Spotify’s Best New Artist party remained one of Grammy week’s hottest tickets on Thursday night at the Lot at Formosa. Where else can you see eight Grammy-nominated acts perform their biggest songs back-to-back while sipping top-shelf cocktails, surrounded by some of your favorite artists?
After a hiatus last year due to the devastating L.A. fires, the streaming giant returned with its marquee event, bringing together the diverse group of performers up for Best New Artist. The highlight was by far the return of Lola Young, who performed for the first time since stepping away from the stage after fainting at a music festival.
Spotify transformed the venue into an expertly curated vortex of activations, treats, drinks, and a good vibes that attracted an A-list crowd. Lounging by a pizza truck were Rolling Stone Artists You Need to Know picks Haute & Freddy. Weaving through the crowded walkway went Towa Bird. Why Don’t We alum Daniel Seavey and a group of friends giggled by a bar. Hemlocke Springs, the boys of Fuerza Regida, Zara Larsson, Adéla, and the members of 5 Seconds of Summer all floated around the packed Lo,. Everywhere you looked, someone from your playlist was enjoying the evening — and that’s what made the night so special.
Each Best New Artist nominee was allotted a tight 15-minute set to showcase their biggest songs, maximizing time by tapping into a Jingle Ball–esque rotating stage. Leon Thomas delivered as he opened the night, immediately setting the bar with his stellar vocals and guitar playing. He closed his three-song set with his massive hit “Mutt.”
Enthusiastic applause welcomed Young to the stage, who arrived dressed in David Byrne-style pants and an oversized Vaquera belt. She played a trio of songs, including crowd-pleaser “Delaer.” Her performance was so good that it was almost easy to miss the fact that she didn’t play “Messy,” the song that broke her.
“This is a special moment for me,” she said onstage. “I’m feeling better, so thank you to everybody here — and to everybody who makes performing feel like this.”
After an impressive four-night run performing her solo album as Not for Radio, Maria Zardoya reunited the Marías to play Submarine favorites. Alex Warren followed soon after with a take-me-to-church set that ended with yet another rendition of the radio staple “Ordinary.”
Katseye were among the performers at Spotify’s Grammy Week party, turning in a rendition of their viral hit “Gnarly.”
Gilbert Flores/PMC
The evening took a turn for the even better when Katseye emerged. In the front row were Lara Raj’s parents, Kavita and Sri, waiting for their daughter to perform. To their side stood Rhea Raj, Lara’s sister and a star-in-the-making who could easily be playing the same stage in a year or two, dressed in a gorgeous sari. “I’ve never been front and center to see my daughter,” Kavita said, updating a WhatsApp group chat of the members’ moms that the band was about to perform. “They’re all my babies. I have to record a fancam of all the girls.”
After the six-member group wrapped their set — performing the Grammy-nominated “Gabriela,” Beautiful Chaos standout “M.I.A,” and viral “Gnarly” — Kavita admitted she didn’t end up recording a thing. Instead, she FaceTimed the other moms so they could watch the performance live, too.
Sombr continued the high-energy streak, turning the performance area into a riot as he introduced “Undressed” as “the song of the summer,” removed his jacket, and vowed to stay sober for the night ahead of his Grammys performance Sunday. (Even Eli, the rising star behind Stage Girl, finessed her way to the front row to get close to the stage king.) He reminded the room of his star power and undeniable showmanship with his set.
Most performers were introduced by DJ Xavier “X” Jernigan, but Addison Rae spoke for herself, introducing a pair of lingerie-clad dancers named Crash and Burn as she brought a hint of her world tour to the Spotify stage.
Addison Rae gave what was arguably the most avant-garde performance of the Spotify Best New Artist party.
Gilbert Flores/PMC
Aside from Young’s return, Rae was the standout performer of the evening. She kicked things off with “In the Rain,” dressed in a white blazer over a short skirt, before shedding the coat and opting for a brassiere top to start a sexy, chair-choreography rendition of “High Fashion.” She closed with “Diet Pepsi,” which she credited as “what started everything for me,” taking the stage with a long pink boa attached to her microphone and an oversized poofy skirt in what may have been the most avant-garde performance of the evening (and possibly her best live rendition of the song yet).
Olivia Dean served as the ideal finale for a high-energy evening. Letting her pristine vocals lead the way, she delivered standout renditions of “Man I Need” and “So Easy (To Fall in Love),” holding the crowd’s attention through the very end of her set and concluding the night on a stunning note.
The last time Spotify hosted one of these events, not even rain dampened the mood. After a year off, it returned better than ever.
