The first edition of Primavera Sound Los Angeles wrapped up on Sept.18, after three vibey days of perfect, late summer cool weather at Los Angeles State Historic Park.

The beloved Barcelona music festival, which celebrated its 20th edition back home in June, also hosts annual fests in other cities in Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. The festival's first North American venture featured a stacked gender-equal lineup headlined by Lorde, Nine Inch Nails and Arctic Monkeys.

A decent number of artists at Primavera L.A. had also played in Barcelona, but the much smaller footprint of the Los Angeles festival made getting around and catching everyone you wanted to see a lot easier. The festival was packed with exciting fun sets, but read on for eight of the best sets from Primavera Los Angeles.

Mitski | Lyndsey Byrnes for Primavera Sound L.A.

A Theatrical Mitski Brings Bedroom Pop To Life

Alt-pop darling Mitski is beloved with her emotional, honest "sad girl" power pop songs about heartbreak and loss. She brought the drama of her music to life, energetically traversing the stage with leaps and theatrical hand motions. The stage setup was simple, with a white door behind her and her band — it felt like a fantasy recreation of a high school bedroom, the place where poems, love letters and tearful diary entries are crafted, and cathartic solo dance moves are made across the floor. Mitski even rocked a silk PJ top and bike shorts.

For "Me and My Husband," her dance moves entailed miming putting long gloves on over and over, and at the end of the song, she pretended to choke herself. For 2014 track "Townie," she ran around the stage as she sang, slowing down at the end to hold and hug herself. After closing with "A Pearl" from 2018's Be the Cowboy, she ended with one last drama school move, a bow.

PinkPantheress Channels 2000 (Even Though She Was Born in 2001)

Twenty-one-year-old PinkPantheress, who channels '90s / '00 U.K. garage and drum 'n bass into short pop bops, got big through TikTok. The Gen Z representation was strong at her Friday afternoon set, loudly cheering her on from the quarantined under-21 section to the side of the stage. But the over-21 turnout was also strong, and PinkPantheress and her DJ got everyone dancing.

PinkPantheress came out looking like a 2004 teen that just came from the mall, rocking a hot pink Diesel long-sleeveT-shirt and brown asymmetrical skirt, complete with short-strap purse and frameless shades. Her warm and funny banter made it feel like we were at the mall with our friends — except maybe more like a secret all-ages rave in the parking lot.

The highlights of the energetic, smile-inducing set included her dedicating "Nineteen" to the 19-year-olds, her cover of the classic 2000 U.K. garage hit "Flowers," and when she stopped the music to say hi to her fan Alan, who screamed into her mic at her May L.A. show. (She later jumped down into the crowd and Alan got an encore scream. Beautiful.)

Stereolab Perfectly Soundtracks The Sunset

British group Stereolab have been making synthy, experimental alt-pop since the early '90s, and while they're influenced by various decades of pop, their records truly transcend time and space. The sun was just beginning to set on day one of the fest, and Stereolab (whose four members look like cool music teachers who each own an amazing vinyl collection) channeled that dreamy setting with their music.

“This is 'Reflections,' an ode to the realm of possibilities remaining open rather than closed,” lead singer Laetitia Sadier announced right as the sun dipped out of view behind the stage. The next couple tracks were a bit more noisy, upbeat and rock-y, and the crowd was fully immersed in their layered sounds. They closed with two of their biggest songs, "Pack Ur Romantic Mind," and "French Disko."

Lorde | Ismael Quintanilla III for Primavera Sound L.A.

Lorde Casts A Spell For Endless Summer

Lorde's Friday closing set was both a powerhouse pop production and an intimate moment. The first day of the fest was joyfully not crowded, so fans were able to gather close as Lorde delivered her ode to summer and mother nature, chatting from atop an epic ladder-to-heaven on stage. The ladder leaned against a big circle, and they rotated around the stage, with a large sun-like orb of changing hues on the screen behind. Her band stood on either side in matching mustard-colored suits, while the New Zealander donned her summer best: a cute black bra top with big puffy sleeves, black mesh pants and long blonde hair.

“I’m really happy to be here,” Lorde announced after several songs. "Especially playing here, outside at the end of summer…you might know I'm kind of obsessed with summer," she continued with a smile. "I don’t know if you have a crush here tonight, but I came down here from the mountain to unite all the potential lovers,” she said before performing "The Louvre" from Melodrama. Next up was "Secrets from a Girl (Who's Seen it All)”and "Mood Ring" from her 2021 album dedicated to the healing power of the sun, Solar Power. This was followed by an amazing cover of Bananarama's 1983 hit "Cruel Summer."

