Bonnaroo 2022 Artist Spotlight: DE’WAYNE

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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When he takes to Bonnaroo’s Who Stage on the third day of this year’s fest, genre-bending rapper and alt-rocker De’Wayne Jackson, who performs mononymously as DE’WAYNE, will be celebrating the one-year anniversary of his debut full-length, STAINS, to the day. Houston born and LA-based since age 19, Jackson grew up exposed predominately to church music, soul, and hip hop, and though his earlier work (he’s been releasing music since 2016) had more of a conventional alt-hip hop bent, upon immersing himself in the LA rock scene and spending years honing his songwriting craft and expanding his musical appreciation, he’s truly earned his bona fides in rock as well, breaking genre convention and blurring musical lines with the past couple years of collabs and original tunes. Signed to Hopeless Records, the LA label best known as a pop punk tastemaker, DE’WAYNE initially found crossover buzz teaming up with alt-rock outfit Chase Atlantic, and more recently recruited pop punk star and fellow Houstonian Awsten Knight of Waterparks for STAINS single “Perfume.” An earnest, essential, and meticulously honed first LP, STAINS deals with themes of love, loss, and identity, with DE’WAYNE’s poetic and vulnerable lyrical style enhanced by his ambitious deconstruction of genre convention. “Emo rap” has been tossed around a lot in recent years, but that’s not what this is. DE’WAYNE isn’t just rapping over pop punk riffs or co-opting the imagery of another scene for cred; he’s making sincere, bold, and impassioned music and multifaceted as he is, the product of years of artistic growth and unrestrained musical ambition. With big tour plans and new music on the way, DE’WAYNE is one of this year’s Who Stage performers who arrives at Roo already feeling like main stage material.

WATCH | “Perfume” ft. Awsten Knight (Official Music Video)