Bonnaroo 2023 Artist Spotlight: Jenny Lewis

Like we’ve been doing for many years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorite acts from Bonnaroo‘s 2023 lineup. After roaring back to life last summer, after two years off due to Covid and weather, this year marks Bonnaroo’s 20th installment (and 22nd anniversary), boasting not only another great and varied lineup, but also more changes and improvements then we’ve seen in years, with more flexibility in ticketing and camping, a reimagined “Outeroo” campground area, new activations, and further new ways to Roo. Back once again in its usual June 15-18 timeframe, we’re counting down the days until another great weekend on the farm.

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, and most highly-recommended among this year’s crop of artists. And as our time at ‘Roo approaches, we’ll also be bringing you some special features and full list-style daily lineup guides, to help you plan your weekend ahead of the fest. While these previews won’t span every artist, 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 at the fest!

Grab your tickets right here if you haven’t already, and read on for our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight!

LEARN

Few artists have been as integral or prolific in the indie rock scene of the last 25 years as Jenny Lewis, who, across multiple projects and an incredible solo career has cemented her legacy as one of the all-time greats. Born in Las Vegas and for many years based in Southern California (though, notably, she now calls Nashville home), Lewis got her start in the ’80s as a child actress, appearing in films, television, and commercials, a career path which would continue into her teens in the ’90s, before segueing out of acting and into music with the formation of her first iconic group, Rilo Kiley, in 1998. The LA indie rockers amassed a large following and critical acclaim, releasing four albums over the following decade, before hanging it up at the start of the 2010s. At the same time, Jenny was contributing to works from artists like Cursive and The Postal Service (with whom she’s served as essentially a third member, recording and touring with the group on their 2013 anniversary tour and their upcoming 20th this year), and also teamed up with The Watson Twins for her folky and soulful first solo effort, Rabbit Fur Coat, in 2006. A year after Rilo Kiley dropped what would be their final album, Lewis furthered her solo reach with 2008 twang-infused sophomore effort Acid Tongue, and made her debut at Bonnaroo the following year. After a comparatively artistically quiet (though personally tumultuous) few years, which included the release of the one and only album from her side project Jenny & Johnny, I’m Having Fun Now, with then-boyfriend Johnathan Rice, as well as the aforementioned Postal Service reunion, Jenny returned with 2014’s The Voyager, finding a whole new audience and met universal praise. The subsequent tour would see the singer appear at dozens of high-profile festivals and performances across the globe, and in the following years Jenny formed a new side project and released an eponymous debut, Nice As Fuck, toured with numerous huge acts like Harry Styles, and dropped a fitting followup solo effort, On the Line, in 2019. Now based in Nashville, armed with a new post-pandemic perspective, and prepping to re-team with The Postal Service for a massive arena tour later this year as well as supporting dates for Phoenix and Beck, Lewis is prepping to release her fifth album, Joy’All, a week before her return to ‘Roo. The handful of songs already out are breezy, soulful, contemplative, and earnest- everything we expect from a Jenny Lewis- and we can’t wait to see them live.

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