She also put out a call for action to combat the climate crisis, hinting that she already knew what her fourth album was about. Closing her set with "Solar Power," Lorde cast a spell to let the summer vibes last a little longer. “This song was written in a wet bikini, in late July after a long day at the beach…. I want to preserve that feeling, so wherever you are you can feel that." With a wide smile, she continued, "They say it’s almost fall, but don’t let them trick you…it’s still my season."

Georgia Is A One-Woman Dance Party Machine

The sun was shining again on Saturday, and British dance pop artist Georgia got temperatures rising as she commanded the stage with her electronic drum kit and synth. She started with Seeking Thrills' opening track "Started Out," going into "Never Let You Go" and "Ray Guns" from her infectious 2020 album.

Her energy was invigorating, as she sang, drummed, danced and commanded the stage. While Georgia was jet-lagged, she told the audience at her first-ever L.A. festival that they were giving her the energy she needed — but it was definitely a mutual exchange.

She played three new unreleased songs, and shared that she's been working with Rostam, who was somewhere in the crowd and would be mortified that she was touting him as the best producer in the city of Angels. Her "babes" came out to assist on guitar for one of the Rostam-produced tracks. She closed with a cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" — while that song is very rinsed at the moment, it felt fresh and resonated with the crowd.

Khruangbin | Pooneh Ghana for Primavera Sound L.A.

Khruangbin Expands Time With Their Jams

Houston psychedelic rockers Khruangbin jammed for an hour on the mainstage as the sky darkened above. The set went by quickly but was expansive, as they riffed on familiar rhythms that knitted their songs into one large, cozy sonic quilt. The trio looked cool as hell on stage with Donald “DJ” Johnson in a cowboy hat, Laura Lee in thigh-high leopard print boots and a matching dress, and Mark Speer in a black and silver geometric-patterned suit. DJ and his drums were elevated and there were two giant disco balls on stage, which the visuals on screen offered trippy renderings of the groovy action.

After running off to the bathroom in the middle of their set and briefly listening from afar, I joked that I wasn't sure if I'd missed one or seven songs, but both were kind of true. They expanded each track and carried it into the next, like a jam band or DJ set. I think we all could've jammed on for several more hours with them.

Nine Inch Nails Penetrate Our Souls

For day two's headline set, the disco balls were removed and the crowd packed the main stage, patiently waiting for Nine Inch Nails to rock them. Before they'd even begun, security stopped letting fans in to avoid overcrowding, and a line formed to let people in as space allowed. The flashing lights began and Trent Reznor appeared in a triangle of light and smoke. Soon, the light expands to reveal the rest of the band, and they break into 1999's "Somewhat Damaged."

The next 70 minutes were a full-on assault of light and a wall of sound. There was no way to escape the emotions rattling through your body as the layered bass, synth, guitar, drums and growls shook everything to the surface. The band worked like a well-oiled machine, effortlessly performing their intricate music with precision and energy.

Reznor shared that they'd really enjoyed playing at Primavera Sound in Barcelona a few years back, so they said yes when they were asked to play what was supposed to be Primavera L.A. 2020: "Finally, here the f— we are.”

They played tracks from across their extensive catalog, including "Closer," "The Hand That Feeds," "Head Like A Hole" and "Hurt," ending with the latter three. "Hurt," famously covered by Johnny Cash, was the only moment of relative quiet during the set, allowing for Reznor's lyrics to really sink in.

Bicep | Quinn Tucker for Primavera Sound L.A.

Bicep Create An Immersive Rave Rainbow

Belfast producer duo BICEP create immersive, dreamy electronic soundscapes, and their live show ups the immersion with lasers, bright lights and flashes of color. While their set overlapped with Nine Inch Nails, it luckily continued on for 45 minutes after the rockers ended their wall of sound. As I ran from one wall of sound and lights to the next, from rock to rave, the synths and lights at each tying nicely — and surprisingly — together.

As the two childhood friends faced each other and delivered their expansive dancefloor sound with big energy and extra flourishes. They saved an extended version of their massive 2017 track, “Glue,” for second-to-last, as the lasers erupted into two rainbows shooting out over the crowd, the smoke dancing in its light and casting trippy, liquidy shapes. A tall guy in the crowd jumped up to touch the rainbow laser magic, just barely missing.

CHAI = CUTE!

Part of the description on J-pop group CHAI's Spotify bio reads: "With lyrics focused on 'women empowerment' and redefining the definition of 'kawaii,' or cute in Japanese," and they brought their high energy girl power, fun and cuteness to the last afternoon of Primavera L.A. Rocking the stage in coordinating pink-and-white outfits topped with big, frilly, rainbow-print capes, CHAI filled their 40 minute set with pure energy and joy, leaving the crowd captivated and asking for more.

