Bonnaroo 2022 Artist Spotlight: Arlo Parks

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 2022 lineup. And, for the first time in three years, we finally feel confident that there definitely will be a Bonnaroo this year, after a postponement then cancelation in 2020 due to Covid, and an unfortunate rainout of last year’s would-be September event. Returned to its traditional timeframe of June 16-19, this marks Bonnaroo’s 21st summer and 19th installment, and features a largely new lineup for the festival’s much-anticipated return!

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 on the farm!

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

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Raised in London by Nigerian and Chadian-French parents, singer-songwriter and poet Arlo Parks, born Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, was still in her teens when she first found viral success and tons of UK press attention for her early musical efforts. A pair of 2019 EPs, Super Sad Generation and Sophie, led to a record deal, Parks’ first shows ever (turned to festival appearances in a matter of months), major radio play, millions of streams, and a barrage of critical acclaim. Just as she broke into the mainstream, however, and was preparing to tour, Covid struck, derailing the now 21-year-old’s plans, but also giving her the space to finish her debut, last year’s amazing, award-winning Collapsed in Sunbeams. A self-described loner and tomboy growing up, Parks found inspiration in poetry, cinema, classic soul music, Afrobeat, hip hop, and indie rock, and, upon settling into her identity and sexuality (she identifies as bisexual) and coming into her own artistry as a songwriter in her teens, Parks honed a deeply earnest and self-reflective style, fusing dreamy bedroom pop and indie-soul with confessional and observational lyricism and the resonant, ethereal emotional gut-punch of other young singer-songwriters like Phoebe Bridgers or Clairo. The young artist’s stunning ascent over the past year has included tour dates with the likes of Billie Eilish and Harry Styles, so it’s no surprise that she arrives at Bonnaroo as one of the most buzzed-about and exciting performers of the year!

WATCH | “Softly” (Official Music Video)