Bonnaroo 2021 Artist Spotlight: Jamila Woods

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 Bonnaroo‘s 2021 lineup. However, to say that this year’s Bonnaroo is a bit of an unconventional one would be an understatement. Postponed from 2020, moved later into the summer, and with a lineup, schedule, and enhanced Covid-19 precautions all only announced and finalized mere weeks from the fest’s Sept. 2-5 weekend, we’re starting our preview coverage later than usual now that we have the full rundown, and will only be highlighting a handful of artists we want to make sure are on your radar this year, reflecting the full gamut of the festival’s days and stages, and even some performers from the plaza lineup. Additionally, look out for our full list-style lineup guides for each day of the fest, with many other artist recommendations, to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s stacked and sprawling 20th-anniversary slate.

Tickets for 2021 sold out in record time, but if you already have yours, or you manage to snag some from a reputable 3rd party, we hope you’ll do everything you can this year to keep yourself and your fellow Bonnaroo attendees safe throughout the fest, and to behave as cautiously as possible after to limit your risk of exposure to others. We’re thrilled to have music back, but, as the Delta variant fuels a rise in Covid cases, if we want it to stay back and stay safe, we all need to take care of one another. That said, we’re hoping this year’s Bonnaroo marks another important milestone on the road to normalcy, and some welcome solace for those in attendance. To help you get ready, read on for our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight.

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Singer, songwriter, poet, educator, and activist Jamila Woods might’ve found wider attention in the music world with features on songs from high-profile artists like Chance the Rapper and Macklemore in recent years, but even her incredible pair of solo albums, 2017’s HEAVN and 2019’s LEGACY! LEGACY!, much less those features, only paint a part of the picture of the Chicago native’s profound artistry. Though she hadn’t initially planned to return to Chicago after leaving for Brown University, where she majored in Africana Studies and Theatre & Performance Studies, Woods has since become an integral part of the Windy City’s artistic pulse, particularly in her community organizing and educational efforts, helping provide resources, spaces, and platforms for young creatives. Influenced by the likes of Lucille Clifton, Toni Morrison, and Gwendolyn Brooks, Jamila’s award-winning poetry has been published in a number of collected works, and the themes of blackness, womanhood, and the influence of her hometown that she explores in writing also extend to her musical endeavors. After a few years in soul dup Milo & Otis, Woods stepped out on her own with her 2016 debut, citing influences such as Erykah Badu and Kendrick Lamar, forging a hip hop and soul-informed r&b sound that is at once wholly individual and inventive, and also incredibly accessible, earning the multi-hyphenate artist widespread accolades. Operating at the level and skill and thoughtfulness she does at any one of her pursuits would be impressive, but the fact that Jamila Woods can produce such stunning music in tandem with everything else is simply awe-inspiritng. Don’t miss her!

WATCH | “BALDWIN”