After two songs, they "interrupted" their live performance for a mini DJ set led by the drummer and keyboardist, a high energy mix that included Hardrive's "Deep Inside," Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman," and Spice Girls' "Wannabee." For the latter song, the quartet came to the front to sing along and dance with fluffy pink-fitted fans, getting the audience to shout out "CHAI!" and "Yesss!" CHAI, YES is exactly how I felt about them in this moment and now forever more. They continued with a few more of their songs, closing with "N.E.O," which had the audience screaming the English words and jumping along.

James Blake Wishes Primavera L.A. Godspeed

As the Arctic Monkeys rocked the main stage and Detroit techno wizard Jeff Mills captivated the dance music stage, British-born, L.A.-based James Blake offered his angelic vocals to soothe the rest of us. He opened with an early track of his, "Unluck," into 2020's "Before" and "Limit to Your Love," which was originally recorded by Feist.

Blake asked the crowd to sing the chorus of  "Say What You Will” — from his latest 2021 album, Friends That Break Your Heart — imploring the audience to sing louder to compete with Mills and the Arctic Monkeys. For another track from the 2021 album, "Frozen," he brought out one of its featured rappers, Atlanta's SwaVay, who brought the energy with his OutKast-nodding flow. (Blake shared that the rapper had a new, great album coming out soon.)

After a few more songs, the "Retrograde" singer closed with his cover of Frank Ocean's gut-wrenching "Godspeed," which he co-produced.

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Few music festivals have had the cultural impact of Lollapalooza. 

Conceived in 1991 as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction by lead singer Perry Farrell, the festival quickly became a traveling showcase for alt-rock and counterculture. Its eclectic lineups, which also included punk, metal, and hip-hop acts, helped define a generation's musical tastes. 

A new, three-episode documentary, "Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza," takes an in-depth look at the festival's journey over three decades. From its early days of bringing together alt acts including Nine Inch Nails, Living Colour, Pearl Jam, and the Beastie Boys, Lollapalooza has evolved into what it is today: a three-day festival based in Chicago's Grant Park since 2005. The festival remains an enduring celebration of alternative music.

"Lolla" explores how Lollapalooza defied expectations by both embracing and helping shape the emerging youth culture of the '90s — a rebellious, introspective shift from the flashy excess of the '80s. The docuseries highlights the festival's influence through a trove of archival footage and exclusive interviews with Lollapalooza co-founders, show promoters, bookers, MTV hosts. Of course, "Lolla" features a who's who of '90s-era rockers — including Farrell himself, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, Donita Sparks from L7, Ice-T. 

To watch "Lolla" is to open a time capsule for alternative culture, one where the stage becomes a symbol of generational change. Read on for five takeaways from the documentary, which is now streaming on Paramount+. 

The Reading Festival Served As Inspiration

For their farewell tour, Jane's Addiction decided to emulate the UK Reading Festival's approach to curating live music and alternative acts in a multi-day, open-air forum (where bands like the Buzzcocks and Pixies played to crowds of 40,000). 

Jane's Addiction had been scheduled to play the 1990 Reading Festival, but Farrell partied too much the night before after a club gig and lost his voice, and the band had to cancel. Drummer Stephen Perkins and future Lollapalooza co-founder Marc Geiger decided to check out the event anyway, which planted the seed for the future tour. 

"Reading was a cornucopia of artists, and scenes, and curation, and it was such a vibe," recalled Geiger in an interview scene from the doc. "I remember saying, 'Perry, we have to do it.'"

Farrell was game after missing his chance to see Reading first-hand. So Lollapalooza co-founders Geiger, Don Muller and Ted Gardner, who was also Jane's Addiction band manager, got to work emulating the Reading model. In addition to live music, Farrell wanted something "completely subversive" with booths to engage festival goers with everything from henna tattoos and art galleries, to nonprofit and political organizations like Greenpeace, PETA, the Surfrider Foundation, and even voter registration for the Rock The Vote campaign. The result was art and activism combined with commerce.

Lolla Was Born From The Death Of Jane's Addiction

Although Jane's Addiction had a big buzz with their third album, Ritual de lo Habitual, the band was on the edge of  dissolution. "We really couldn't stand each other," admitted Farrell. Ready for his next act, Farrell saw the opportunity to end on a high note with Jane's Addiction. "The best work we did, we left on the stage at Lolla," he said in the doc. 

In the early '90s, alternative acts were not selling out massive venues. Organizers were on edge, hoping fans would buy tickets and show up to not one, but 28 U.S. tour dates featuring the seven-act lineup for the first-ever Lollapalooza.

