Five Acts To Look Out For At We Love Green 2023
With the festival season officially in motion, Paris’ annual We Love Green looks to spearhead music continuing its brand of intuitive and distinct social and ethical differences that position it in a league of its own.
Launched in 2011, it conducted itself differently to the marketplace around it, both in Paris and globally. Featuring Greenroomsessions and support from Heineken, the ethos 12 years later is as strong as ever, with the festival promising total vegetarianism on sight, no plastic policies entirely recycled scenography, and solar farms.
Now slightly refined in its musical offerings — trading solely electro-acts to an array of pop and hip-hop — We Love Paris has evolved to a leader in its space and in contemporary European music events.
With the inaugural show tonight and the festival at large lasting until June 4th, here are five unmissable performances across the sustainable weekend.
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Pusha T
One of hip-hop’s contemporary guards, Pusha T is an undeniable force within culture and a skilled musician, able to translate a plethora of narrative topics about one singular topic across albums, features, and other musical outputs. His cadence is menacing, his ad libs potent, but amongst all of that is an artist committed to the art of performance and holistic rap delivery, his intonation razor sharp.
His performance at last year’s Rolling Loud New York provides a concrete example of just a taste of his abilities when hungry.
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Little Simz
As she’s grown, UK rapper Little Simz shows the world why rap shouldn’t be gendered when addressing artistry.
Effortlessly one of the top lyricists in the UK and Europe at large, Simbi’s last two projects in particular (‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ and ‘No Thank You’), canvas her hunger to not only embody hip-hop but deliver it in innovative ways to the masses. The former highlighted a dedication to being a 360 musician, particularly honing in on avant-garde approaches to music visuals and performance.
Led by directors such as Salomon Ligthelm, Simz is now one renowned for delivering both on and off the stage in recent years.
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Tems
As the Black diaspora continues to inform contemporary musical culture beyond the continent, the likes of Wizkid, Burna Boy, Rema, Ayra Star, and Tems now inform the global afrobeats and afro-pop scenes, ushering in a taste of the contemporary faces of West Africa in multifaceted ways.
Tems’ harrowing vocals are able to harness elements of R&B infusing them with Nigerian pop and soul, able to tempt large swaths of audiences into her ether. As she grows so does the power in her tone and her ability to move around the stage, building confidence show by show.
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Nia Archives
A growing force within the UK’s electronica and jungle sphere, Nia Archives is dominating with a difference, bringing her innovation to the contemporary revival of sound. Balancing euphoria, with the unexpected and global sounds like Baile funk, Nia Archives is an act that will not only engage but empower and renew as she crosses over into the mainstream.
Probably one of the last moments before she truly takes off, Nia Archives is unmissable across this weekend.
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NxWorries
Anderson .Paak continues to cross-pollinate his talented proposition with other musical creators, the prolific Knxwledge is no exception. Featuring an array of genres from jazz, to soul, to hip-hop this duo is able to merge the discipline of hip-hop from yesteryear alongside the innovation and provocative nature of hip-hop in its contemporary form. .Paak’s confidence on stage is also compelling across each and every one of his performances.
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We Love Green runs between June 2nd – 4th.
Nicolas-Tyrell Scott
