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In the breakaway, at the heart of the peloton, just ahead of the broom wagon… The race stretches for several kilometres and it is impossible to have an eye everywhere, even with all the cameras accompanying the riders.

To keep tabs on everything, the team managers and  all the followers connect to Radio Tour to get instant information on the various race developments : attacks, crashes, mechanical problems, gaps…

The live feed will be available at the start of the Tour: stay connected!

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The route of Stage 12 of the Tour de France -

How to watch Tour de France live stream — 2023 stages and schedule

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Watch Tour de France: live streams

Watch tour de france 2023: preview.

This year’s Tour de France is less ‘La Grande Boucle’ (The Big Loop) and more a giant belt around the country’s waist. Riding west to east the ‘Grand Depart’ took place outside France for the second year in a row across the border in the Basque Country in northern Spain. Make sure you know how to watch a Tour de France free live stream from anywhere.

From here the race is headed west through the Pyrenees across legendary mountains such as the Col du Soudet and the mighty Col du Tourmalet before heading to the Massif Central and a return to the iconic Puy de Dome. Not climbed since 1988 this dormant volcano will provide a spectacular arena for the culmination of stage 9 and the end of the long first week.

Continuing west to The Jura mountains there is a summit finish on top of the Grand Colombier and then two days later another summit finish in the Alps at Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc. With just one time trial on the route: a 22km mainly uphill test on stage 16. This is without doubt a race for the climbers whose battles will finish in the forested peaks of The Vosges on the slopes of the evil Col du Platzerwasel.

As for the contenders, the two main protagonists, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vinegaard (Jumbo-Visma) are on paper so far ahead of anyone else that the rest appear to be just support actors.

Vinegaard’s dominant display at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné, where he won at a canter, suggests he is in the same sparkling form that saw him take last year’s race but the condition of his great rival Pogačar is not so certain.

The Slovenian he hasn’t raced since he crashed in Liège-Bastogne-Liège on April 23, breaking his wrist. Until that point pretty much all he had to do was to start a race to win it. His return of 12 victories from 19 starts is remarkable in the modern age but having not raced for so long will he be back at his very best?

The final stage of the Tour is half procession and half eyeballs out racing up and down the cobbles of the Champs Elysée. What starts with photo opportunities and glasses of champagne ends with the most highly prized sprint stage in front of the thousands that line the route. Hitting the famous boulevard the peloton as is tradition was all together but not for long as the irrepressible Tadej Pogacar decided to shake things up and go out on the attack. 

Could he defy the might of the peloton and take the unlikeliest of victories? Also no, and he wasn’t the last to try and audacious attack before everything came back to gather for a final mass gallop to the line. All eyes were on Jasper Phillipsen, this year’s sprint king but just as it looked like he had got it, across surged Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) to take his first ever stage win, and what a stage to do it on. 

Yellow jersey wearer Jonas Vingegaard crossed the line a few seconds later flanked by his whole team, his second victory in two years confirmed, which in the end was a very comfortable one and looks likely to be the foundation of a period of total dominance. 

In the run up to the start of the race we'll be Take a more detailed look at the 2023 Tour de France teams , their key riders and objectives for the three weeks at the bottom of the page.

How to watch a FREE Tour de France live stream

One of the best things about the Tour de France is that it's completely free to watch in lots of countries around the world. For example:

UK – ITV4 and ITVX streaming service / S4C and S4C on BBC iPlayer

France – France TV Sport

Belgium – RTBF  

Italy – Rai Sport

Australia – SBS

If you're from any of the countries listed above but you're abroad right now, don't worry about missing out on that free coverage. All you need to do is subscribe to a VPN to watch a free Tour de France live stream and re-connect to your home streaming coverage.

How to watch Tour de France 2023 from outside your country

If you're keen to watch the Tour de France but you're away from home and the coverage is geo-blocked, then you could always use a VPN to access it (assuming you're not breaching any broadcaster T&Cs, of course). You may be surprised by how simple it is to do.

Use a VPN to get a Tour de France live stream from anywhere.

ExpressVPN is the world's top VPN right now We've tested dozens of VPNs and think ExpressVPN is quite simply the best . Quick, secure, and intuitive to use, Express will have you streaming the latest blockbuster movies and binge-worthy TV in no time. Plus, its supported by dozens of devices, including Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, PC, Mac, iPhone, Android phone, iPads, tablets, and many more.

You can try it for free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Better yet, if you decide to subscribe to ExpressVPN and opt for their annual plan, you'll get 49% off the usual price as well as 3-months extra FREE – pretty amazing value really.

- Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free for 30 days

Once you have it, all you need to do is turn on your VPN, select a server location back in your country, and then go to the broadcaster's website/app and watch as if you were back at home.

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...

1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN .

2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location.

3. Go to the broadcaster's live stream - so if you're from the UK, just head to ITVX and watch the cycling as if you were back at home!

How to watch a free Tour de France live stream in the UK

ITV always goes all-out with its coverage of the Tour de France, and cycling fans can watch every stage of the race for free on ITV4 in the UK. 

Use a VPN to watch a Tour de France free live stream from abroad.

That means you can fire up a free Tour de France live stream on  ITVX , which has an excellent app that's available on nearly everything that plugs in these days - just give it a search on your device, phone or console of choice.

More ways to watch the 2023 Tour de France:

Welsh-language coverage of the Tour de France is available from  S4C , which is available to stream for FREE in Wales via BBC iPlayer.

And if you already subscribe to it, live Tour de France coverage is also available via the GCN+ Race Pass, which costs £6.99 per month or £39.99 per year and offers ad-free live coverage of loads of cycling events throughout the year.

If you’re out of the UK but still want to watch, make sure you install a VPN so you can continue accessing UK streaming services from anywhere.

How to watch Tour de France 2023: live stream cycling FREE in Australia

Cycling fans Down Under can also watch every stage of the Tour de France for free on SBS . The only catch is those brutal broadcast timings.

If you stay up late enough to tune in, you can also live stream Tour de France coverage on the free-to-use SBS On Demand platform.

As well as apps for Android and iOS, you can access SBS On Demand on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV stick, Apple TV and most smart TVs.

Outside Australia? Don't worry if you're out of the country and want to catch that free SBS live stream – just grab a VPN and you can watch the race as if you were back at home on your laptop, mobile or other TV streaming device. 

USA: How to watch Tour de France live stream 2023 without cable

Every stage of the 2023 Tour de France is being shown on both USA Network and Peacock TV in the US.

Peacock costs just $4.99 a month   for an ad-supported version of the service that also offers live coverage of every big WWE event, the NFL, Premiership Rugby, plus plenty more live sports. You also have the option of paying $10 a month for commercial-free coverage.

For those looking for USA Network, OTT streaming service Sling TV is a good option. You'll need its Sling Blue package which starts at $40 but, if you're new to the service, you can get your first month half-price .

Another over-the-top streaming service that includes USA Network is  FuboTV . It's a much more comprehensive cable replacement, and carries more than 100 channels including Fox, CBS and ESPN.

Prices start at $74.99 a month after a  FREE FuboTV trial .

If you subscribe to Sling, Peacock, or any other US streaming service and find yourself unable to access coverage because you're out of the country, consider using a VPN as outlined below - of the many options, we rate ExpressVPN as the best of the best .

• Related: how to watch Peacock from outside the US

How to watch 2023 Tour de France: live stream cycling in Canada

FloBikes is the place to watch live Tour de France coverage in Canada.

A subscription costs US$150 per year (roughly CA$190), which works out at US$12.50 per month (roughly CA$16).

Not in Canada to catch that FloBikes stream? Use a VPN to make sure you don't miss a moment.

How to watch 2023 Tour de France: live stream cycling in New Zealand

Sky Sport is the place to watch the 2023 Tour de France in New Zealand, though be warned that most of the action takes place in the dead of night.

If you're willing to stay late enough to tune in, Sky Sport subscribers can watch every stage online using the country's Sky Go service, while cord-cutters and anyone else can try the Sky Sport Now streaming-only platform. A pass costs $19.99 per week or $39.99 per month. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

Away from home? Use a VPN to watch a Tour de France live stream from abroad.

Tour de France stages and dates

• Stage 1: Saturday, July 1 at 12.30pm CEST, 11.30am BST, 6.30am ET

• Stage 2: Sunday, July 2 at 12.15pm CEST, 11.15am BST, 6.15am ET

• Stage 3: Monday, July 3 at 1.00pm CEST, 12.00pm BST, 7.00am ET

• Stage 4: Tuesday, July 4 at 1.10pm CEST, 12.10pm BST, 7.10am ET

• Stage 5: Wednesday, July 5 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET

• Stage 6: Thursday, July 6 at 13.10m CEST, 12.10am BST, 7.10am ET

• Stage 7: Friday, July 7 at 1.15pm CEST, 12.15pm BST, 7.15am ET

• Stage 8: Saturday, July 8 at 12.30pm CEST, 11.30am BST, 6.30am ET

• Stage 9: Sunday , July 9 at 1.30pm CEST, 12.30pm BST, 7.30am ET

• Rest: Monday, July 10

• Stage 10: Tuesday, July 11 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET

• Stage 11: Wednesday, July 12 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET

• Stage 12 - Thursday, July 13 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET

• Stage 13: Friday, July 14 at 1.45pm CEST, 12.45pm BST, 7.45am ET

• Stage 14: Saturday, July 15 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET

• Stage 15: Sunday, July 16 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET

• Rest: Monday, July 17

• Stage: 16 - (ITT) Tuesday, July 18 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET

• Stage 17: Wednesday, July 19 at 12.20pm CEST, 11.20am BST, 6.20am ET

• Stage 18: Thursday, July 20 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET

• Stage 19: Friday, July 21 at 1.15pm CEST, 12.15am BST, 7.15am ET

• Stage 20: Saturday, July 22 at 1.30pm CEST, 12.30pm BST, 7.30am ET

• Stage 21: Sunday, July 23 at 4.30pm CEST, 3.30pm BST, 10.30am ET

Tour de France teams and riders 2023

UAE Team Emirates

Cycling’s Galacticos. A team of leaders and winners all here to ride in service of one rider, the world’s current best, Tadej Pogacar. Beaten into second place last year after he cracked on the Col de Granon, ‘Pog’ will be out for revenge this year and it would take a brave man to bet against him taking his third title. 

RIDERS: Felix GROßSCHARTNER, Vegard Stake LAENGEN, Mikkel BJERG, Matteo TRENTIN, Tadej POGAČAR, Adam YATES, Marc SOLER and Rafał MAJKA

Israel–Premier Tech

NO CHRIS FROOME! That was the shock headline, but let’s be honest ONLY Chris Froome thought he was going to be on the start line. Micheal Woods and Dylan Teuns are the riders most likely to deliver but they will need the rub of the green to pull off a stage win, but dreams do come true at the Tour. 

RIDERS: Michael WOODS, Nick SCHULTZ, Corbin STRONG, Krists NEILANDS, Hugo HOULE, Guillaume BOIVIN, Simon CLARKE and Dylan TEUNS.

Lotto–Dstny

Once upon a time Lotto–Dstny could rely upon Victor Campenaerts to win from a solo break or Caleb Ewan to take a sprint stage but no longer. Although these scenarios are both still a possibility they will more likely be looking to younger members of their team to make it into a break and bring home a win for the Belgian team. 

RIDERS: Jacopo GUARNIERI, Frederik FRISON, Pascal EENKHOORN, Jasper DE BUYST, Victor CAMPENAERTS, Florian VERMEERSCH, Caleb EWAN, Maxim VAN GILS

Team TotalEnergies

Gone are the days when Peter Sagan just had to turn up to take the green points jersey such was his dominance, but even the brightest stars fade and in his last Tour it’s unfortunate that he will be little more than a footnote. Unless, that is there is one final bit of magic left in those legs and oh how the cycling fans would love to see that. 

RIDERS: Mathieu BURGAUDEAU, Edvald BOASSON HAGEN, Steff CRAS, Valentin FERRON, Pierre LATOUR, Daniel OSS, Peter SAGAN and Anthony TURGIS.

Uno-X Pro Cycling Team

Made up entirely of Danes and Norwegians this is the first Tour de France for Uno-X and led by their aging talisman the great Alexander Kristoff they will be keen to leave a mark on it. Young stars Søren Wærenskjold and Torstein Træen will also be keen to show that the Norwegian team are here on merit and justify their selection. 

RIDERS: Jonas ABRAHAMSEN, Jonas GREGAARD, Anthon CHARMIG, Søren WÆRENSKJOLD, Torstein TRÆEN, Alexander KRISTOFF, Rasmus TILLER and Tobias Halland JOHANNESSEN.

Alpecin–Deceuninck

In the recent Netflix Tour de France documentary series Jasper Philipsen was referred to as Alpecin–Deceuninck’s ‘Plan B’. This is no longer the case, he is well and truly ‘Plan A’ now, of course along with the ‘other Plan A’, the sensational Mathieu Van der Poel. A once in a generation rider who on his day can beat anyone at anything. 

RIDERS: Mathieu VAN DER POEL, Jasper PHILIPSEN, Jonas RICKAERT, Silvan DILLIER, Ramon SINKELDAM, Quinten HERMANS, Søren KRAGH ANDERSEN, Michael GOGL.

