Bonnaroo 2018 Artist Spotlight: Japanese Breakfast

Bonnaroo Artist | Japanese Breakfast
Bonnaroo History | Newbie
Stage & Time | Friday | This Tent | 2:15pm

As we’ve been doing for the past several years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorites acts from from Bonnaroo‘s impressive 2018 lineup. As we dig through the entire schedule, we’ll highlight a spread of performers spanning across genres and stages, big and small, new and old, to bring you some of the most interesting, lesser-known, or most highly-recommended among this year’s crop of artists. Though we’ll be jumping around, we’re loosely working our way through by day, and we’ll also be bringing you some special features and longer guides along the way, to help you plan your weekend before the fest. While these previews won’t span every performer, and might omit some more obvious must-see acts, we hope they’ll serve as a way to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s gargantuan lineup, and to make the most of your busy weekend on the farm!

Grab your tickets right here if you haven’t already, and keep reading to learn more in our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight…

LEARN

The solo musical vehicle of Michelle Zauner, who cut her teeth performing in indie pop project Post Post and, later, Philly indie/emo group Little Big League, Japanese Breakfast is a project initially born from grief, which has blossomed into a personal, earnest, and singular artistic expression of a phenomenal talent. After relocating suddenly to her hometown of Eugene, Oregon, after her mom was diagnosed with cancer, Zauner continued to write music to occupy her time. The result, her debut as Japanese Breakfast Psychopomp, arrived after her mom tragically passed, and within its lo-fi, bedroom pop was a nuanced, poignant navigation of grief, sexuality, and personal transition. For awhile, Michelle expected to leave music behind, and to find a more conventional job path that her mom would have approved of.

However, the record’s unprecedented success  prompted her to keep her creative career going, and with 2017 followup Soft Sounds from Another Planet, Japanese Breakfast really matured both musically and in more cosmic, adventurous lyricism, both navigating how grief is processed beyond the immediate aftermath of trauma, and also exploring life in a broader context. With her experimental, indie pop sound, Japanese Breakfast has become a darling of the underground scene, beloved by critics and fast attracting a cult following. Herself a Korean American (the “Japanese” in the name came from a connection to Japanese pop culture growing up), Zauner is a worldly artist with an unrivaled ability to express herself and live, she’s just as complex, dreamy, and wonderful.

 LISTEN | “Everybody Wants to Love You”

 WATCH | “Road Head” (Official Music Video)

CONNECT

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