What nobody expected was the watershed success. The first show saw fans sweat it out to see their favorite acts in Phoenix, on a day with temperatures well over 100 degrees. Nine Inch Nails' equipment melted in the heat, leading the band to destroy their failing gear before walking off the stage. 

Despite initial hiccups, the tour wasn't hindered. Lollapalooza's first year sold out in a majority of venues holding 15-18,000 people, driven largely by word-of-mouth and favorable coverage by MTV.  

"I think everybody knew and ultimately felt, 'wow, I'm sort of lucky to be here — I'm part of something,'" recalled Geiger in the doc. "It was bigger than anything these artists or fans had seen at that time."

Lollapalooza '92 further mixed genres on the main stage — like gangsta rap (Ice Cube), grunge (Pearl Jam) and shoegaze (Lush) — while greatly expanding the line-up on a side stage upon which Farrell and Perkins introduced their new band Porno For Pyros, alongside many other acts. Lollapalooza's model was born. 

Early Years Embraced Racial Inclusivity, But Lagged Gender-Wise

Right from the start, Lollapalooza organizers mixed up the bill beyond white artists that traditionally headlined rock concerts long before and after Jimi Hendrix performed at Woodstock and Monterey Pop. Part of why Lollapalooza thrived is the inclusion of bands like Ice-T's Body Count, Fishbone, and Living Colour — favorite headliners during the early tours.

Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello credited Living Colour with helping build "the alternative arc" and opening doors for Rage. "Without Living Colour, Rage Against The Machine doesn't get a record deal. Ever," Morello said. 

A big moment came near the end of the '91 tour when Ice-T and Farrell squared off to cover Sly and the Family Stone's "Don't Call Me ******, Whitey" in which they tersely trade verses, then end up tangoing across the stage. It was a provocative performance that grabbed headlines and the audience's attention months after the high profile police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles. In '92, Soundgarden showed solidarity with Body Count by performing their controversial track "Cop Killer" with their guitarist Ernie C onstage in Miami. 

While Lolla embraced racial diversity, the early line-ups were male-dominated. Lone female act Siouxsie and the Banshees were a favorite in '91 and later Lollapalooza main stage artists, like Sonic Youth, Babes In Toyland, Lush, and the Breeders — which had more if not all female members — were outnumbered by their male counterparts.

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Donita Sparks noted that L7 got booked in '94 only after they fired off a bluntly worded fax to the organizers. "We got the offer," Sparks said, "but we had to push the issue. And we had to fight for it. 'Cause that's how much we wanted to be on Lollapalooza, and more importantly, that's how much we felt we deserved to be on Lollapalooza.

Female artists would eventually receive their Lolla dues, with Billie Eilish, Lorde, HAIM, Miley Cyrus and Karol G performing as festival headliners, and artists like Lady Gaga starting out as side stage artists before exploding in popularity and returning to headline the fest a few short years later. 

It Became A Victim Of Its Own Success

Lollapalooza from years '91 to '93 were the purest in terms of alt-rock acts, but as the event drew a wider range of talent and demand, it began to suffer a bit of an identity crisis. After all, it's hard to be a beacon for the underground scene once that culture is above ground.

By Lolla '94, attendance set records and alt-rock had hit the mainstream while grunge peaked and critics bemoaned its growing conventional status. Former second stage booker John Rubeli revealed that Nirvana turned down a $6 million offer to headline the '94 tour because of frontman Kurt Cobain's fear of selling out. Cobain's suicide a few short weeks later changed the scene. 

In '95, the festival returned with more indie bands on the mainstage, but some were eclipsed by bigger artists like Coolio, who drew a bigger crowd to the parking lot side stage. Increased popularity drove commercial sponsorship, and the event became more expensive. Ticket sales dropped. Then in '96, Farrell quit his involvement with the festival for a year in protest over the booking of Metallica, whose aggressive music and audience he felt were out of step with his vision.

"I felt disrespected," Farrell said. "I'm not putting this thing together to make the most money. I'm putting this thing together to make the most joy."

Upon his return in 1997, Farrell's inclusion of electronic acts like the Orbital and the Prodigy were, to some ears, ahead of the curve. The festival then went on a six-year hiatus. 

Lollapalooza returned on shaky legs for its 2003 tour, which included Audioslave, Incubus, the Donnas, and the reunion of Jane's Addiction. But it was truly reborn in 2005 as a three-day event in Chicago through concert promoters C3 Presents (who co-executive produced the "Lolla" doc).  Admittedly, some of the 21st century headliners like Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Journey, and Paul McCartney would never have fit the '90s festival bill. 

Times have changed and, today, the festival has embraced its conventional success while retaining its original genre-spanning reach with the Killers, Melanie Martinez, Skrillex, and Tyler, the Creator included on this summer's lineup.