EF Education–EasyPost

EF Education–EasyPost have a team full of winners, each one capable of getting in a break and taking a stage it’s just deciding who will get the chance each day. I’m sure Rigoberto URÁN and Richard CARAPAZ have aspirations of a high finish in Paris but I suspect reality will bite when the manure hits the fan and they will get dropped like a hot stone. 

RIDERS: Alberto BETTIOL, Andrey AMADOR, Esteban CHAVES, Richard CARAPAZ, James SHAW, Magnus CORT, Rigoberto URÁN and Neilson POWLESS

Groupama–FDJ

This Tour is going to be Thibaut Pinot’s swan song, the darling of the French media came agonisingly close to winning the Tour but never delivered the victory the nation craves. He is on paper riding to support team leader David Gaudu but with a question mark the size of Paris hanging over the young French rider’s form maybe Pinot will be let off the leash for one last chance of glory before retirement. 

RIDERS: Quentin PACHER, Olivier LE GAC, Lars VAN DEN BERG, Stefan KÜNG, Kevin GENIETS, Thibaut PINOT, David GAUDU and Valentin MADOUAS.

Ineos Grenadiers

With uncertaintly over whether Egan Bernal will ever get back to his best after his near fatal crash in 2022 team Ineos turn up to the Tour not looking at the overall victory for probably the first time in 10 years. The priority will be hunting stages, unless that is the talented Tom Pidcock can get into the mix because we really do not yet know the limits of his abilities. 

RIDERS: BERNAL Egan, Ben TURNER, Omar FRAILE, Daniel Felipe MARTÍNEZ, Thomas PIDCOCK, Michał KWIATKOWSKI, Carlos RODRÍGUEZ and Jonathan CASTROVIEJO

Intermarché–Circus–Wanty

All eyes are on their star rider Biniam GIRMAY to see if he can deliver the first African stage win. He has already proved himself a champion but will have his work cut out in sprints to beat the other feast men. WIth the backing of a whole continent though this could inspire him to make history in this year’s event. 

RIDERS: Dion SMITH, Biniam GIRMAY, Louis MEINTJES, Mike TEUNISSEN, Adrien PETIT, Georg ZIMMERMANN, Rui COSTA and Lilian CALMEJANE.

Lidl - Trek 

The young Mattias Skjelmose could be in the hunt for the third step on the podium if he still has the form he shown at the Tour de Suisse this but it’s likely Lidl - Trek will find the most success hunting stages. Led by their former world champion Mads Pedersen they also have a very good hand of cards to play whether it be Skjelmose or Ciccone in the hight mountains or Pedersen, Simmons and Stuyven on tough lumpy stages. 

RIDERS: Tony GALLOPIN, Giulio CICCONE, Quinn SIMMONS, Mattias SKJELMOSE, Juan Pedro LÓPEZ, Alex KIRSCH, Jasper STUYVEN and Mads PEDERSEN

Movistar Team

Movistar will be hoping Enric Mas is at his very best as he will need to be if he wants to try and challenge Pogacar and Vingegaard. He did show signs of very good form earlier in the year but has since gone off the boil a bit.

RIDERS: Antonio PEDRERO, Gregor MÜHLBERGER, Alex ARANBURU, Gorka IZAGIRRE, Matteo JORGENSON, Nelson OLIVEIRA, Ruben GUERREIRO and Enric MAS.

Soudal–Quick-Step

With Remco Evenepole rested, Soudal–Quick-Step don’t have a rider for the general classification so their main focus will be to deliver Fabio Jakobsen to the front on sprint days and hope the mercurial Julian Alaphilippe can re-find the form that once made him the most exciting rider on the planet.

RIDERS: Andrea BAGIOLI, Fabio JAKOBSEN, Julian ALAPHILIPPE, Rémi CAVAGNA, Yves LAMPAERT, Mauri VANSEVENANT, Florian SÉNÉCHAL and Michael MØRKØV.

Team Bahrain Victorious

With newly crowned British champion Fred Wright and the ever-aggressive Matej Mohoric leading their hunt for stages, and Jack Haig aiming to get in the mix for the overall, Bahrain Victorious have many cards to play.

RIDERS: Jack HAIG, Phil BAUHAUS, Nikias ARNDT, Wout POELS, Pello BILBAO, Matej MOHORIČ, Mikel LANDA and Fred WRIGHT.

Team DSM–Firmenich

Once again the French will be dreaming of Romain Bardet stood on the top step of the podium in Paris but, alas, I’m afraid it’s very unlikely this will happen. Expect him to shine in the mountain stages and if he is VERY lucky he could get a win but the best he can really hope for is a top 10 finish.

RIDERS: Chris HAMILTON, Alex EDMONDSON, Kevin VERMAERKE, John DEGENKOLB, Sam WELSFORD, Matthew DINHAM, Romain BARDET and Nils EEKHOFF.

Team Jayco–AlUla

Team Jayco–AlUla take a two pronged attack to the Tour with Dylan Groenewegen favorite for the sprint stages and Simon Yates hoping to be in the mix for a very high finish in Paris.

RIDERS: Christopher JUUL-JENSEN, Elmar REINDERS, Chris HARPER, Luke DURBRIDGE, Lawson CRADDOCK, Dylan GROENEWEGEN, Simon YATES and Luka MEZGEC.

Team Jumbo–Visma

Jumbo Visma have an embarrassment of riches, a team stacked with world class winners, all of whom are there with the sole aim of ensuring Jonas Vingegaard takes his second win after last year's success. Their main problem, like last year, will be keeping their talent in check and ensuring they play the team game and don’t go rogue.

RIDERS: Wilco KELDERMAN, Christophe LAPORTE, Tiesj BENOOT, Wout VAN AERT, Dylan VAN BAARLE, Nathan VAN HOOYDONCK, Sepp KUSS and Jonas VINGEGAARD. 

AG2R Citroën Team

AG2R will be throwing all their weight behind their star rider, the Australian Ben O’Connor. Fourth in the 2021 Tour de France and third in this year’s Criterium du Dauphine, he will fancy his chances of being in the mix for a very high placed finish.

RIDERS: Ben O’CONNOR, Nans PETERS, Oliver NAESEN, Benoît COSNEFROY, Aurélien PARET-PEINTRE, Felix GALL, Clément BERTHET and Stan DEWULF.

Arkéa–Samsic

Arkéa–Samsic’s best hope of a successful Tour will be somehow getting a win from a breakaway with French favorite Warren Barguil their best hope of delivering this goal.

RIDERS: Laurent PICHON, Simon GUGLIELMI, Jenthe BIERMANS, Warren BARGUIL, Luca MOZZATO, Clément CHAMPOUSSIN, Anthony DELAPLACE and Matis LOUVEL.

Astana Qazaqstan Team

Alexey Luttsenko is Astana’s best hope for the overall classification but even the most optimistic fan won’t really believe he has a chance of victory. The main goal for the team, from a British perspective that is, is for Mark Cavendish to win his prized 35th stage.

RIDERS: Harold TEJADA, Gianni MOSCON, Alexey LUTSENKO, Yevgeniy FEDOROV, Mark CAVENDISH, Cees BOL, David DE LA CRUZ and Luis León SÁNCHEZ.

Bora–Hansgrohe

Jai Hindley, the 2022 Giro d’Italia winner should be well in the mix for a spot on the podium but he is still a way off the level needed to compete for the win. Stranger things have happened though so keep an eye on the young Aussie.

RIDERS: Marco HALLER, Patrick KONRAD, Bob JUNGELS, Jordi MEEUS , Emanuel BUCHMANN, Jai HINDLEY, Danny VAN POPPEL and Nils POLITT.

Much like Arkéa–Samsic, Cofids’ hopes lie in a win from a break with seasoned winners. Ion Izagirre, Guillaume Martin and Simon Geschke lead their charge. Also watch out for their sprinter Bryan Coquard who, on his day, if everything fell into place, could upset the bigger sprint names.

RIDERS: Alexis RENARD, Simon GESCHKE, Axel ZINGLE, Anthony PEREZ, Victor LAFAY, Bryan COQUARD, Ion IZAGIRRE and Guillaume MARTIN.

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Simon Warren has been obsessed with cycling since the summer of 1989 after watching Greg Lemond battle Laurent Fignon in the Tour de France. Although not having what it took to beat the best, he found his forte was racing up hills and so began his fascination with steep roads. This resulted in his 2010’s best-selling 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs , followed to date by 14 more guides to vertical pain. Covering the British Isles, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain he has been riding and racing up hills and mountains for over 30 years now. He hosts talks, guides rides, has written columns for magazines and in 2020 released his first book of cycling routes, RIDE BRITAIN . Simon splits his time between working as a graphic designer and running his 100 Climbs brand and lives in Sheffield on the edge of the Peak District with his wife and two children.

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Tour de France 2023 live streams: How to watch for free, channels, schedule and more

Is the Tour de France all about Pogačar vs Vingegaard?

FREE Tour de France live streams

Tour de france live streams around the world.

• Start times

You'll be able to watch the Tour de France online, no matter where you go — so you can follow the titans of the tires. Stage 19 just completed, and saw Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) take the win in an amazing phtoo-finish.

Read on and we'll show you how to watch Tour de France from anywhere with a VPN , and potentially for FREE .

Tour de France continues through July 23 — full schedule below ► U.K. — ITVX (FREE) ► Australia — SBS on Demand (FREE) ►  U.S. — Peacock , NBC and USA Network ►  Watch anywhere — Try ExpressVPN 100% risk free

It's the biggest race of them all, but these days, the Tour de France means one thing: Tadej Pogačar vs Jonas Vingegaard. Between them the duo have won the last three editions of the race, with Vingegaard taking the 2022 race for Team Jumbo–Visma and Pogačar winning in 2020 and 2021.

In the most recent action, Vingegaard left Pogačar in the dust, gaining six minutes on his rival in the final climb. Pogačar called it "one of the worst days of my life on the bike."

Vingegaard is still in the lead, and fended off some anti-doping questions at the end of Stage 19. Two more stages remain, and Pogačar is still in second, with Adam Yates is in third.

Here's how to watch Tour de France live streams online, from anywhere.

If you live in the U.K., Australia, France, Italy, Spain or Belgium, then you can look forward to a FREE Tour de France live stream in 2023.

That's because the free-to-air ITV4 and its ITVX streaming service in the U.K., SBS and SBS on Demand streaming service in Australia, France.TV in France, Rai Play in Italy, Teledeporte in Spain, and RTBF in Belgium all have rights to the action. 

But what if you're based in one of those countries but aren't at home to catch that free Tour de France coverage? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?

Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.

It's only natural that you might want to watch a Tour de France live stream from your home country, but what if you're not there when the race is on?

Look no further than a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere on Earth. Or anywhere that has an internet connection, at least.

For instance, a Brit who's currently in the U.S. could watch Tour de France live streams on ITVX , even though they're not in the U.K.

They're totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested lots of the best VPN services and our favorite right now is ExpressVPN . It's fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Safety, speed and simplicity combine to make ExpressVPN our favorite VPN service. It's also compatible with loads of devices and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you want to try it out.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice . As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a British service, you'd select U.K. from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to ITVX or another website and watch Tour de France.

How to watch Tour de France live streams in the US

If you're in the U.S. you have a few options for watching Tour de France. The entire race is on Peacock . However, stage 1 is also on NBC , and stage 3 is on USA Network .

NBC can be accessed with one of the best TV antennas , while USA Network is available in some cable packages. 

If you've cut the cord and don't have cable, you can watch Tour de France via several live TV services, including NBC's own Peacock , plus Sling TV and Fubo .

Of these options, we recommend Peacock: It costs just $4.99/month with ads, or $9.99 without, and includes lots more great content in addition to Tour de France live streams.

If you go the Sling TV route, you'll want Sling Blue, which is $45 per month and comes with more than 40 channels, including NBC (in select regions) and USA Network. And right now, Sling is offering $25 off your first month . 

Fubo, meanwhile, costs $75 per month for 161 channels, including NBC and USA network. Sports fans will find a number of niche sports channels among its lineup. 

In addition to showing Tour de France live streams, Peacock also has a huge library of originals and licensed content drawn from various brands. That includes shows like Yellowstone , Law and Order, the Real Housewives and more.

Sling TV includes both NBC and USA network in its Blue plan, which comes with 40-plus channels. Right now, new subscribers get $25 off their first month .

If you love sports, you might want to check out Fubo . It's got dozens of sports channels, including NBC and USA Network. Check it out with their 7-day free trial .

If you already use those services but aren't in the U.S. right now, you can watch Tour de France live streams by using a good cycling VPN . And if, for whatever reason, you can't get it working, do remember that you have the comfort of a 30-day money-back guarantee with ExpressVPN.

How to watch Tour de France live streams in the UK

As explained above, every Tour de France stage is being shown for free in the U.K. courtesy of ITV and ITVX  (formerly ITV Hub). 

For those who prefer Welsh-language commentary, S4C is also providing free coverage of the race. This can be accessed for free via BBC iPlayer .

Alternatively, there's Discovery Plus and Eurosport , which have ad-free Tour de France coverage. As Eurosport is part of Discovery Plus, it doesn't matter one which you subscribe to.

