Silvana Imam

The non-Scandinavians among us may have not gotten the memo yet, but Silvana Imam is one of the strongest voices in Nordic hip-hop of this moment, which earns her the right to open the Orange Stage at RF19.

She has won countless awards already, filled concert halls of all sizes and been the focus of a biographical documentary in 2018. She is an outspoken lesbian, bron to a Lithuanian mother and Syrian father. This makes her a controversial figure to some. And that is before she has even said a word.

When she does speak, she raises complex issues and taboos. Nobody is safe from her critical eye and sharp tongue. And then the beat kicks in.

In an interview with VICE from back in 2015, Silvana said

“I write songs about my life, and since I write through a lesbian-immigrant-woman’s perspective, it’s labeled as “political.” I’m letting people know how fucked up the world is through my art.

This is about my life and my own survival in this patriarchal and anti-democratic world. A woman who writes love songs to other women causes immediate chaos in most peoples’ minds? 

That is something you should question. and not whether I’m political or not.”

Excerpt from VICE magazine interview – 22-2-2015

Are you ready to do some hip-hop soul searching? Are you ready to bounce to some grimey -isms (Feminism, Racism, Activism, Genderism)? Grab your freinds and head to the orange stage, before 6 PM on Wednesday 3-7-2019!

Christine and the Queens

Roskilde’s Arena is bound to be jampacked to its full capacity on Wednesday 3-7-2019, when the French electropop sensation, Christine and the Queens, is set to hit the stage.

The band blasted into the limelight with their acclaimed debut album Chaleur Humaine, featuring the mesmerizing song and choreography video Saint Claude.

The hitsong’s inspiration came from a scene that leadsinger and songwriter Héloïse Letissier witnessed on a busride in Paris, when an excentric looking man was mocked and pointed at in a hurtful manner. During her performance in Glastonbury in 2016, Heloise spoke about the effect this had on her:

I did nothing, I felt like a coward, and I decided to write him a love letter afterwards, because to me, that boy was really beautiful. I never knew his name – because I didn’t do anything – so I decided to give him one. I decided to call myself Christine whenever I’m on stage to feel a bit bolder, and I decided to call him ‘Saint Claude’.

Since that day she has become an ambassador to all the non-conforming misfits, the freaks and the outsiders. At the same time she remains accessible to the masses of the mainstream, inviting them in and reminding them to keep their hearts open to the excentric ones. “Chaleur humaine”. meaning human warmth or empathy, is key.

Luckily we enough of that to go around at Roskilde Festival!

Christine and the Queens has gone through a bit of a metamorphosis since the beginning, setting out on an exploration of identity and gender in the most recent album Chris.

What does it mean to be a woman? What are a woman’s desires? What is allowed (and should you give a shit)? All of this and more is poured into the band’s most recent music and choreography.

Chris and the Queens will be performing shortly after midnight, which feels like an appropriate time to get your freak on. Smack on some glitter, put on your happy pants and your dancing shoes. It’s bound to be awesome.

Sheck Wes

Sheck Wes is a self-made man, earning himself a spot on Kanye’s GOOD Music label after having uploaded and promoted his own songs online.

Right now he is dominating the rap scene with his song ‘Mo Bamba’:

The Roskilde Festival official website mentions the following about him:

As a rapper, Sheck Wes has an aggressive sound that doesn’t betray his DIY SoundCloud roots, opting for lo-fi productions. The 20-year-old released his debut album Mudboyon Interscope last year and was immediately awarded the Best New Music tag by Pitchfork.

Sheck Wes also featured on Travis Scott’s (also playing Roskilde 2019) Astroworld album on the song “No Bystanders” along with Juice Wrld. Everyone wants a piece of Sheck, and he wants a piece of everything: a huge basketball talent himself, he has had to put his NBA ambitions on hold while pursuing his dreams in hip-hop. Good thing it’s a bouncy genre!

What else does he dream of? Winning Nobel Peace Prizes, Grammys, Emmys and Golden Globes. Get ready for a very special mosh pit at Roskilde Festival.

Tomoko Sauvage

Fun with water. Isn’t that something we all remember from our childhoods? Tomoko Sauvage has domesticated this primal memory into an acoustic and visual experience, combining it with ceramic instruments and electronics.

Come witness her performance in the Art Zone on Wednesday 3 and Saturday 6 of July and see her tap, stir and pour water into bowls, equipped with underwater microphones and electronic panels.

Watch and listen how she sculpts the sound in ways that make you forget about time and place.

Rosalia

If you’re not excited about Rosalia’s name being in RF19’s lineup, you haven’t been paying attention.

This Barcelona-born singer is hot and happening.

In a telephone interview with Entertainment earlier this month, she spoke about her Coachella performance and how the crowds just seem to be getting bigger every time.

It is clear that Flamenco is where her heart and origins lie. Her creativity is going on a rampage though and at this pace no genre will go unexplored. And as if music wasn’t enough, she also released a clothing line this month in collaboration with Pull & Bear!

In just the last couple of weeks, Rosalía released “Barefoot in the Park” with James Blake, and “Con altura” with J Balvin.

Fader magazine’s Staffanee Wang saw Rosalia perform in New York earlier this month and sums it up as follows:

Her ascent to stardom and a fanbase that can scream almost every word of every song back to her in frightening synchronisation was staggeringly fast; now, superstardom for Rosalía feels inevitable. 

So, clear your plans for Wednesday (sorry mr Dylan) and secure your spot at the Avalon stage in time for her arrival!

Bob Dylan

Come gather ’round people, wherever you roam
And admit that the waters around you have grown
And accept it that soon you’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin…

The lyrics to this legendary song date back to 1963 and appeared on Bob Dylan’s third album, also called The Times they are a-Changin’.

One could argue that times always do that, but this sixties were revolutionary times, indeed.

Bob Dylan is now a man of 77 years old, but not ready to lay his guitar to rest just yet.

His more recent work has been a bit more mellow, with a touch of jazz here and there. In 2017 he released an album called Triplicate, featuring covers of classic American songs, such as the one below.

He will be playing at Roskilde Festival for the sixth time and there is reason to believe it will be legendary!

Cardi B

Cardi B is a force to be reckoned with. A phenomenon that worked her prominent ass off to earn herself a place in the spotlight. Contrary to superstars a-la Beyonce, who let you believe their stamina and killer bodies were passed down to them through their alien heritage, Cardi B is quite outspoken about how she got to the top: work, work, work. And as Vox puts it:

And the fact that Cardi is so insistent on working, working, working is fundamental to her appeal. When you watch her work, you’re watching a hustler in action — and, as Cardi will be the first to tell you, it’s a little inspiring.

^{Cardi B’s debut single, Bodak Yellow, came out in the summer of 2017 and reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.}

And the world is full of coincidences, because one of Cardi B’s most recent collaborations is with Bruno Mars, who will also be playing at RF18. Maybe they can work on their global footprint reduction, and share a plane together…?

Update 9 april 2018:

Cardi B will not be performing at Roskilde Festival 2018.

The American rapper is pregnant and therefore must cancel her show at Roskilde Festival this summer. The festival organization is working on finding a replacement.

Update 7-4-2019

Cardi B is making up to Roskilde and will be performing at RF19!