Lolla Was A Model For Coachella, Bonnaroo, And Beyond

Prior to the arrival of Lollapalooza, rock festivals were usually single weekend events that took place in a fixed location, like Woodstock in '69, Steve Wozniak's US Festival in '82 and '83, and European festivals like Reading. "I just think it's the first American, truly eclectic concert series since Woodstock," said Ice-T. "And even Woodstock wasn't as eclectic because Woodstock was pretty much all rock."

Lollapalooza's successful tour format inspired other popular tours and live events, especially in the mid-'90s. During the festival's break during the late '90s and early 00's, niche festivals like Ozzfest, Vans Warped Tour, and Lilith Fair stole the show. These festivals not only continued Lollapalooza's legacy by bringing diverse genres to cities across the country, but transformed the live music scene into a cultural phenomenon. 

While epic, genre-spanning weekend festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo have been raging since the early aughts, Lollapalooza first proved that a seemingly radical idea could grow and thrive. Incorporating a mix of rock, hip-hop, electronic, and alternative acts, inclusivity and mobility became a festival blueprint. Today, Lollapalooza is tapping into international audiences and local music scenes with versions of the festival in Argentina, Berlin, Stockholm, Paris, and even Mumbai. 

Lollapalooza's success proves that the media and music industry often don't realize the size and passion of certain scenes and subcultures until they're brought together in the right setting. By uniting diverse musical acts and their fans, Lollapalooza highlights eclectic talent but also shows just how much people crave that representation and diversity.

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Houston-based psych rock trio Khruangbin — which means airplane in Thai — are beloved for their globally flavored, luxuriously spacious brand of psych rock. Much of Khruangbin's music is instrumental, laden with funky-yet-chill bass licks, reverb-drenched guitar, calm yet precise drumming and plenty of room to breathe; you could certainly take flight with a spin of any of their four albums.

Guitarist Mark Speer, bassist Laura Lee Ochoa and drummer Donald "DJ" Johnson Jr. found inspiration in cassettes of '60s and '70s era Thai funk bands who fused surf rock with their native folk songs. They'd listen to these tapes while driving out to the countryside barn where they recorded the first album, 2015's The Universe Smiles Upon You. Leisurely unhurriedness, space to roam and underappreciated global sounds with a Texas lilt — this is Khruangbin

As they've grown, Khruangbin has added more global influences to the mix, yet maintained a clearly identifiable sound — one that invites you in and reminds you to breathe deeper. Sophomore release Con Todo El Mundo brought in deeper funk and soul influences from the Mediterranean and Middle East, including the work of Iranian pop superstar Googoosh.

"To [simply] call us Thai funk is a great disservice to the people who made that music in the first place. We’re going to put whatever influence we like into the music. Otherwise, it’s boring," Speer told Bandcamp in 2018. "Funky drums, dub bass, melodic guitar, those are the only rules.”

Songs from Con Todo El Mundo were heard on popular TV shows including "Barry" and "The Blacklist," exposing Khruangbin to a whole new fanbase. Even Jay-Z and Barack Obama joined the fan club. "Texas Sun" with Leon Bridges, their biggest song to date, earned a coveted spot on the former President Barack Obama's 2020 Summer Playlist.

Khruangbin have been touring nearly nonstop since their debut album, and will perform at Coachella on both Sundays. Their live shows are a colorful sonic quilt, and so beloved that the band sold out three nights in a row at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City.

Their upcoming fourth album, A La Sala, due out April 5 on Dead Oceans, is a return to the band's beginnings: spacious, jammy tunes without any outside collaborators. Lead single "Love International" highlights Khruangbin's talent for expertly crafted, soothing instrumentals that invite listeners into a dreamlike space.

Much like the rare global tunes they found inspiration in, Khruangbin is just waiting to be discovered. And once you do, you're hooked and ready to swim in their calming waters. Ahead of A La Sala, take a listen to five essentials from Khruangbin's extensive catalog to get a taste of their unique, inviting sound.

"White Gloves" (2015)

"White Gloves" is one of the trio's first songs with lyrics. The Universe Smiles Upon You track atop which Lee sings of a deceptively simple-yet-sad story of a queen who wore white gloves and died in a fight.

Speer's dreamy, echoing guitar and Johnson's slow-and-steady drumbeat paired with Lee's delicately funky bass, oohs and ethereal vocals make this track feel heavenly and light. Close your eyes and listen to the song's mournful tones, and imagine that perhaps the band is singing in heaven as the queen wanders the clouds with her clean white gloves.