Discovery Plus is available for £6.99/month or £59.99/year. You can sign up for Discovery Plus here , or access the service via Amazon Prime Video — and here you can get a seven-day free trial of the service. Plus, if you don't already have Amazon Prime itself, you can get a 30-day free trial of that too. 

On holiday this week? Sign up to ExpressVPN or another VPN service and you'll be able to use the services you already subscribe to.

How to watch Tour de France live streams in Canada

Cycling fans in Canada can watch Tour de France on  FloBikes , which costs US$150 per year.

Not at home right now? Use ExpressVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in Canada.

How to watch Tour de France live streams in Australia

As you may already be aware, Aussies can watch Tour de France for free on SBS and SBS on Demand .

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as ExpressVPN , to watch Tour de France on your SBS account, as if you were back home.

Tour de France 2023 route

Tour de France 2023 stages and start times

(All times ET)

Stage 1 – Sat 01/07, Bilbao (182km) – 6.30am Stage 2 – Sun 02/07, Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastián (209km) – 6.15am Stage 3 –  Mon 03/07, Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne (185km) – 7am Stage 4 – Tue 04/07, Dax to Nogaro (182km) – 7.10am Stage 5 – Wed 05/07, Pau to Laruns (165km) – 7.05am Stage 6 – Thu 06/07, Tarbes to Cauterets (145km) – 7.10am Stage 7 – Fri 07/07, Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux (170km) – 7.15am Stage 8 – Sat 08/07, Libourne to Limoges (201km) – 6.30am Stage 9 – Sun 09/07, Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme (184km) – 7.30am

Rest day – 10/07

Stage 10 – Tue 11/07, Vulcania to Issoire (167km) – 7.05am Stage 11 – Wed 12/07, Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins (180km) – 7.05am Stage 12 –  Thu 13/07, Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais (166km) – 7.05am Stage 13 – Fri 14/07, Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier (138km) – 7.45am Stage 14 – Sat 15/07, Annemasse to Morzine (152km) – 7.05am Stage 15 – Sun 16/07, Les Gets to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (180km) – 7.05am

Rest day – 17/07

Stage 16 – Tue 18/07, Passy to Combloux (22km ITT) – 7.05am Stage 17 – Wed 19/07, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains to Courchevel (166km) – 6.20am Stage 18 – Thu 20/07, Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse (186km) – 7.05am Stage 19 – Fri 21/07, Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny (173km) – 7.15am Stage 20 – Sat 22/07, Belfort to Le Markstein (133km) – 7.30am Stage 21 – Sun 23/07, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris (115km) – 10.30am

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How to watch the Tour de France live stream 2024

All the information you need in order to tune into the biggest race of the year

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The wait is nearly over for the biggest bike race of the year, the Tour de France 2024 . Like us, you'll probably be wanting to tune in and watch, so we've put together a comprehensive guide to exactly how you can watch everything from live coverage to highlights of this iconic Grand Tour.

It should be an exciting battle for overall victory, with four potential winners all vying for the maillot jaune. Reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike), Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) are the men most likely, although newly-anointed Giro d'Italia champion Pogačar is the only rider to have come through the early season unscathed. The other three have missed training time after tangling with each other in the same crash in Itzulia Basque Country in April.

Vingegaard was the worst affected , and in early June there was still a question mark over whether he would definitely be at the Tour de France.

There are plenty of sprinting opportunities scattered throughout the race. Last year's green jersey Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) will be the man to beat, pushed hard others including Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich-PostNL). Many eyes will also be on Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan), who returns for his last Tour de France in the hope of finally beating the all-time 35-stage-win record that he is currently tied on with Eddy Merckx.

The final stage sees the race make way for the Paris Olympic Games and finish outside the capital for the first time in history, with a time trial from Monaco to Nice.

When is the Tour de France? 

The Tour de France will begin in Florence on June 29, and finish three weeks later on July 21 in Nice. Individual stages will be broadcast in full on Discovery+ .  

Check your chosen streaming service in your territory for broadcast times of individual stages. 

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How to watch the Tour de France for free 

The Tour de France is free to watch in Australia on SBS On Demand .

Streaming services are often geo-restricted, so if you're an Aussie away from home, make sure to use a VPN to watch your free Tour de France live stream from abroad.

We'll show you how to do that just below with NordVPN, which comes highly recommended via our sister site TechRadar .

Watch a live stream from anywhere with NordVPN

NordVPN lets you use all your usual apps and websites when you're out of the country, including all your favourites cycling channels. Secure encryption offers multiple layers of privacy. It's fast and easy to use.

There's 24-hour customer support and a 30-day money back offer.

Get 60% off NordVPN

How to watch the Tour de France live stream in the UK

Eurosport.co.uk and discovery+ are the homes of cycling in the UK. Subscriptions are £6.99 per month. There's also an annual plan for discovery+ at £59.99, if you're after the full race calendar of live streams.

How to watch the Tour de France live stream in the USA

Bike racing fans in the US will be able to watch the Tour de France on the FloBikes platform. The TV app is available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV, as well as on Android and iOS. Subscriptions cost $150 per year. 

Watch Tour de France 2024 live stream on FLOBikes in USA

FloBikes boasts an impressive bill of live racing throughout the season, including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and more. A monthly subscription will cost you $30 while a yearly account will set you back $150 ($12.50 per month).

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After cutting his teeth on local and national newspapers, James began at Cycling Weekly as a sub-editor in 2000 when the current office was literally all fields. 

Eventually becoming chief sub-editor, in 2016 he switched to the job of full-time writer, and covers news, racing and features.

A lifelong cyclist and cycling fan, James's racing days (and most of his fitness) are now behind him. But he still rides regularly, both on the road and on the gravelly stuff.

The Tour de France winner was in an Individual Voluntary Arrangement since 2020

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Tour de France 2022 LIVE: Date, live stream, full route and stages and how to follow 109th edition of famous race

• Published : 10:34, 1 Jul 2022
• Updated : 10:34, 1 Jul 2022
• Published : Invalid Date,

The Tour de France is back - and Tadej Pogacar will be hoping to match Chris Froome's three-successive race win record.

The Slovenian rider - who has dominated the event for the last two years - is once again the favourite as we gear up for 24 days of gruelling action.

The world’s best cyclists will go head-to-head over 21 intense stages of the famous race as they look to claim the  iconic yellow jersey.

The 109th edition will not head to England this year and instead feature Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland and, of course, France.

It will all then culminate with the traditional trip down the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Sunday, July 24.

Along the way, riders will compete in two individual time-trials, one transfer day from Denmark to France and six flat stages.

There will then be seven ‘hilly’ stages and six torturous mountain stints with five summit finishes and just two rest days breaking it up!

Most read in Cycling

Spectator with sign causes huge crash at Tour de France and organiser plan to sue

Tour de France 2022: Dates and live stream

The Tour de France is set to take place from Friday, July 1 until Sunday July 24 and will be broadcast on ITV 4 and the ITV Hub for free.

Alternatively, the race will also once again be shown live on Eurosport this year.

To stream, you'll need to purchase a discovery+ Sport and Entertainment pass which costs £6.99-a-month or £59.99 for the annual pass HERE .

Subscribers can live stream this via the app using their mobile, tablet or computer devices.

Alternatively, you can watch the Tour de France on TV by adding Eurosport to your Sky or BT subscription.

A £2million prize money will be awarded to the teams and riders, including £430,000 to the final individual winner.

Tour de France 2022: Stages

Here’s a rundown of the full race for the 2022 Tour de France...

Stage 1: Friday, July 1, 13.2KM, Copenhague – Copenhague, individual time-trial

Stage 2: July 2, 202.5KM, Roskilde – Nyborg, flat

Stage 3: July 3, 182KM, Vejle – Sonderberg, flat

Stage 4: July 5, 171.5KM, Dunkerque – Calais, hilly

Stage 5: July 6, 154KM, Lille Metropole – Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, hilly

Stage 6: July 7, 220KM, Binche – Longwy, hilly

Stage 7: July 8, 176.5KM, Tomblaine – La Super Planche des Belles Filles, mountain

Stage 8: July 9, 186.5KM, Dole – Lausanne, hilly

Stage 9: July 10, 193KM, Aigle – Chatel Les Portes du Soleil, mountain

Rest Day: July 11, Morzine Les Portes du Soleil

Stage 10: July 12, 148.5KM, Morzine Les Portes du Soleil – Megeve, hilly

Stage 11: July 13 152KM, Albertville – Col du Granon Serre Chevalier, mountain

Stage 12: July 14, 165.5KM, Briançon – Alpe d'Huez, mountain

Stage 13: July 15, 193KM, Le Bourg-d'Oisans – Saint-Etienne, flat

Stage 14: July 16, 192.5KM, Saint-Etienne – Mende, hilly

Stage 15: July 17, 202.5KM, Rodez – Carcassonne, flat

Rest Day, July 18, Carcassonne

Stage 16: July 19, 178.5KM, Carcassonne – Foix, hilly

Stage 17: July 20, 130KM, Saint-Gaudens – Peyragudes, mountain

Stage 18: July 21, 143.5KM, Lourdes – Hautacam, mountain

Stage 19: July 22, 188.5KM, Castelnau-Magnoac – Cahors, flat

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Stage 20: July 23, 40.7KM, Lacapelle-Marival – Rocamadour, individual time-trial

Stage 21: July 24, 128KM, Paris La Defense Arena – Paris Champs-Elysees, flat

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How to watch the 2024 Tour de France | Live streams, broadcasters, plus stage start and end times

How to watch this year’s Tour in the UK, US and Australia

A.S.O./Charly Lopez

Paul Norman

It's almost time to throw your winter and spring fitness out of the window, as you settle in to sit on the couch watching three weeks of wall-to-wall coverage of the 2024 Tour de France – plus another week in August for the Tour de France Femmes.

This year, there's something a little different on offer with the Grand Départ in Florence, and another three Italian stage starts before the race enters France.

Although it skirts Paris, it never makes it to the Champs-Élysées, heading back to finish in Nice.

If you’ve got five-plus hours to spend each day, you can watch the entire men's race end-to-end in many territories. For the more time-pressed, plenty of highlight options compress the day’s action to an hour or so.

If you’re really stuck for time, daily five-minute highlights on the Le Tour website – which are also posted to YouTube – will keep you abreast of all of the action.

Unlike many other big cycling races, terrestrial broadcasters pay attention to the Tour de France, so you can watch at least some of it subscription-free in most territories. There's a full list of broadcasters by country on the official Le Tour site.

There’s also the option to use a VPN to stream from a country with free terrestrial coverage, although most VPNs with decent geographic coverage and streaming speeds will require a subscription and you may have to listen to commentary in French.

How can I watch the Tour de France live in the UK?

In the UK, ITV4, and Eurosport/Discovery+ are broadcasting live. ITV4 is free to air, as is S4C for Welsh speakers.

Eurosport requires a subscription: £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year.

There's coverage on TG4 in the Republic of Ireland.

All of the above offer evening highlights and analysis of the day’s action too.

How can I watch the Tour de France live in the US?

Viewers in the US can enjoy daily coverage on NBC Sports and Peacock. You can watch on NBC on demand too – there's no additional charge above your cable, satellite or telco TV provider's subscription cost.

Peacock access requires a subscription to its premium tier, priced at $5.99 plus tax per month. There's currently a deal at $19.99 for a year's access for new subscribers.

How can I watch the Tour de France live in Australia?

Cycling fans in Australia can enjoy every stage live on SBS . Handily, there’s a free on-demand service if you’re not an insomniac, while there are daily highlights on the SBS Sport website. There's coverage and more on the SBS Tour Tracker app too.

Stages and start times

Like the race itself, stage start times are a moveable feast, with starts as early as 11.15am CET and as late as 2.40pm CET.

End times will vary significantly too, depending on stage length, how hard the terrain is and how fast it’s ridden.

Fortunately, the Tour de France has organised a few of these races before, so it’s got a pretty good idea of when the first riders are likely to reach the finish.

Again, that’s highly variable – anything from 4.28pm CET to 7.30pm CET, so you need to be on your toes to make sure you're watching early enough not to miss the end-stage action.

Here’s a table, taken from the official Le Tour website, of expected start and end times for each stage. If you want to see particular action, the time the race is expected to reach intermediate points is set out on the site too, right down to railway level crossings and tiny villages in la France profonde .

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James Estrin/The New York Times

Students, some barely adolescent and some well into adulthood, come from all over the world to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

They study with nearly monastic focus, with the numbers and skill to operate as a world-class orchestra and opera company.

But they’re still young people growing up, experiencing triumphs and struggles for the first time, just in an extraordinary environment.

Supported by

At This School, the Students Live Entirely for Music

For a year, we followed five Curtis Institute of Music students as they made friends, pushed their artistry and stared down an uncertain future.

Photographs by James Estrin

Text by Joshua Barone

Reporting from Philadelphia

Delfin Demiray had packed too much. She was leaving her home in Ankara, Turkey, for the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. An 18-year-old who had never been to the United States, she didn’t know what to expect.

