Entertainment

Music Midtown Performers Deliver Patriarchy-Smashing Performances

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Music Midtown may have mostly been dominated by male artists, but the Atlanta-based festival’s female and non-binary performers brought incredible talent to Piedmont Park’s four stages.

From hip hop to goth-pop to electronica, these 11 performers brought out almost every style under the hot, Atlanta sun on Sept. 14 and 15.

Not only did the performers provide top-notch entertainment, they also sprinkled in some activism. Lizzo centered her show around body positivity and Billie Eilish donated part of her earnings to Planned Parenthood Southeast.

Whether you missed the festival or simply want to take a trip down post-concert memory lane, here are our recaps of these iconic performances.

Faye Webster

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Atlanta native Faye Webster was the second performer of the entire festival, braving the sweltering Georgia heat that she has grown used to. The 22-year-old alternative singer and photographer performed songs off of her latest album “Atlanta Millionaires Club.”

Yola

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The self-described “queen of country soul” lived up to her nickname during her Saturday afternoon performance. The British singer gave moving performances to several original songs, including “Lonely the Night” and “Rock Me Gently,” showing off her impressively powerful vocals. Yola also put her own flair on Elton John’s classic “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” By the time her set was over, she had attracted a large crowd of fans, both old and new.

Madison Beer

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Ever since being discovered by Justin Bieber in 2012, Madison Beer’s star continues to rise. The 20-year-old singer drew in a large crowd, something she humbly expressed she was grateful for. She performed her hit songs “Home With You” and “Hurts Like Hell,” and she also gave a few shout-outs to her upcoming album, “Life Support,” saying that this was her last performance before it will be released.

The singer showed off her powerful voice with a gorgeous cover of a song that is notoriously hard to cover, “Creep” by Radiohead. She ended her performance on an emotional note, saying the Music Midtown performance was her “best show ever.”

Sigrid

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Sigrid performed at Music Midtown between dates of her North American tour, making a stop in Atlanta before heading to Nashville. The Norwegian singer performed her synth-pop songs for the crowd, including fan favorites “Don’t Kill My Vibe” and “Strangers.”

BANKS

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BANKS came to Music Midtown still hot off the heels of her third album release in July 2019. The goth-pop singer and her two nearly identical, blond dancers wore all black and danced together in perfect synchronicity. She performed several hits off of her new album, “III,” as well as popular songs from her discography, like “Gemini Feed” and “F*** With Myself.”

Tash Sultana

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Ever since a video of them performing went viral in 2016, Tash Sultana has gained a large fan base, much of which gathered at Music Midtown. The non-binary, Australian musician creates the whole song experience solo, playing all of the instruments and layering the sounds over each other with a loop pedal while singing. The level of multi-tasking is intoxicating to watch on stage, and hits like “Jungle” and “Notion” truly impressed the crowd.

Lizzo

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Debuting a new long, purple hairstyle, Music Midtown veteran, Lizzo, was struck with awe and appreciation toward her quick career growth, telling fans how thankful she was for their support. Among performances of her hit songs “Truth Hurts,” “Boys” and “Juice,” the singer gave several inspirational speeches, encouraging fans to ditch toxic relationships and manifest blessings. She even led an audience-wide deep breathing exercise.

Kali Uchis

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Kali Uchis primed the stage for Cardi B, performing her hit songs in both English and Spanish. The R&B and pop singer, who was as an opening act for Lana Del Rey in 2018, sang songs off of her debut album, “Isolation.”

Cardi B

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Atlanta resident Cardi B wore a dazzling pink bodysuit for her Music Midtown performance, starting the show with her signature “okurrr.” She performed hit songs “Taki Taki” and “Girls Like You,” ending the show in a flashy fireworks display.

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Electric pop singer defied the blazing hot weather on Sunday with an Energizer Bunny level performance. The Danish singer stayed jumping and dancing the whole time as she performed her popular songs, including “Lean On,” “Nights With You” and “Blur.” She announced that, after the Music Midtown performance, she’ll be taking a needed break from performing after a long stint of non-stop touring.

Billie Eilish

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Last year’s Music Midtown was one of Eilish’s first big performances, and she returned this year with her debut album in tow to a noticeably large crowd, many fans camping out in front of the Salesforce Stage as soon as the gates opened earlier that day to claim a front-row spot.

The 17-year-old pop sensation jumped around on stage, despite having an orthopedic boot on one foot, as she performed hit songs “bad guy” and “bury a friend.” She created an interactive experience for the crowd, instructing them to jump, clap or crouch down during certain parts of her songs. During her performance of “you should see me in a crown,” she even told the crowd to run around in circles.

As she closed her performance with an encore of “bad guy,” which she had also opened the show with, the sunset lit up the sky behind her with pink and orange clouds.

Gabby Dance is the managing and online editor of Hers Magazine. She graduated from Auburn University in May 2019 with a degree in journalism and women's studies. When she's not writing, you can find her obsessing over pop culture.

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