"Maria También" (2017)

The lead single on Con Todo El Mundo, "Maria También" goes full vintage surf rock with a rollicking bassline that vaguely recalls the Surfaris 1963 hit "Wipe Out." They add flourishes of handclaps, bells and sneaky yeahs. It's perhaps one of the band's most driving, urgent tunes — definitely the most so on this album, which was dedicated to Lee's Mexican-American grandfather. 

One of the band's goals on the album was to channel the energy and sound of the outdoor music festivals they'd been playing. "The kick drum is more present in the mix, it drives people to dance,” Johnson told Bandcamp. On "Maria También," the banging kick and jubilant festival energy are fully present.

And in the music video for "Maria También," the trio nods to the Iranian pop influences on the song and album by featuring the many women artists who thrived in Iran prior to the revolution in 1979 but were pushed out by it.

"Time (You and I)" (2020)

This joyful lead single from 2020's Mordechai offers a taste of Khruangbin's more upbeat and vocal side. On it, Lee poetically muses: "That's life / If we had more time / We could live forever," a fitting anthem for the newly locked-down world it came out in. 

Towards the end of the nearly six-minute track, they repeat "That's life" in a variety of languages, a very Khruangbin statement in itself. There's a little bit of jingly cowbell on "Maria También," and here we're gifted with more cowbell flourishes, touches of synth and a healthy dose of funk.

"Doris" with Leon Bridges (2022)

"Doris" is a tender, heartfelt tune dedicated to Leon Bridges' grandmother, from Khruangbin's second collaborative EP, Texas Moon. It's also a great example of the way the band uses space as a powerful tool within their music. 

Here, minimalist instrumentation and a slow, mellow beat allows Bridges' rich voice to shine. In conversation with GRAMMY.com in 2020, Johnson and Bridges compare "Doris" and "Father Father" — another touching and spacious Texas Moon track — to the chopped and screwed sounds of '90s Houston hip-hop.

"It is so slow. And it leaves so much space. The listener is waiting for the next thing to happen within the song," Johnson said of "Doris." "I think that's something that you can really take advantage of, being from Texas and from the South and understanding chopped and screwed culture and that it's okay for things to be slow. It's okay to wait for stuff. I think it goes with the whole Southern way of life, how people slow cook food down here. When my people barbecue, they start the day before. And I take all of that mindset into the music."

"Lobbo" with Vieux Farka Touré (2022)

On 2022 collaborative album Ali, the Texas trio worked with Malian singer, songwriter and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré for a moving tribute to his late father and legendary GRAMMY-winning West African guitarist, Ali Farka Touré, reimagining his music. Khruangbin's playing fits so perfectly with Vieux's haunting voice, languid guitar and the "desert blues" Ali Farka Touré created, it's almost surprising they didn't write these songs together. On the second track, "Lobbo," we get spacious, bluesy guitars and Lee echoing and amplifying Touré's voice for a beautiful, almost mournful tune.

Ali was Khruangbin's most recent studio album, which was followed with a string of live albums, so A La Sala marks a return to where they began, just the three of them jamming together. Yet with them, they bring the influences of their travels and newly discovered records of the world, adding new flavor, wisdom and flourishes to their sound.

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Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

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He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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Over 10 years after Lorde released her breakout hit, "Royals," its opening line presents a profound sense of irony: "I've never seen a diamond in the flesh."

In the song, Lorde depicts a disillusionment with the lifestyle and status associated with diamonds — one based on excess, ostentation, and a departure from reality. But her scorned sentiment is so relatable that "Royals" itself has become a diamond.

In December of 2017, the single reached the rarely achieved diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 10 million units. The single now has over 1 billion streams on Spotify, and when it was in the throes of release, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks, before earning two GRAMMYs: Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2014 ceremony.

"Royals" was the lead single for Pure Heroine, Lorde's debut album, which turns 10 this month. Like its first hit, the album demonstrated Lorde's foresight into the next generation of pop star — so much so that none other than David Bowie had proclaimed her as "the future of music."

In many ways, the title Pure Heroine is apposite to Lorde herself. In the early 2010s, she was a heroine with a pure message — a message of honesty and humanity that resonated with everyone, from fans to her fellow musicians. Even critics were intrigued: "In a moment when too many new artists seem afraid to offend or go off script, Lorde is an exciting contradiction," Pitchfork wrote in their review of Pure Heroine.

Going "off script" permeates everything about Pure Heroine, but it also goes beyond the album and into what Lorde represented for music and humanity at large. 

As Pure Heroine turns 10, here are five aspects of Lorde's rise that demonstrate that she helped create the blueprint for the modern superstar.

Defiance Of Industry Expectations

Lorde has been signed to Universal Music Group since she was 12 years old, after being discovered because of a performance at a talent show. However, she didn't let such a grand association play a role in her approach to her music.