As she prepared for her flight in August, loading her suitcases with clothes and books, she was still surprised at the turn her life had taken. Demiray had played piano since she was 8, and had a gift for reproducing music she heard on TV at the keyboard; she also liked to improvise with friends and write melodies of her own. But she didn’t think of herself as a composer until a year ago, when she applied to Curtis and, to her shock, was accepted.

Her move to the United States would make her parents empty-nesters, but she tried not to think too much about the sadness of saying goodbye. “It’s just how life is,” said Demiray, now 19. “I feel like they are living their dreams through me.”

Her story is not so rare at Curtis, an extremely selective, tuition-free school whose roughly 150 students come from around the world to study with almost monastic focus. Even among conservatories, it is exceptional, with a wide age range — from preadolescence to post-baccalaureate adulthood — and a personalized approach, of schedules and repertoire, for musicians who live almost entirely for their art.

“We know what it feels like to have to go to bed early on a Saturday night because you have to wake up Sunday morning for a lesson,” said Dillon Scott , a viola student, “and we all know what it feels like to have a performance that was objectively good, but still could’ve been better.”

Some of the students are already professionals who perform outside school, as well as on the campus of Curtis, which maintains a full orchestra, an opera program and chamber music groups. Many of the musicians form friendships that lead to collaborations that endure throughout their careers. The list of alumni reads like a musical hall of fame, with titans like Leonard Bernstein and current stars like Lang Lang and Hilary Hahn.

During the 2023-24 year, The New York Times followed five students as they settled into new lives, pushed their artistry and planned as much as they could for an uncertain future.

SCOTT, A 20-YEAR-OLD from Lansdale, Pa., about an hour away from Philadelphia, grew up determined to attend Curtis. He still feels a sense of awe as he walks into its main building, a historical mansion on Rittenhouse Square. “These four years are going to have the potential to be absolutely instrumental and life-changing,” he said. “But it’s not going to be dropped on my lap.”

Few students, even few professionals, behave like Scott. His mind is a fire hose of ambition and enterprising passion. He approaches music critically, wondering how he can use Curtis’s resources to unearth the works of overlooked, often Black, composers and bring it to audiences beyond the tired demographics of classical music.

Having already spent countless hours in the library assembling a list of about 25 composers, noting all their works and locating their scores, Scott programmed a series of on- and off-campus concerts for the fall, accompanied by talks, and brought 14 other students on board. At community performances, he smiled at the sight of security and staff from school who had come with their families, and at how visibly different the audience looked from a typical Curtis performance.

Busy with concerts, too, was a 25-year-old French soprano named Juliette Tacchino . She started the fall semester staring down her final year and auditions, but other singing opportunities quickly arose as other singers dropped out of performances. On one program, she sang the role of Sophie in a scene from “Der Rosenkavalier” under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the music director of the Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra, who teaches at Curtis.

The experience was double-edged. Tacchino, a sensitive wellspring of calm, was also occupied with being a resident coordinator at Lenfest Hall, where she took care of younger students and organized events like a trip to an animal shelter and a screening of “Maestro.” But Tacchino missed the movie because she had the flu. She had already been feeling under the weather as the stress of her added work was taking its toll, and the flu made things worse. She lost her voice several times, and even when she did get a break, visiting her boyfriend in Montreal over Thanksgiving, she was preparing for auditions.

One of Nézet-Séguin’s students was Micah Gleason , 28, an easygoing yet fiercely skilled conductor and singer, also in her final year. She lived off-campus with her partner, in an apartment outfitted with a school-provided piano, a mirror for watching herself conduct and equipment for her side gig as a photographer.

Gleason conducting and singing in Berio’s ‘Folk Songs’

Like Scott, Gleason thinks about how to push beyond the conventions of performance. For a fall concert in which she was both conducting and singing Berio’s “Folk Songs,” she brought in a lighting designer and tried to hire a movement director. (There, she was less successful.) In her free time, she started emailing people she knew to line up work after Curtis.

In the orchestra for that concert was the 17-year-old flute student Julin Cheung . He had been at Curtis since he was middle-school age, and because he was a minor, he lived with his parents, originally from Hong Kong and Kazakhstan, on Rittenhouse Square. They had moved to Philadelphia for his education from Seattle, where they still traveled during school breaks to visit family.

Cheung, an only child with a mature sensibility and wry humor, is both independent and still very much a teenager. He has friends at Curtis but often eats dinner with his parents at their apartment. His mother helps with some of the logistics of his musical life, but otherwise he manages his own time, finding the space to work on his home-school education. During the school year, he also took German lessons because the language might come in handy when he finishes at Curtis in 2025; he would like to continue his studies in Europe.

Cheung in Jolivet’s ‘Chant de Linos’

In student housing, Demiray was quickly making new friends. She was closest with her roommate, a horn player. They would gather on staircases at Lenfest with other students to sing choral music for fun. After attending a party during her first week, she joined a group to organize one of her own, a masquerade for the holidays.

During the semester, she also finished a string quartet that she had started on the flight from Turkey. As she rehearsed it, she realized how open she was to her music changing in the hands of others; it was the kind of lesson that can’t really be taught in the classroom. “It reminded me,” she said, “that everything we have in music is a matter of perspective.”

FEW CURTIS STUDENTS truly take time off during the month between semesters. Demiray, back in Ankara, read Kant and watched movies, but also continued to compose. Gleason, getting an early start on spring work, took on a conducting project at Dallas Opera. Cheung, at least, made room for catching up with friends and family in Seattle, and skiing.

Scott had a difficult time winding down from the fall semester, which he found excitingly intense; life at home, he said, was like “a vacuum.” At first, he didn’t sleep well because he felt as though he should be doing something. After a few days, he felt himself relax as he took his dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback called Nandi, for long walks.

Tacchino went home to France, but as a resident coordinator, had to return early to prepare Lenfest for the spring semester. She had also picked up a tour in Florida, where she had never been. She saw more alligators than she would have liked, and it was unpleasantly hot, but she felt refreshed when she got back to school for more auditions and a starring role in Poulenc’s one-act opera “Les Mamelles de Tirésias.”

She had long been looking forward to that; her father, who had recently died, knew Poulenc. Tacchino grew up hearing about the composer, and listening to his music, including four-hands piano works that her parents would play. To her, the opera sounded like home.

IN THE NEW SEMESTER, Cheung went on tour with other Curtis musicians. He liked the independence of it, which felt like a taste of professional life, for better or worse: Not having to worry about school, he could focus on music, even with a hectic schedule. One concert in Florida ended around 10 p.m.; he and his fellow students got back to their hotel at 11, fell asleep around midnight, and were ready to board a shuttle at 4:50 a.m. to catch a flight to Dallas. But during downtime, they would go to a beach, or when the weather was bad, play cards in their hotel rooms.

After an entrepreneurial fall, Scott shifted his attention to technique. He had been gently directed to do so by his teachers, who include Curtis’s president, Roberto Díaz. Scott believed, he said, that “the better I can play the viola, the more credibility I’m going to have to advocate for the things I want to do.”

Scott playing George Walker’s Viola Sonata

He also relaxed a little by reading at night, taking up the Ray Bradbury stories he had loved as a child. In practice rooms, though, he was hard at work on a Bach suite and George Walker’s Viola Sonata, from 1989. He reached out to Walker’s son, and tracked down the violist who had first recorded the piece and a scholar who had written about it. Scott repeatedly returned to the score to mark it up; he thought about what story Walker was trying to tell with the music. The school decided to record his performance, and asked Scott to bring it back for a new-music concert next year.

THE WEEK BEFORE “Les Mamelles de Tirésias” opened, Tacchino tested positive for Covid-19. After months of unreliable health, and audition after audition, she was feeling overwhelmed. She was frustrated by the mixed messages she seemed to be receiving: that she was so young, that she was starting to get old, that she sounded great, that she wasn’t quite right for something. A comment by the tenor Matthew Polenzani, who gave a talk at the school, resonated with her: “He said, ‘There are days when you’re going to have the most incredible audition of your life, and you’re not going to get anything, and another day, you’re going to sing the crappiest audition of your life and get four gigs.”

Tacchino in ‘Les Mamelles de Tirésias’

Tacchino’s optimism held alongside her determination. She recovered in time for the Poulenc premiere, and decided to stay at Curtis an extra year, to perform in its centennial celebrations. In addition, she got into a young artist program in Paris, L’Atelier Lyrique , where she would work with the conductor David Stern.

Gleason’s persistence paid off, too. Because of her emails, she spent part of the spring semester working at the Juilliard School in New York on a production of Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito.” She signed with a manager, Intermusica , and continued to apply for conducting jobs. She and her partner decided that after graduation, they wanted to move to Chicago, where they used to live.

An excerpt from Demirary’s ‘Krizantem’

At a concert to showcase the work of composing students, Demiray presented her first piece for orchestra. She was the youngest on the program, and the evening was such a blur, she didn’t remember most of what she saw on video later. In the moment, she said, it felt like something simply happened and was over, but with some distance, she started to recognize how much progress was reflected in those 15 minutes.

TACCHINO HAD ONE more starring role left: the title fox in the Curtis production of Janacek’s “The Cunning Little Vixen.” It was yet another gig she had picked up after someone else dropped it, and it required her learning the material within a month. “But,” she said, “I feel like so many careers started out like that. It’s exciting.”

She received enthusiastic applause at the first performance, but the relief barely registered because after the run she would still have to present her master’s project. (The night of her final bows, she stayed up until 2 a.m. working on it.) Then she was done with the semester, though she had to stick around, in her other role, as resident coordinator. Comfortable with the year she’d had, she left to see her boyfriend in Montreal.

On the eve of graduation, Gleason presented a workshop performance of a chamber opera she was developing with Joanne Evans, a former classmate from Bard College and her duo partner. With the move to Chicago, she wasn’t sure whether she would walk at the graduation ceremony, but she was able to make it. “You only go to Curtis once,” she said.

Cheung played in Gleason’s workshop, before leaving Philadelphia to spend time in Seattle and audition for a piccolo seat at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. As a 17-year-old with a year of Curtis left, he wasn’t expecting much, but after two days, he was offered the job. “It’s an amazing opportunity,” he said, “but there’s a lot to be considered.”

It will be complicated, for example, if the orchestra wants him to start immediately, while he still has school (not to mention high school) to finish. If he could wait, he would take the position for a gap year he already had planned. But as he looked forward to the rest of the summer, including a program at the idyllic Verbier Festival in Switzerland, he wasn’t sure what would happen.

Scott landed a place at Verbier as well, in a different program. At the end of the semester, he took account of the year and congratulated himself on tripling his social media followers, playing the pieces he wanted to play and even starting to compose music of his own. He was already thinking about ideas for the next year, and the year after that.

As Demiray packed up her room, she felt sad to be leaving her new friends. At times, she had spent 24 hours straight with these people, experiencing things for the first time together. Back in Turkey, she was happy to see her parents, to have time to swim and to compose without a schedule. But she was also, in a way that surprised her, excited for the return of fall.

“Now,” she said, “I feel like I have two families.”

James Estrin is a photographer and writer who has been with The Times since 1992. More about James Estrin

Joshua Barone is the assistant classical music and dance editor on the Culture Desk and a contributing classical music critic. More about Joshua Barone

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Air's Moon Safari is an era-defining French album worth celebrating, 25 years on

There's no telling how many special moments have been soundtracked by Moon Safari, the acclaimed 1998 debut album from French duo Air.

An era-defining record of pristine, space-age lounge music delivered with cinematic atmosphere and a distinctively French je ne se quios , Moon Safari was a universal critical and commercial success upon release.

The lush easy-listening music was perfectly suited to post-club comedowns, hip cafes, and make-out sessions: smooth and dreamy enough to be played in the background, but singular and masterfully crafted enough to reward close listening.

It proved highly influential, too. But the wave of mellow, down tempo imitators and 'chill out' CD compilations it spawned struggled to surpass Air's chic, exquisitely woozy beauty.

'It was not meant to be played live'

Jean-Benoît Dunckel, one half of Air alongside Nicolas Godin, never expected Moon Safari's enduring success.

"We never imagined this album could work that way worldwide," he tells Karen Leng on Double J Lunch. 

"It took time, it took decades, [but] the success is not by us, the audience made [it]."

This year, the duo has been playing Moon Safari in full around the world on their first tour in seven years, including Australia.

"It was not made to be played live," says Dunckel. 

"We had to adapt it for the live [setting]. That is what the people want to get — this special feeling they heard the first time… to live again these feelings."

Having played two nights at the Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid Live , Air will live-stream their show at London's Royal Albert Hall this weekend.

"It's a beautiful venue," says Dunckel, who is keen to preserve a pristine performance of the album online for future access.

"It's really important to do that because… people can also discover the band live. Some people appreciate the live versions more than the recorded versions."

Performing as a trio, alongside drummer Louis Delorme, Air play inside an oblong box adorned with dazzling lights and visuals, which morph from swathes of minimalist colour to the perspective of a spaceship enjoying interstellar travel.

"We play in a box of light. It looks a bit like the studio on the cover of 10 000 Hz Legend," says Dunckel, referencing the band's second studio album — a weirder, wilder reaction to Moon Safari.

"It could be a home, it could be our world, our head, our architectural concept. It helps for people to enter into a world… people like [that] intimacy."

Dunckel says people often ask: "Are you not bored to play these songs you play for 20 years now?"

