surrounding not only the closing acts, but the chance to see some emerging artists that I had been listening to for the past few years. Namely Bakar, Dom Dolla, and Kevin Abstract and of course I was curious to see Chappell as someone who really did not follow her music due to personal taste. Overall, I could tell the energy at the festival grounds was at its highest and for very good reason.

Bakar

The UK did not disappoint with the talent that they brought to Weekend 2, and Bakar easily climbed to being one of the more well-rounded performances during the weekend. He brought his experimental indie-rock set up and a toned down set that only had his voice and a black and white filter over the screens that showed his fans and awesome vocal range. I have no words for how overjoyed his performance made me and how well he led the crowd into his setlist full of just the right songs from his most recent album, Halo, for that midday break of beaming sun. He performed his most well known song, “Hell N Back”, twice over just to show his appreciation for the crowd of eager fans and close his stellar set. 

Photo Taken by Andrea Escobar

Kevin Abstract

Representing the Texas city of San Marcos, Kevin Abstract set the IHG Hotel & Resorts Stage ablaze with his explosive performance and solidified his place as a strong solo act. Following BROCKHAMPTON and the bands break up, Kevin has started to make experimental rap/hip-hop combined with some indie-pop from his earlier career. My energy was so high the entirety of his set and I really appreciate how he interacted with his fans and actually brought them onstage. As the show progressed, more and more people left to attend Chappell’s performance so by the end of it I made my way to the front and got to mosh with Kevin himself and feel the energy of the music completely. I am so glad that I stayed until the very end because I got to catch a picture with him and my friends. This was confirmed as my best experience out of the entire weekend as a BROCKHAMPTON fan since I was 14 years old, and having met Kevin previously at one of their shows. 

Photo Taken by Greg Noire

Chappell Roan

As I made my way to the American Express Stage, I could already hear Chappell’s vocals and the flood of people of all ages wearing pink and flamboyant outfits. I stayed for a few songs, but could not help to notice the shift of energy especially coming off the excitement of meeting Kevin Abstract. Chappell performed her dance-along song “HOT TO GO!” and then proceeded to announce that this was her very last performance of the year of 2024. I really struggled to see her stardom during her set because it was played down by the fact that she really seemed put off from doing her best. She is also always rumored to do some type of callout to her crowds when she does not see effective participation and I saw it firsthand with the way she paused her song to identify the VIP tower that was not adding into the popular dance associated with her song. I stayed for a few songs, but had to notice the use of lip-syncing and sort of winded vocals. Needless to say, as someone who never really resonated with Chappell’s music due to the way she acts publicly as a figure, I did not enjoy her performance and viewed it as a total let down especially after seeing how she was compared to Weekend 1. All I can honestly say about the future of her career is that I hope she identifies her weaknesses and works on getting better management backing to better speak to her platform. 

Photo Taken by Roger Ho

Dom Dolla

This year, I recently got into club/EDM music with the release of albums such as BRAT by Charli XCX, Britpop by A.G. Cook, and Live at the Factory in Deep Ellum by Polyphia. It's no surprise that the rise of popularity in club music brought on Australian song-writer, producer, and DJ Dom Dolla. I had zero expectations as to how he would be live, but obviously as someone who has seen a DJ set before I imagined someone at a controller gaining fist-pumps and whoops from the crowd. Dom Dolla brought on that image immediately and added lasers and lights to accompany his poppy beats and remixes. My friends and I never ceased grooving along to the entire show at T-Mobile Stage and overall had way too much fun taking in the visuals to the point where we even delayed our transition to the final act of the night, Tyler, the Creator. Overall, I enjoyed Dom Dolla at an unprecedented level and anticipate more DJs being brought on to ACL in the future. 

Photo Taken by Ismael Quintanilla III

Tyler, the Creator

To end the marvelous weekend, I made it to the very final act which was none other than Tyler, the Creator. Tyler has been my favorite artist since I was about thirteen years old and I could not help but anticipate his second year at ACL, especially since I missed the first time. With one of the most intricate set designs, illuminating stage presence, as well as astonishing bars paired with vocals, he won a place in my heart for the weekend instantly and did not disappoint at all. At the very end of the show, he mentioned how he cannot wait to return home to kick his feet up, but obviously he was bluffing as he recently just announced his new album and era, CHROMAKOPIA. I will forever be excited for Tyler’s work futurely as an artist because he constantly raises the bar for rap and is constantly evolving. He closed out the festival and definitely left a Tyler-shaped-hole in everyone's heart by the end of the night.

Photo Taken by Greg Noire

If you have made it this far, thank you for reading over my recap of one of the best weekends of music by far this year. I want to thank artists JORDY and Jon Muq as well as their management teams for giving me the opportunity to speak with them and share my love of live music. Shoutout to Remi Wolf for being an absolute joy to talk to and making my entire weekend by playing “Disco Man”. I want to especially thank ACL for bringing me and KANM on for media and allowing me the chance to expand my horizons. Lastly, I want to acknowledge KANM Student Radio as a whole for being the best outlet for me creativity wise and providing me a platform to speak on things I find important, interesting, and dear to me. See you guys next year at the flags! Stay tuned for more interview content coming via our Instagram and Youtube.