"I've been dealing with the world's biggest record company for so long so I've never had that 'Holy Shit' moment with it being a major label or anything," Lorde told Spin in 2013. "It's just something I grew up with."

Even prior to the album, Lorde was prescient in her defiance of the industry when she released her 2012 EP, The Love Club, on Soundcloud for free. Per The Guardian, she told UMG, "Leave it alone — don't promote it, no ads, let it grow organically." This ended up working in her favor when singer/songwriter Grimes reposted Lorde's Soundcloud after "some random" alerted her to it. 

And when the time came for Lorde to make her first album, Universal initially suggested doing a series of soul covers, but she refused. "They got straight away that I was a bit weird, that I would not be doing anything I didn't want to do, and they completely went with that," she told The Guardian in 2013. 

What Lorde considered "a bit weird" in 2013 is now, rightfully, considered brave and forward-thinking because it was all in service to her simply being herself, regardless of what anyone in the industry expected of her. 

That mentality also bled into her appearance. "I'm not the sort of artist that TMZ can write about like, 'She stepped out with no makeup today!' Because 80 percent of the time I'm not wearing any makeup," Lorde told The Fader in 2013.

She also didn't care for the comparisons to other massive artists like her: "I read a piece the other day that said, 'Why Lorde is this generation's Nirvana,' and I was like, PLEASE DON'T! Don't do that to me! They meant it as a compliment, obviously, but what's the point in even making the parallel?" she said to Rookie in 2014.

Lorde has only ever wanted to do things her way, and that not only fueled the magic of Pure Heroine, but her career as a whole.

A Simple One Writer, One Producer Formula

One thing Lorde wanted to do on her debut album was write all of her own lyrics, even though she had never written a song before in her life. And she clearly aimed to have as much creative control as possible, opting to work with only one producer on the album, Joel Little.

Little and Lorde are the only two credits for both writing and production throughout Pure Heroine, a stark contrast to other albums released in 2013 including Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines, Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience, and Beyoncé's self-titled, all of which followed the modern pop standard of gathering numerous songwriters and producers together on an album.

Now, 10 years on from Pure Heroine, some of the biggest artists and albums follow the Pure Heroine approach. For example, on both of Billie Eilish's studio albums, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO? (2019) and Happier Than Ever (2022) the only credits are herself and her brother, Finneas.

Another is Olivia Rodrigo, who — other than an occasional extra producer or songwriter and a few interpolation credits to artists like Hayley Williams and Taylor Swift — wrote and produced the entirety of her two studio albums, SOUR (2021) and GUTS (2023) alongside producer Daniel Nigro.

A more intimate creative process makes sense given the candid nature of these artists' music, and the central topic of Lorde's honesty in Pure Heroine can be summed up by the pre-chorus in "Royals": "Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece/ Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash/ We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair."

Ten years ago, the de facto motto of pop music was "the bigger the better," emphasized by songs like "Love Me" from Lil' Wayne and Drake, "F—in' Problems" from A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake, and "Suit & Tie" from Justin Timberlake and JAY-Z. Then in comes a teenager from New Zealand who literally says "We don't care." She didn't care about the lifestyle pop music purported — and without a boardroom of writers and producers, her message rang out unimpeded.

A DIY Social Media Approach

Given her rise was in the early 2010s, Lorde was also one of the first stars of her generation to engage in the never-ending battle of social media — and, naturally, she only engaged with it as she saw fit.

"I would get an email from one of the record companies saying, 'Just realized that you're not social-networking to your fullest potential. Here's how! Use lots of hashtags! Only focus on the music, Do 'follow sprees' and constantly reply to fans!'" Lorde recalled to Rookie in 2014. "I was like, 'You've just got to trust me. Everyone will hate me in two months if I do that.'"

Yet another gem of foresight from the young Kiwi, given that numerous Gen-Z notables — from the country breakout star Bailey Zimmerman to the hip-hop/electronic crossover artist PinkPantheress — launched their careers from TikTok by posting DIY clips of their creative processes.

As of late, Lorde's Instagram account is rather bare. There are two posts: the cover of her latest album, 2021's Solar Power, and a carousel of her swimming with a cryptic caption about "a light on inside."

However, there is a highlight on her profile entitled "INSTITUTE" which gives a glimpse into the last year or so of touring. Within these slides Lorde's authentic approach to social sharing is unambiguous. There are numerous high-quality performance shots, of course, but there are also images of "TOUR BUS SHELLFISH" alongside shots of porcupines and her eating sushi in the bath.

In the timeline of Lorde's social media, there are examples that demonstrate even less concern with curation and presentation. She even started an account dedicated to onion rings in 2017 (though it unfortunately hasn't had a post since 2021). 