"Sometimes I struggle — because you have to concentrate, and you have to play. But I'm never bored. It's always a pleasure."

Moon Safari is a product of its era, but it's also aged beautifully.

It's an evocative listening experience, from the moment lengthy opener 'La femme d'argent' ushers you in with the sounds of water and slinky bassline, through to the weightless pop and robot-voiced melodies of 'Kelly Watch The Stars' and 'New Star in the Sky'.

In 1998, its retro-futuristic arrangements already sounded timeless. 25 years later, its ability to transport your mind and imagination elsewhere hasn't dated one iota.

"It could be a journey, a love story," remarks Dunckel. "That's why we're really attached to it. I think the audience is searching for that, too.

"It helps human relationships in every way," adds Dunckel. Over the years, Air fans have shared "so many stories" of what the album means to them.

"Most of the time it's for love. It's always, 'I met my girlfriend or wife this time'."

Back in 1998, Dunckel told triple j that while hiking in Iceland, his guide revealed Moon Safari was his love-making soundtrack.

There's "probably" plenty of babies in the world with some of the album's DNA in them since, Dunckel estimates of a new generation discovering Air for the first time.

"As we are getting old now, it's becoming that people say, 'oh yeah, my parents were listening to Moon Safari when we were travelling in a car; this family time'."

Sexy Boy, the surprising queer anthem

For many, debut single 'Sexy Boy' was their first introduction to Air. A seductive slice of synth-pop that brought vocoder back to the pop charts and sung in both French and English.

It's a seemingly simple song but Dunckel notes there's "a lot of tolerance and freedom" embedded in it.

"Sexy Boy, first of all, is a strange title because it breaks a certain taboo. The taboo is that heterosexual boys can check out other boys," he explains.

"Also, it became a gay slogan in a way. A gay anthem."

The song took on a new meaning in late 90s Paris when the electronic music scene's wider acceptance of the LGTBQI+ community led to more club and techno nights dedicated to queer punters and DJs emerging.

"There was a lot of gay parties," says Dunckel. "Homosexuality is everywhere in the world, and it's always existed, always there. So, it was important to liberate this movement."

Originally, the song's titular phrase was inspired by Parisian fashion culture.

"People are checking each other out all the time… In Paris, when a couple is meeting another couple, the girl is not going to check out the boy. She's going to check out the other girl: analyse what she wears, how she behaves, what is the fashion or type of the boyfriend.

"Sexy Boy is speaking about that. The fact a man wants to be a pretty man and he is checking [out] other boys."

A popular soundtrack choice, featured in teen rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You and noughties TV drama Queer As Folk, 'Sexy Boy' is also a testament to youth.

The French verses are "celebrating that golden age of being young," Dunckel explains.

"When you're young you don't realise you're at the top of your life. You have a lot of power, actually… because you're beautiful. Your skin, hair, you feel great, you have a lot of energy."

The makings of a classic

Despite its iconic status, Moon Safari was actually the last roll of the dice for Dunckel and Godin.

Raised in the conservative suburb of Versailles, the pair began making music together after meeting at school. But after having their demo tapes rejected by every record label they approached, they quit music and instead focused on their studies.

Each had established careers — Godin in architecture, Dunckel in mathematics — when an opportunity presented itself in a close friend landing a role with Virgin Records imprint Source.

They landed a deal with the label but ditching their jobs for a full-time career in music to support their burgeoning families was a gamble.

"We were 26 years old. We were not sure we come be musicians for the rest of our life," remembers Dunckel. "I was already working [as] a physics teacher… I had a baby."

Thankfully, their risk was rewarded when their debut album became a breakout international hit. Air was swiftly lumped alongside a fresh wave of Parisian artists reinventing the electronic music scene in the late 90s.

Dubbed French touch, the movement included Cassius, St. Germain, Étienne de Crécy, and Daft Punk, who recorded their breakout 1997 album Homework down the street from where Air made Moon Safari.

"There was a kind of energy circulating all over Paris," recalls Dunckel. "Paris is kind of small; all the media, artists and business part of it [were] working all together."

The worlds of music, fashion, contemporary art, cinema — "everything was mixed," Dunckel says.

"At this time, new generations of young people coming from the suburbs are even inside Paris and mixing all these rich, futuristic concepts together with new machines, samplers, computer programs to make music."

A fond farewell to youth

Despite being poster boys for the future of French music, Moon Safari was an evocative, nostalgia-drenched ode to Dunckel and Godin's past.

"In a way it was the end of my youth… That's why the songs [on Moon Safari], there are a lot of regrets and it's a goodbye to our youth and the innocence of it.

"It's full of vibrations from teenage times."

Although labelled an electronic act, Air's music wasn't rooted in beats and house music. Instead, they armed themselves with analogue Moog and Korg synthesizers, vintage drum machines, vocoders and the trusty Rhodes piano.

The resulting compositions bore the esprit of Serge Gainsbourg, electronic pioneers like Jean-Michel Jarre, and the 1970s film and TV soundtracks of Dunckel's childhood.

There's a fondness for the psychedelic grandeur of Pink Floyd and ELO. But also, Burt Bacharach arrangements, particularly in the wistful French horn topline of ''Ce matin là' (This morning) and the easy-going 'You Make It Easy' and 'All I Need', both featuring the lyrics and vocals of Godin's then-neighbour, Beth Hirsch.

From its lush, otherworldly sounds right down to its title, Moon Safari gives rise to cosmic ideas and conducive to escapism. That spirit is central to Air's entire ethos.

"I think music exists in paradise and you can feel this [album] is in a strange interface between our world and something else."

Such ephemeral expressions might be surprising coming from a former physics teacher, but Dunckel says "both sides of your brain help" when it comes to making emotive art.

"There is a mathematic aspect of music, that analyses and helps you perform and conceive music. But there is something else happening, your heart is talking.

"As a musician you're organising the vibrations of your heart and the feelings into music… vibrations travelling into space and air."

"When I do a song, it's all about 'what do I feel?'" Dunckel concludes.

"For me, good means it affects me. No good means I don't feel anything… if it affects me, it's going to affect others, too. They're going to feel the feelings I do, too."

Air live-stream their performance at London's Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 1 June. Details here .

Hear Karen Leng hosting  Lunch on Double J from midday Monday to Thursday.

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Letter from Revolutionary War figure details 1824-25 tour of U.S.

200 years ago a key figure of the American Revolution was invited back to the states for a tour complete with parades, dinners and commemorations. The Marquis de Lafayette was a French military officer who fought for the Continental Army, commanding troops during the siege of Yorktown - the final major battle of the Revolutionary War.

During his victorious return, Lafayette visited places such as Albany, Schenectady and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. A letter written by Lafayette during the tour is now in the possession of the Raab Collection. President Nathan Raab recently spoke with WAMC's Jim Levulis.

Raab: The Marquis de Lafayette was an instrumental figure in the freedom movements on both sides of the Atlantic first coming and fighting alongside the colonists against the English during the Revolutionary War, building close friendships with many of the people who fought there, developing a father son type relationship with George Washington. And then after the war, going back and getting wrapped up in what was going on in France at the time, the French Revolution and the tumult that was taking place in his home country, and then continuing to support the freedom and independence movements in other European countries, Italy, for example.

Levulis: And now to this letter that Lafayette wrote in June 1825. He had been traveling throughout the 24 U.S. states at the time over the previous months, what was the purpose of his travels during the time period?

Well, you got to think what was going on in the country at this time, it was a period of, of relative peace. But the victors, the men and the women who fought during the Revolutionary War, were beginning to pass away. And with them a lot of the firsthand memories and so our countrymen began to really think of themselves as having a history worth telling. And you have this sort of movement towards history preservation, creation, praise of the winners in the Revolutionary War, the soldiers, the generals, and it was in that vein that Lafayette was invited back to where he fought during the Revolutionary War. He was given an invitation to come to the United States, which he accepted. And he came back on kind of a triumphal return tour, visited the various states, visited his friends from the war. And in each location, he was feted, there were parades, great celebrations, speeches, feasts, must have been quite something to see. And he went from state to state and a lot of the big cities, and went into parts of the country that were fairly sparsely populated back then, included what was then sort of the Old West, in and around St. Louis. So Lafayette comes back in to 1824 and tours, goes to the White House, goes down, goes down to south into Virginia, and kind of settles into his winter quarters in around Washington, DC. And then after that in 1925 he continues his tour farther south to the west, and then up there through New York and Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.

Yeah, I found it interesting in looking at the places he stopped; places like Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, even, pretty interesting. You know, it wasn't just Boston, it wasn't just Washington, DC, it wasn't just New York City.

And why he chose those various locations, it may have had something to do with who invited him, and whether he had friends in those areas. But yes, it was something of an unconventional tour. But you know, he made it through much, much of the country. But you know what we think of today as the great big cities and you know, we have the images of these cities in our head heads today, it might not have been the same for them back then.

And now looking at this letter, it was written to Edward Livingston. Who was Edward Livingston, and what was his relationship with Lafayette?

Livingston came from a prominent family. He was the younger brother of Robert Livingston who famously negotiated the Louisiana Purchase. He was a lawyer, he served in Congress, he was Secretary of State, himself was Minister to France, was also the mayor of New York City. The Livingston name is a prominent New York state name and they had a strong presence in and around Albany in that portion of New York, but he was a close friend of Lafayette. In fact, one of the things I learned in researching this letter is that he refers to Lafayette in his correspondence as “my dear Edward.” And it's another clue, you know, when you're looking through this letter, and you see well, it's in French, to an Edward spelled the English way so, you know, an Englishman or an American but yet in French, the Livingston family they all spoke French.

And to the particulars of the letter, anything else stand out to you that was, you know, remarkable, notable beyond who wrote it and who received it?

Well, for me piecing together, this letter was something of a puzzle. Because it doesn't say on the face of the letter, who it's to. And there's no date on the letter. So the letter itself was filled with clues, which pointed not only to the recipient, but to the date, the identification of the various people in the letter, the reference to his tour of the military parade, the officers who would go in with him. So at the end of sort of diving into this letter, translating the letter and diving into it, you are left with this exciting date and connection, not only to Edward Livingston, but a letter written during this great tour from back in the United States in 1825, sort of towards the end of the tour. It's exciting to find something that was written from the tour that still survives in the United States. And sort of a powerful memory of that great moment in American history.

And 200 years on after it was written, how did the collection come by this letter?

We acquired it from a private collector. And I confess, because it wasn't clearly addressed anybody or dated. It sat on the backburner for a while. So we've had it for gosh, we've probably had it for close to a year without realizing exactly what we had. And then only kind of uncovering the identity of the letter, the recipient, the date, just recently.

Wow, that's incredible. Does that often happen?

No, it's not very common. Typically documents speak pretty loudly for themselves. You'll have a date and the recipient on there, it's fairly straightforward what a piece is. So to find something where, you know, the identity of the document is hidden and requires detective work is not terribly common. And it's certainly not common for us to sit on a description of a document for, you know, close to a year and then find out that it’s actually something quite exciting.

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Get Ready For CMA Fest 2024: Listen To A Playlist By Dasha, Ella Langley, Chase Matthew, Avery Anna, & Dalton Dover

As country stars and fans flock to Nashville for CMA Fest, five of the lineup's most exciting acts curated a playlist of the songs they're looking forward to hearing live — from Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" to Lainey Wilson's "Watermelon Moonshine."

For more than 50 years, the Country Music Association has hosted the genre's biggest annual party in Nashville, Tennessee: CMA Fest . Originally dubbed Fan Fair, what began as a 5,000-person celebration of country music has turned into a four-day festival that draws an estimated 90,000 people each day. And with the genre being at an all-time high , the 2024 iteration of CMA Fest might just be the most thrilling yet.

The 51st annual CMA Fest will take over Nashville from June 6-9, with upwards of 300 country artists performing. As rising stars — and returning CMA Fest performers — Avery Anna, Dalton Dover and Chase Matthew will tell you, the magic of the weekend affair has always come down to the fans.

" I love the connection that the festival provides between artists and fans," Anna says. Dover adds, " Whether it's being reunited with those I've met in the past or getting some time to say hello to all the new faces in the crowd, it's just so special to be able to connect with everyone over our love for country music."

Matthew, who grew up in Nashville, has been part of both sides of CMA Fest. "I've seen CMA Fest grow to become this epic event that every music fan should experience," he says. "It's a great opportunity for fans to see and interact with their favorite country stars, as well as discover new artists they may not have had the opportunity to hear yet."

THE WAIT IS OVER. Buy #CMAfest four-night passes: https://t.co/rBbckYh5A8 Single night tickets on sale at 10AM/CT pic.twitter.com/OqW3YqD0RP — CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) March 14, 2024

Even Dasha, who will be experiencing her first CMA Fest this year, knows just how important it is to any country music artist or fan: "CMA Fest is such an iconic celebration of country music."

Thanks to the runaway success of her hit "Austin," Dasha will be taking the Platform Stage at Nissan Stadium, which will highlight two budding stars each night amid performances from the genre's biggest names. "When I got that call, I got online to see the number of seats there and my jaw was on the ground," she recalls. "That'll be my biggest show to date, and I can't wait to show the people what we've got."

This year's CMA Fest also marks a first for Ella Langley, who will make her inaugural appearance on the Chevy Riverfront Stage in a "full-circle moment." And in teasing what she'll bring to her set, Langley encapsulated the energy of CMA Fest as a whole: "I hope the fans are ready for a bunch of dancing, a good message and a really good time."

As they prepped for CMA Fest 2024, Ella Langley, Dasha, Chase Matthew, Dalton Dover, and Avery Anna helped curate a playlist of songs they're excited to see — and perform — live. Whether or not you'll be heading to Nashville, jam out to tracks from Kelsea Ballerini , Sam Hunt , Cody Johnson, Zach Top , Megan Moroney , and more.

CMA Fest Turns 50: Lainey Wilson, Brett Young, Reba McEntire & More Share Memories From The Country Staple

Photo: Chase Foster

Tanner Adell's Big Year: The Country Newcomer Talks Stagecoach, "BLACKBIIRD," & Meeting Her Childhood Idols

As Tanner Adell continues making waves in country music, she shares some of the most monumental moments from her career so far — from featuring on Beyoncé's critically acclaimed 'COWBOY CARTER' to making space for Black women at the CMT Music Awards.

With one bold tweet, Tanner Adell 's life changed.

"As one of the only Black girls in the country music scene, I hope Bey decides to sprinkle me with a dash of her magic for a collab," she wrote , minutes after Beyoncé premiered "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" and "16 CARRIAGES" during this year's Super Bowl in February.

At first, Adell was mocked for her pitch. "You're trying too hard, love," one user said. Another chimed in, "Baby, that album is finished with all the songs cleared. I don't know about this one. Maybe, open for the tour," another user remarked.

But she wasn't bothered by the chatter: "Those people said I look desperate, I'm like, 'You must not know me, b—!" Adell reveals to GRAMMY.com with a hearty laugh. 

Confidence is the inner core of the Tanner Adell ethos. And her boldness paid off because shortly after when Beyoncé approached her to feature on COWBOY CARTER .

In Adell's first music release of 2024, she appeared alongside Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts in Beyoncé's cover of "BLACKBIIRD" by The Beatles . It was a full-circle moment for Adell in more ways than one, as her father used to sing the song to her as a child. Little did she know, decades later, she would popularize the track's backstory — the plight of Black women in the American South — alongside one of her heroes.

But before Adell became one of Beyoncé's songbirds, she was also the Buckle Bunny . On the 11-track mixtape, Adell traced the provocative tales of an acrylic nail-wearing, lasso-wielding heartbreaker. But for every Black girl that listens, it's more than a country project. It's also a reminder that it's okay to be feminine and girly, just like Shania Twain , Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift .

Among her rodeo of exciting firsts, Adell tacks another on June 8, when she makes her debut at Nashville's Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest. She'll perform on the Platform Stage at the stadium; the next day, she'll play a set at the Good Molecules Reverb Stage outside of Bridgestone Arena.

Below, hear from Adell about her most memorable firsts thus far, from having her debut daytime television performance on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" to bonding with Gayle King behind the scenes at Stagecoach Music Festival.

Seeing Her Breakthrough Single, "Buckle Bunny," Have A Second Life

I released "Buckle Bunny" on the Buckle Bunny EP in July 2023. I actually teased it on social media first. Almost nine months before that, I had gone super viral with it. It was doing incredibly well, so my plans were to release it in January or February of last year. But, I ended up signing a record deal in December of 2022. There were plans for it at that time, but the timeline kept getting pushed back. It turned into a fight to get that song back into my hands, which was what prompted me to go independent. Eventually, I was able to work with my label, shake hands, and mutually part ways.

I started this year as an independent artist with this song that everybody loves. It's become a huge part of my brand, but it's really my life story. People might think it's a dumb song that was easy to write, but I was called a "buckle bunny." As a teenager growing up between Los Angeles and Star Valley, Wyoming, I was into glam country, and "Buckle Bunny" is the pinnacle of that. 

"Buckle Bunny" was my first single that charted. I felt like I finally had broken through that invisible box that Nashville put me in as a country musician. It was me saying, I'm not going to follow any rules. I'm going to be as true to myself as possible.

We, as Black women, have been fighting our whole lives. We've been fighting for space. I'm purposely trying to bring softness into the picture, allowing women who listen to my music to know that it's okay to feel that way. We don't always have to have our walls up.

"Buckle Bunny" is aggressively confident, but I think that's the door to softness. You have to be self-assured to let your walls down. My newest single, "Whiskey Blues," is my next step into that. I have another song on my social media, "Snakeskin," that people want me to release. "Buckle Bunny" is like the girl who protects those softer moments.

In a way, I look at all of this as a relationship between Tanner Adell, the artist, and Tanner, the person. For me, Tanner Adell is the buckle bunny. Then, you have Tanner, who's on the inside, writing all of these songs.

Serving A Bold Fashion Statement On Her First Major Red Carpet

Ask and ye shall receive 🤎 CMT back stage w John Shearer https://t.co/fO6lNtYVr3 pic.twitter.com/NekkeT01oz — Tanner Adell (@tanneradell) April 10, 2024

I wore Bantu knots! I've always loved Bantu knots in all styles, the really small ones and the larger ones. There were ideas about whether I should do a certain number of them that was significant to me in some way.

I work very closely with Bill Wackermann, who was the CEO of Wilhemina Models. He does a lot of styling and has a close relationship with my manager. So, my manager was like, "You would love him!" At the time, I was trying to hone in on what myself is. What's the message I'm trying to convey through my fashion, hair, and beauty? 

Bill sat down with me, and I told him I wanted Natalia Fedner to do my dress, which is that stretchy chain metal dress. Originally, I thought I would do my long blonde hair, but Bill was the one who told me, "This is your first major red carpet as an invited artist. Think about what you want your hair to say." As a Black woman, our hair tells 1,000 stories with whatever it is, and the lightbulb went off in my head.

I knew I wanted my hair to say everything I needed to say without having to say anything at all. I also knew there would be a lot of people who didn't know the significance behind it or just thought it was some extreme hairstyle.

I've looked very deeply into my heritage. It turns out I have a bit of Bantu heritage in my DNA. I thought that was so cool because I do love the knots so much.

The CMT Awards were a big thing at my school, Utah Valley University. Everyone would get together in the dorms and watch the show. It's crazy that a couple years ago, I was watching it, and I'm here now. I feel very respected and loved. People I've looked up to would come up to me, and I was like, "I'm a huge fan." And they're like, "No! I listened to you ."

I got to meet Gayle King, who I absolutely love. I remember watching her from afar while she was doing "CBS Mornings." She saw me from across the room, and I kid you not, in the middle of her interview, she started walking towards me. She was like, "I just want to tell you that you're so beautiful. The Bantu knots are stunning." That was my favorite moment of the night.

I also had the chance to see Tiera Kennedy. She's so sweet. We got matching blackbird tattoos before that. Being on the red carpet for the first time, it was comforting to see a familiar face. It really reinforces that idea that I belong here.

Being A Part Of COWBOY CARTER

So, I'm adopted. I have four siblings. We're all biracial, but our adoptive parents are both white. Obviously, my dad is a white man with five Black children. My parents always wanted me to understand that I am a Black woman, and he was very educational when it came to music. He taught me about the Black female power players and the buzz in the industry. But The Beatles were his favorite. So, when I finally told them the news, my dad immediately got choked up. He told me that "Blackbird" was one of his favorite Beatles songs.

My dad isn't the best with words when it comes to expressing his emotions, especially in front of people. He's a quiet, reserved dude. So, he eventually texts me, sending me screenshots about the meaning behind "Blackbird." The reason why it was his favorite song was because he had Black girls, and he told me, "This is special. This is not a burden to carry, but it might be a bit of weight on your shoulders. Keep your head up high and walk knowing that this is why he wrote this song."

I can remember going to a recital as a kid and being so nervous, but my dad was so confident and excited about my abilities. Was that strategic? Was it quiet strength? Maybe. It feels like this song has been a part of my whole life. So, to be on it, on such a massive album, feels very divine.

The whole process was a surprise. It took a few weeks to set in. But I always knew I would work with [Beyoncé], and I always said it's a matter of "when," not if. 

On the day of the Super Bowl, I saw that black-and-white picture of her, and I thought it looked a lot like a photoshoot that I took the week before. Let me make a tweet, just to put it out there. I don't know — she's magical! She has her way of knowing everything that's going on all the time. 

I think that tweet has almost 10 million views. It was fun to go back to that tweet to see the people who were supporting me. And also getting to say "I told you" to the people who didn't. It kicked off a Renaissance — pun intended.

Performing At Her First Stagecoach Music Festival

thank you so much @Stagecoach and thank you to @LEVIS for making me the first artist EVER to perform at Stage Coach with a custom Levi’s fit 🥹 thankyou for executing my vision so perfectly 🩷 https://t.co/NFs26JkC2j — Tanner Adell (@tanneradell) April 28, 2024

I have bad social anxiety, and I get nervous in front of crowds and people. So, festivals were never something that interested me, but Stagecoach was always one I felt like I could go to. And I was not disappointed.

I had the first slot of the day, which is a s—ty slot for anyone, but you have to pay your dues in country music. It's how you build your cred with these festivals, to show you're a hard worker and will perform like you're at a sold-out show in Madison Square Garden. And I did.

Mentally, I prepared for no one. I told myself it was okay if nobody came, and I'll perform like I always do. I'll figure out where the camera is and perform it for the jumbotron, so if no one comes to the pit, the people watching the livestream will have a great show. 

Well, I didn't have an empty pit! People showed the f— up and out. I heard people in line thought they were going to miss it because the gates opened late. Within the first 10 minutes, the VIP pit was half-filled with people screaming and running in their sweet little cowboy boots and hats. That never happens at Stagecoach or Coachella, but it's a testament to the relationship I built within my listeners. It was eye-opening for me. I don't think I'm ever going to play to a dead crowd again.

Before, Levi's reached out and said I was the first artist they wanted to collaborate with for Stagecoach. So, they custom-made my outfit. I told them I have these ribbons, inspired by my mom, who was a rodeo queen. I also told them if they can't incorporate them, I probably won't do it. But they loved it! And it was special because it came back to my mom. She was a winner, so when I wear the ribbons, I'm also a winner.

My mom has competed in over 1,000 competitions and probably places in half of those. In Wyoming, we had a big wall, covered in those IQHA (International Quarter Horse Association) ribbons. She gave me a strong sense of competition.

Making Her Debut On Daytime TV

I have overcome very serious, debilitating stage fright. I don't get nervous anymore, and performing live is my favorite thing. But I was not prepared for what a television show taping looks like.

We had a soundcheck, and there were a bunch of suits in groups of threes and fours standing everywhere. There were all these cameras and lights. Then, I start realizing I'm about to meet J. Hud, who I made little custom Crocs for. It was a dream come true.

I know a lot about her story. We have very different upbringings, but we're similar in the sense of trying to stand on ground that isn't steady. I see her as someone who is a great example. She's reached so many different avenues. For me to be able to sit down with an EGOT winner is a great honor. 

I kind of like to keep my manifestations as quiet as possible. I don't tell anybody anything, but an EGOT is something I wouldn't mind having, you know?

I look at her as a woman who exceeded greatness. So, it was just amazing — and for my first television debut. I felt like this is right for me.

Why 2024 Is The Year Women In Country Music Will Finally Have Their Moment

Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Live Nation Urban

9 Lively Sets From The 2024 Roots Picnic: Jill Scott, Lil Wayne, Nas, Sexyy Red, & More

From hit-filled sets by The-Dream and Babyface to a star-studded tribute to New Orleans, the 2024 iteration of the Roots Picnic was action-packed. Check out a round-up of some of the most exciting sets here.

As June kicked off over the weekend, The Roots notched another glorious celebration at West Philadelphia's Fairmount Park with the 16th annual Roots Picnic. This year's festival featured even more activations, food vendors, attendees, and lively performances.

On Saturday, June 1, the action was established from the onset. October London and Marsha Ambrosius enlivened the soul of R&B lovers, while Method Man and Redman brought out surprise guests like Chi-town spitter Common and A$AP Ferg for a showstopping outing. 

Elsewhere, rappers Smino and Sexyy Red flashed their St. Louis roots and incited fans to twerk through the aisles of the TD Pavilion. And Philly-born Jill Scott 's sultry vocals made for a memorable homecoming performance during her headlining set. 

The momentum carried over to day two on Sunday, June 2, with rising stars like Shaboozey and N3WYRKLA showing the Roots Picnic crowd why their names have garnered buzz. Later in the day, rapper Wale brought his signature D.C. swag to the Presser Stage. And while Gunna 's performance was shorter than planned, it still lit the fire of younger festgoers. 

Closing out the weekend was a savory tribute to New Orleans courtesy of The Roots themselves, which also starred Lil Wayne , acclaimed R&B vocalists, an illustrious jazz band, and some beloved NoLa natives. 

Read on for some of the most captivating moments and exciting sets from the 2024 Roots Picnic. 