While she was certainly public about her feelings towards social media, there are also hints of that disdain throughout Pure Heroine. Like on the album's second single, "Tennis Court": "It's a new artform showing people how little we care."

Honesty In Lyrics And Beyond

One thing Lorde surely does care about is her audience, which is likely a major reason why the songs on Pure Heroine speak to inner value. She is on their side, and one simple method of demonstrating this is the shift from "I" to "We."

"This dream isn't feeling sweet/ We're reeling through the midnight streets/ And I've never felt more alone/It feels so scary, getting old," Lorde sings on "Ribs," recounting one of the aspects of life she finds most stressful: aging.

As "Ribs" suggests, the 10 songs on Pure Heroine are for real people in the real world — people who are complex and have varying life experiences. One minute, Lorde is celebrating her elevated status ("Getting pumped up on the little bright things I bought/ But I know they'll never own me," Lorde sings on opener "Tennis Court") and next, she's lamenting her declining ability to be carefree as she gets older ("I'm kind of over gettin' told to throw my hands up in the air/ So there/ I'm kind of older than I was when I reveled without a care/ So there," she quips in "Team," the album's third single).

This kind of honesty also extends beyond lyrics for Lorde, who, since the time of Pure Heroine, has been unfiltered in her opinions on topics including her fellow pop stars.

"I think a lot of women in this industry maybe aren't doing so well for the girls," Lorde told Fader in 2013. "She's great, but I listened to that Lana Del Rey record and the whole time I was just thinking it's so unhealthy for young girls to be listening to, you know: 'I'm nothing without you.'"

In that vein, you won't find a single breakup song on Pure Heroine, but instead, honesty in the form of her love/hate relationship with her sudden explosion into fame on "Still Sane": "All business, all day keeps me up a level/All work and no play, lonely on that new s—, yeah."

But even as she acknowledges her rising profile, through "White Teeth Teens" she maintains she hasn't lost sight of who she truly is, that she is still on the side of her people: "I'll let you in on something big/I am not a white teeth teen/I tried to join, but never did/The way they are, the way they seem/Is something else, it's in the blood."

And even when she does broach the topic of heartbreak on songs like "Liability," from Pure Heroine's 2017 successor, Melodrama, Lorde goes deep within herself instead of running back to her ex: "So I guess I'll go home/Into the arms of the girl that I love/The only love I haven't screwed up/She's so hard to please, but she's a forest fire."

Pure Heroine set the tone for the kind of honesty Lorde will always bring in her music — one that's more self-reflective than self-pitying.

A Punk Attitude

Lorde was not concerned with the standards of the music industry when she was making Pure Heroine, and there is a genre of music that is celebrated for this same lack of concern: punk.

While it might seem that a major pop star like Lorde and punk rockers like the Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys have absolutely nothing in common, the ethos of how they approach their music and persona are actually quite similar. Because punk isn't simply not caring; punk is not caring what people tell you to care about.

If Sonic Youth truly didn't care about anything, they wouldn't have written "Youth Against Facism," their scathing indictment of the U.S. government. It's the same reason Anti-Flag wrote the plainly titled "F— Police Brutality." They use music to predicate change.

Lorde's lyrical approach may not be as on-the-nose as punk, but given the state of pop music at the time of Pure Heroine, ideas presented in "Royals" were well against what the general pop sphere was beckoning people to care about it: "My friends and I, we've cracked the code/ We count our dollars on the train to the party/ And everyone who knows us knows/ That we're fine with this, we didn't come from money."

Here, the "code" is being happy and content without the gold teeth and the Grey Goose. That she and her friends (once again, alluding to her fans) have value that goes beyond money.

Although Lorde's November 1996 birthday technically lands her just shy of the Gen-Z cutoff, her values in standing up for the common person is a central tenet of Gen-Z culture. This generation is being forced to pick up the pieces of a climate and an economy ravaged by generations prior, and Gen-Zers are facing that necessary change head-on the same way Lorde faced the necessary change in the music industry at the start of her career.

Just before Pure Heroine reached its 10th birthday on Sept. 27, Lorde took to email to share a candid update on what's been happening in her life in the last year, denoting everything from hints at new music to health struggles, to laments on the decade past.

"I know I'm gonna look back on this year with fondness and a bit of awe, knowing it was the year that locked everything into place, the year that transitioned me from my childhood working decade to the one that comes next — one that even through all this, I'm so excited for. It's just hard when you're in it," Lorde wrote, according to a Tumblr account called "Lorde's Email Archive."

Lorde considers the last 10 years her "childhood working decade." In that decade, she redefined what it meant to be a superstar — who knows what she may redefine in the next decade.

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