The-Dream Serenaded On The Main Stage

The-Dream | Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Live Nation Urban

After years away from the bright lights of solo stardom, The-Dream made a triumphant return to the festival stage on Saturday. The GRAMMY-winning songwriter and producer played his timeless R&B hits like "Falsetto" and "Shawty Is Da S––," reminding fans of his mesmerizing voice and renowned penmanship.

His vocals melted into the sunset overlooking Fairmount Park Saturday evening. And even in moments of audio malfunctions, he was able to conjure the greatness he's displayed as a solo act. Although, it may have looked easier than it was for the Atlanta-born musician: "Oh, y'all testing me," he said jokingly. 

The-Dream slowed it down with the moodier Love vs. Money album cut "Fancy," then dug into the pop-funk jam "Fast Car" and the bouncy "Walkin' On The Moon." He takes fans on a ride through his past sexual exploits on the classic "I Luv Your Girl," and closes on a fiery note with the "Rockin' That S—." While even he acknowledged that his set wasn't perfect, it left fans hoping to see more from the artist soon. 

Smino Rocked Out With His Philly "Kousins"

Smino | Shaun Llewellyn

Despite somewhat of a "niche" or cult-like following, Smino galvanized music lovers from all corners to the Presser Stage. The St. Louis-bred neo-soul rapper played silky jams like "No L's" and "Pro Freak" from 2022's Luv 4 Rent , then dove into the sultry records from his earlier projects.

"Klink" set the tone for the amplified showcase, with fans dancing in their seats and through the aisles. His day-one fans — or "kousins," as he lovingly refers to them — joined him on songs like the head-bopping "Z4L," and crooned across the amphitheater on the impassioned "I Deserve." 

Under Smino's musical guidance, the crowd followed without a hitch anywhere in the performance. It further proved how magnetic the "Netflix & Dusse" artist is live, and how extensive his reach has become since his 2017 debut, blkswn.

Nas Took Fans Down Memory Lane

Nas | Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Live Nation Urban

The New York and Philadelphia connection was undeniable Saturday, as legendary Queensbridge MC Nas forged the two distinctive cities for a performance that harnessed an "Illadelph State of Mind."

The "I Gave You Power" rapper played his first show in Philadelphia as a teenager, when he only had one verse under his belt: Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the BBQ." Back then, Nas admitted to underplaying the city's influence, but he knew then what he knows now — "I had to step my s— up." And he did.

The rapper played iconic songs like "Life's a B–" and "Represent" from his landmark debut Illmatic , which celebrated 30 years back in April. He even brought out Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah to add to the lyrical onslaught, and played records like "Oochie Wally" and "You Owe Me" to enliven his female fans.

Sexyy Red Incited A Twerk Fest

Sexyy Red | Frankie Vergara

Hot-ticket rapper Sexyy Red arrived on the Presser Stage with a message: "Make America Sexyy Again." And as soon as Madam Sexyy arrived, she ignited a riot throughout the TD Pavilion aisles. Twerkers clung onto friends and grasped nearby railings to dance to strip club joints like "Bow Bow Bow (F My Baby Dad)" and "Hood Rats."

Red matched the energy and BPM-attuned twerks from her fans, which only intensified as her lyrics grew more explicit. Sexyy encouraged all of the antics with a middle finger to the sky, her tongue out, and her daring lyrics filling the air. Songs like "SkeeYee" and "Pound Town" added to the nonstop action, leaving fans in a hot sweat — and with their inner sexyy fully unlocked.

Jill Scott Delivered Some Homegrown Magic

Jill Scott (left) and Tierra Whack | Marcus McDonald

To close out night one, the Roots Picnic crowd congregated at the Park Stage for a glimpse of Philadelphia's native child, Jill Scott. The famed soulstress swooned with her fiery voice and neo-soul classics like "A Long Walk" and "The Way." Fans swayed their hips and sang to the night sky as Scott sprinkled her musical magic.

Scott, wrapped up in warm, sapphire-toned garments, was welcomed to the stage by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. The newly elected official rallied the audience for a "Philly nostalgic" evening, and the GRAMMY-winning icon delivered a soaring performance that mirrored her vocal hero, Kathleen Battle. "Philadelphia, you have all of my love," Scott gushed. "I'm meant to be here tonight at this Roots Picnic."

"Jilly from Philly" invited some of the city's finest MCs to the stage for the jam session. Black Thought rapped along her side for The Roots' "You Got Me," and Tierra Whack stepped in for the premiere of her and Scott's unreleased rap song, a booming ode to North Philly. 

Fantasia & Tasha Cobbs Leonard Brought Electrifying Energy

Fantasia | Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Live Nation Urban

Led by the musical maestro Adam Blackstone , singers Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Fantasia set the warmness of Sunday service and their Southern flare with a "Legacy Experience." And as the title of the performance suggests, their fiery passion was a thread of musical mastery.

As fans danced across the lawn, it was just as much a moment of worship as it was a soulful jam — and only the dynamic voices of the two Southern acts could do the job. "Aren't y'all glad I took y'all there this Sunday," Blackstone said.

The sanctity of Tasha Cobbs Leonard's vocals was most potent on "Put A Praise On It," and Fantasia's power brought the house down even further with classics like "Free Yourself" and "When I See U."

"I wasn't supposed to come up here and cut. I'm trying to be cute," Fantasia joked after removing her shoes on stage. The North Carolina native's lips quivered and her hands shook in excitement, as she continued to uplift the audience — fittingly closing with a roaring rendition of Tina Turner's "Proud Mary."

Babyface Reminded Of His Icon Status

Babyface | Marcus McDonald

There are few artists who could dedicate a full set to their own records, or the hits they've penned for other musicians. And if you don't know how special that is, Babyface won't hesitate to remind you. "I wrote this back in 1987," he said before singing the Whispers ' "Rock Steady."

Throughout the legendary R&B singer's 45-minute set, he switched between his timeless records like "Every Time I Close My Eyes" and "Keeps on Fallin'," and those shared by the very artists he's inspired — among them, Bobby Brown 's "Don't Be Cruel" and "Every Little Step," 

Fans across several generations gathered to enjoy the classic jams. There was a look of awe in their eyes, as they marveled at the work and memories Babyface has created over more than four decades. 

André 3000 Offered Layers Of Creativity

André 3000 | Marcus McDonald

Speculation over what André 3000 would bring to his Sunday night set was the buzz all weekend. Fans weren't sure if they were going to hear the "old André," or the one blowing grandiose tones from a flute on his solo debut, 2023's New Blue Sun .

The former Outkast musician went for the latter, and while some fans were dismayed by the lack of bars, hundreds stayed for the highly rhythmic set. "Welcome to New Blue Sun live," André said. The majestic chimes and flowy notes of his performance reflect a new creative outlook, and as the performance went on, there was a cloud of coolness that loomed over the amphitheater.

His artistic approach is new to many fans, but he never stopped showcasing the personality they have grown to love. After delivering a message in an indistinguishable language, he panned to the crowd with a look of deep thought and said, "I just want y'all to know, I made all that s— up." It's the kind of humor fans have admired from him for decades, and moments like those are one of many reasons they stayed to watch the nuances of the MC's set.

Lil Wayne & The Roots Gave New Orleans Its Magnolias

Trombone Shorty (left) and Black Thought | Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Live Nation Urban

The sound of jazz trombones and the gleam of Mardi Gras colors transported West Philly to the bustling streets of New Orleans for the closing set of Roots Picnic 2024. The ode to the Big Easy featured natives like Lloyd, PJ Morton and the marvelous Trombone Shorty , all of whom helped deliver a celebratory tribute that matched the city's vibrance.

Lloyd floated to the stage singing The Roots' "Break You Off," and delved into his own catalog with "Get It Shawty" and "You." Morton soon followed with a soulful run of his R&B records, including "The Sweetest Thing" and "Please Be Good."

With anticipation on full tilt, Black Thought welcomed the festival closer to the stage with a message: "It's only right if Philly pays homage to New Orleans that we bring out Lil Wayne." And right on cue, Wayne drew a wave of cheers as he began "Mr. Carter."

Wayne strung together his biggest Billboard-charting and street hits, including "Uproar," "Hustler's Muzik" and "Fireman." The performance was a rousing cap-off to the weekend — and it clearly meant a lot to the rapper to rep his city in such grand fashion.

"This is a dream come true," Wayne said. "It's a motherf–ing honor."

11 New Music Festivals To Attend In 2024: No Values, We Belong Here & More

Photo: Daniel Prakopcyk

Shaboozey On His New Album, Beyoncé & Why He'll Never Be A "Stereotypical" Artist

After Beyoncé introduced Shaboozey to a global audience via 'COWBOY CARTER,' his genre-shattering third album arrives on the wings of his own international smash, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" and makes a declaration: 'Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going.'

The last two months have been monumental for Shaboozey. On March 29, Beyoncé fans around the world embraced his two guest collaborations on her COWBOY CARTER album, "SPAGHETTII" and "SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN'" — and they were instantly interested in what else the Nigerian-American singer had to offer. According to his label, EMPIRE, Spotify listens of Shaboozey's music (including his first two albums, 2018's Lady Wrangler and 2022's Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die ) rose by 1000 percent after COWBOY CARTER dropped.

Six weeks later, his growing fandom sent his breakthrough single, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country chart — ironically, dethroning Queen Bey's "Texas Hold 'Em" in the process. The song instantly proved to have crossover appeal, also peaking at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, along with reaching the top spot on pop charts in Australia, Canada, Norway, and Sweden.

With his third album, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, the man born Collins Chibueze is eager for audiences new and old to get a deeper look into his ever-evolving artistry, which he's been honing for more than a decade. He leans into country and the soundtrack of the open road on "Highway" and "Vegas," while also tapping into his talent as an MC on "Drink Don't Need No Mix" with Texas rapper BigXthaPlug. He displays a softer side, too, with tracks like "My Fault," an apologetic and pleading country ballad performed with Noah Cyrus , and "Steal Her From Me," which finds Shaboozey smoldering with his own Southern slow jam.

Shaboozey's massive global recognition may be fresh, but he's here to remind listeners that he's not a new artist. In a candid interview with GRAMMY.com, the singer discusses how he's put in a decade of hard work in order to appear to be an overnight success.

You've topped the country charts as well as pop charts around the world. Do you think we are witnessing a more welcoming era in country music right now?

I think it's definitely a lot more welcoming. All these genres of music now, just because of the internet age and the access to information — like, now I can go watch Tubi, which has thousands of Western movies, and then Spotify, I can jump from listening to a Townes Van Zandt album or a Leonard Cohen album, and then I can go play Future , you know what I mean?

And then I can jump from them, and go listen to The Marías, who are friends of mine. I can listen to some indie rock music, and then I can listen to some Fred again.. or something like that. So having all that at your fingertips, I think, it's allowed for some interesting combinations in all genres of music. I think we're the generation of paint splatter! I do think it is very welcoming. As artists we are able to connect. We can have our own micro communities. There's not just one way to connect with people now, there are so many other ways. It's different out there now, it's really different.

You're releasing your second album with EMPIRE — how has the company helped you to develop?

EMPIRE has been super awesome. I was signed to Republic for a while, for a year or two, and I saw some article where it talked about Universal partnering with EMPIRE to handle some distribution stuff. I remember talking to my manager at the time, and being like, "We should go there!"

Major labels can get pretty cluttered. Sometimes they just don't have the bandwidth to develop acts that aren't going to take off in a couple weeks or a month or a quarter. They have these quarterlies they have to meet.

So for an artist like me, who is — a lot of people like to describe me as disruptive. It's weird to describe yourself as that. I'm just being me, and people are like, "That's disruptive." But for someone like me, who's like that, it's very important for me to be innovative and push things, and change the way people consume.

I never came in the game wanting to be stereotypical, or just your usual artist. I came in just trying to be like, Man, I love art. I love being creative and that's what I am. Sometimes that's hard to package to everyone. It's like, what is it? For major labels, sometimes, they love to be like, this is pop, this is country, this is just that.

And so for EMPIRE to bring me into what they had going on, and to stick with me within these three or four years I've been with them, knowing that there has been a lot of ups and downs. There've been a lot of [times] that we thought were going to do something that [we] didn't. Because it's a process with artistry, it doesn't happen overnight. They say it takes 10 years to have an overnight success, and it's true.

Your new album flows so well. Was it written to be taken in as one complete piece?

I'm a lover of a concept album. I love film, I love stories, I love payoffs. I love the hero's journey, they call it.

There is a way to tell a story in a three-act structure. And within those structures you have your rising action, you have your hero's call to action. They lead the world, you have your climax, and then you have, was the hero changed? Did they get the thing they were looking for at the end of it?

I'm a huge fan of film, huge on concepts, world building. I want something to feel immersive, so arrangement is big to me.

But before, I used to be super picky about [ensuring that] everything needs to connect, and I had to learn to let that go and just know that that's a part of me as an artist. As I create, I'm telling these stories naturally, so I stopped being too hard on myself about things needing to connect because that would cripple me at certain points. But now, again, I'm just learning how to let it go, and let it come naturally. It's cool to see that people are still saying with this project that there's still a concept there. And I'm like, oh, there is still a concept there. There is still a story.

My last project [ Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die ] was super inspired by western films. Old western films, like, spaghetti westerns, and the whole nature of outlaw, just like period piece western culture. So I was huge on everything needing to feel like it was period. It needed to feel like this 1800s western, and this Black outlaw and his gang.

Obviously, I wanted the [visual] content to reflect that. And then you're realizing…   Wait, every video shoot I'm having to rent western wardrobe and chaps? It's a lot to do all the time, you know? It was a commitment… and I don't wear that everyday, so it wasn't really 100 percent being authentically myself in that moment. It was like, I'm creating a character and this character is separate from me.

That's hard to do all the time. Especially when it's a period piece in the 1800s and you're in 2024. So at some point I was like, hey, I want this project to be more like, I can put something on in my closet and go shoot some content, versus having to find a western town, or a world or environment that fits the 1800s.

Do you think that Beyoncé was inspired by that album?

I definitely think so. I think that's what was cool about her project, and her entry into country. I saw a lot of similarities between the things that inspired us.

What I love about country is, I really love the old stuff that really does play into the old West, the Wild West — and I saw that Beyoncé, she would talk about little things like that, too. Like the outlaws, hangmen and six shooters, and stuff like that. So you can see that she's really inspired by that stuff as well. I was told by her team that she would definitely watch a lot of old Western films through the process of doing her project.

How has the Beyhive treated you since you appeared on COWBOY CARTER ?

I love that community. Seriously, that community, they've been extremely supportive from what I've seen, because Beyoncé's message has been about shining light on people that may have been overlooked. So they definitely carry out the mission of supporting the people that Beyoncé supports. They've been amazing.

I would like to say that early on with "Bar Song," they were definitely pre-saving it, they were sharing it as much as they could on Twitter, and there were a lot of posts that I was making that were getting high viewership. You could tell that there were a lot of impressions before the "Bar Song" came out. So they're great.

Did you ever think you'd be on an album with Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton ?

I hoped for those things when I was creating my album. I wanted to see more hip-hop artists collaborating with people like that. I was always like, man, if I was given a $10 million budget to make a project, I'd get Willie Nelson or Hank Williams Jr. or someone like that to jump on it. I want to see something like that. As someone whose parents grew up in Nigeria, what do you think of the global breakthrough of Nigerian artists like Burna Boy and Wizkid ?

It's amazing to see. Afrobeat is definitely universal now, global like that. I think Wizkid was one of the pioneers of getting that music across the water in such a way. Burna Boy, too — if you check out his aesthetic, it's influenced by a lot of different things. He's not just wearing traditional Nigerian garments, he's wearing designer stuff, and he's got the jewelry pieces and Cartier. It's presented in a way that that style of music wasn't really represented [before] in that sense.

I lived in Nigeria for a year or two, and when I was there, there was no wifi or the internet. Now I go back and my cousins are on Netflix and on Instagram and all these places. So yeah, everything is spreading out. But as far as Afrobeat, I mean, that music is incredible, the production. It's so infectious when you hear it, but it's cool to see people of Nigerian descent, me as well, having our reach everywhere.

Davido , he reached out to me a couple days ago, he's like, "I need you to get on this record." There's a lot of Nigerian artists now that are hitting me up, and are like, "Hey, will you jump on this, will you jump on that?" I'm hearing some of those guys are trying to get into country music. It's cool to kind of have my own Burna Boy moment right now!

The new album sounds like you really worked on developing your voice as an instrument, with more singing than rapping. Is that a fair assumption?

Yeah. Being from Virginia, we didn't have those outlets to kind of hone in on. I didn't have a vocal coach, or a songwriting program, or anything like that. We kind of had to figure it out on our own.

I think that's why you have so many artists that come from Virginia where they're all very eclectic, they all have this kind of rawness to them. Missy Elliott, Timbaland , Pharrell , even Tommy Richman. He's got that song going crazy viral too. You know the song, the "Million Dollar Baby" song. It's a guy singing falsetto [like] Bee Gees over a hip-hop beat. I'm like, where did you learn to structure a song like this?

This album was that project for me. My manager here [told me] it's working, because I'm learning how to arrange music and write songs that have a broader appeal, but I didn't know that at the time. We were just having fun, just learning how to do it with whatever resources we had. It can get kind of funky.

I think my first project was very funky, and then this one was [made after] 10 years of being in it. You start to figure it out a little bit more.

Beyond Country: All The Genres Beyoncé Explores On 'Cowboy Carter'

Photo: Burak Cingi/Redferns

10 Can't-Miss Acts At Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024: Amaarae, Ethel Cain, Troye Sivan & More

Barcelona's Primavera Sound shines as a star-studded spectacle every year, but the famed international festival's 2024 lineup is especially lively. Get to know 10 acts you won't want to miss at Parc del Fòrum from May 29 to June 2.

Since 2001, Primavera Sound has served as Barcelona's kickoff to summer. And with a stacked lineup chock full of effervescent acts for its 2024 iteration, this year's fest will certainly get the feel-good, warm-weather vibes rolling.

Phoenix starts the party with pop rock and new wave on May 29, setting the stage for fellow headliners Pulp, Vampire Weekend , and Justice on May 30. Lana Del Rey , The National , and Disclosure will make everyone's Friday night on May 31. Then, SZA , PJ Harvey , Mitski , and Charli XCX will ring in June on Saturday, before house/electronic acts ANOTR, The Blessed Madonna, Chloé Caillet, and Mochakk close things out on June 2.

But the headliners are just the beginning of what makes this year's Primavera Sound Barcelona exciting. Peggy Gou , L'Imperatrice , or Omar Apollo will likely tease new tunes, as they all gear up for June album releases. And just a month ago, Faye Webster, The Last Dinner Party , and Eartheater all had their respective Coachella debuts, proving they're more than ready to tackle the Primavera stage.

In the festival's jam-packed five-day lineup, hundreds of acts are primed to kick-start summer with a bang. Below, GRAMMY.com highlights 10 sets you won't want to miss in Barcelona — from Deftones ' alt-metal bash to Amaarae 's soulful hip-hop.

Performing: May 30, Plenitude Stage

Singaporean musician yeule is pioneering the ambient and glitch pop genres one song at a time. Born Nat Ćmiel, their stage name is based on a video game character, Paddra Nsu-Yeul, which speaks to their artistic steps in and out of reality. yeule's musical (and fashion) aesthetic is defined by the cyberworld, marked by futuristic, alternative styles that bewitchingly break norms.

Though they started out as a bedroom producer, yeule's more recent creative endeavors — like their invigorating 2022 album, softscars — have been more collaborative, adding a new layer of inspiration and beauty to their work. With influences ranging from Avril Lavigne to Radiohead , yeule's Primavera set will be ideal for living out all of your emo nostalgic fantasies.

Performing: May 30, Amazon Music Stage

Get ready to scream with Deftones at Primavera. Winning their first GRAMMY back in 2001, the alternative metal band is still rocking out 20-plus years later — and making waves in this festival lineup. While Primavera tends to be led by various electronic and pop acts, Deftones is uniquely ushering punk to the festival's frontlines.

Banding together in 1988 in Sacramento, Deftones is known for their progressive experimentation within metal and rock, often dipping into psychedelia, post-punk, trip hop. Headed by lead vocalist Chino Moreno , the band's hardcore sound is unabashedly raw, original and heavy, continuing to evolve expansively with the metal genre.

Paving the way for contemporary heavy metal over the years, Deftones is a defiant act you won't want to miss at a major stage at Primavera Sound.

Troye Sivan

Performing: may 31, santander stage.

Ready to feel the rush? Troye Sivan certainly is.

The Australian pop star is making Primavera an early stop in his tour for Something To Give Each Other , his latest album featuring jubilant singles like "Rush" and "Got Me Started." Once his European tour wraps in Birmingham, England at the tail end of June, he'll be headlining the Sweat Tour with fellow headliner Charli XCX — who coincidentally will be performing at Primavera the next day on June 1.

From the electropop seedlings on his 2015 debut, Blue Neighborhood , to the full-fledged forlorn beauty of his 2020 EP, In A Dream , Sivan's artistry has evolved significantly in the last decade. Today, his music is its most freeing yet, and there's no doubt it'll be glorious (and sweaty) on the Primavera stage.

Performing: May 31, Plentitude Stage

UK-based Nigerian artist Obongjayar 's musical style is nearly indescribable. Interlacing Afrobeat, spoken word, and EDM, all of his songs are distinctly tinged with a signature, soulful vibrance, and it'll be sensational to see how Obongjayar takes his pensive profundity to fill the Primavera stage.

Though he might be best known for the Fred again.. collaboration "adore u" (which samples his track "I Wish It Was Me"), Obongjayar's special sound effortlessly meshes with everyone he works with. From "If You Say" with Sarz, to "Point and Kill" with Little Simz , to "Protein" with Jeshi, it would be fair to call Obongjayar a chameleon — except instead of blending in, he's standing out.

There's no better word to describe Ethel Cain 's music than transcendent.

A master of gothic indie rock, Cain stitches together uncanny Americana and lovelorn nostalgia into a radiant, sensory experience. Her debut album, 2022's Preacher's Daughter , is divine and sometimes disturbing, but its ambience live sends audiences into an impossibly satisfying trance.

Whether you're listening to the enchanting slow burn of "A House In Nebraska" or the eerie roar of "American Teenager," both Cain's storytelling and live performance are infallibly spine-chilling — do yourself a favor and don't miss Cain's hauntingly beautiful set at Primavera.

BADBADNOTGOOD

Performing: may 31, cupra stage.

Looking for a band that combines jazz styles with hip-hop production? Look no further than BADBADNOTGOOD , an innovative Canadian instrumental band.

After meeting at a Toronto jazz program in 2010, the three-piece band bonded over their hip-hop music appreciation, and the rest is history. Since then, BADBADNOTGOOD (which now features Leland Whitty in place of original member Matthew Tavares) has released five studio albums — fittingly, including covers of hip-hop songs with jazz interpretations. The group has also worked with Kendrick Lamar , Tyler, The Creator , Thundercat , and many more notable artists.

The band's collaborative production and remixing has earned them two GRAMMY wins and five total nominations , and there's no question BADBADNOTGOOD's set will put a spell on Barcelona.

Performing: May 31, Amazon Music Stage

Electronica is Arca 's playground, and the pioneering producer's set at Primavera is sure to craft a whole new world. Dynamism defines the Venezuelan musician's shape-shifting art; through its avant-garde fusion of reggaeton, ambient techno, and dark electronica, her music is bursting with vigor.

Arca's music often discusses themes of gender identity and sexuality, and her views of queerness center around harmony and inclusion, which reflect in her pristine tracks "Nonbinary" and "Machote" on her GRAMMY-nominated album KiCk i . Having released 10 albums since 2006; worked with artists like Rosalía , Björk , and the late SOPHIE ; and even opened for Beyoncé 's Renaissance World Tour , Arca brings immeasurable experience to Barcelona.

The producer's music naturally begs to be heard live — it's meant to sweat to and be danced to, and Arca's Primavera set will embody true electronic extravagance.

ATARASHII GAKKO!

Performing: june 1, cupra stage.

This rising Japanese girl group's powerful sound easily warrants a stage name in all caps and with an exclamation point.

Fresh off their U.S. television debut on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," ATARASHII GAKKO! is ready to tackle the Primavera Sound stage with their engaging J-pop that integrates elements of hip-hop, rock, and jazz. Intrepid and commanding, their live performance features synchronized dancing, matching sailor school uniforms, and occasionally a marching band.

The quartet's upcoming world tour has a handful of sold-out dates. They've already conquered crowds at Coachella and Head in the Clouds — and there's no doubt that ATARASHII GAKKO! will bring their best to Barcelona.

Performing: June 1, Amazon Music Stage

Ama Serwah Genfi — better known as Amaarae — is an alté trailblazer. Raised between Atlanta and Accra, Ghana, the singer crafts mercurial music that is both introspective and stylish, and destined to be performed for vast audiences.

From her 2017 EP, Passionfruit Summers , to her 2023 album, Fountain Baby , it's easy to be mesmerized by her distinct, eccentric soprano and overflowing confidence. Her critically acclaimed "Sad Girlz Luv Money" (featuring Molly and Kali Uchis ) charted globally in 2021, and just last year, she became the first Ghanaian American to perform an NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Amaarae's live performances bring her blend of R&B, pop, and afrobeats to a new level, and she's ready to introduce her infectious global beats to Primavera.

Bikini Kill

Performing: june 1, pull&bear stage.

Famed pioneers of the riot grrrl movement in the '90s, Bikini Kill is bringing punk fun (and rage) to the Primavera stage.

Influencing alternative stars like Sleater-Kinney , Pussy Riot , and The Linda Lindas , it's no question that the iconic American band has inspired the next generation, whether that be through their music or activism. From "Rebel Girl" to "Feels Blind" to "I Like F—ing," Bikini Kill's beautifully irate music calls for female solidarity and empowerment still resonate with listeners today.

Though the band broke up in 1997, they reunited in 2019 and have since been touring together — and now, Primavera offers a special chance to see another inspiring moment from the revolutionary rockers.

​​Leap Into AAPI Month 2024 With A Playlist Featuring Laufey, Diljit Dosanjh, & Peggy Gou

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• 5 10 Can't-Miss Acts At Primavera Sound Barcelona 2024: Amaarae, Ethel Cain, Troye Sivan & More