LASSO Montréal unveils 2023 lineup!

LASSO Montréal unveils 2023 lineup!

LASSO Montréal, presented by Bell in collaboration with Coors Original,  is back after a hugely successful first run in 2022. Last year’s inaugural edition of the country music fest surpassed all expectations, creating a massive buzz in the city and proving that Montrey’all is a country music Mecca! Right out of the gate, LASSO Montréal has proven to be a bonafide phenomenon, offering a state-of-the-art festival experience with all the country fixins you’d expect, on a beautiful island in the St Lawrence River, overlooking the stunning Montreal skyline, and with all that momentum from last year’s kickoff edition, the 2023 edition is shaping up to be incredible! With the warm weather just around the corner, Canadians and Quebecers are already gearing up for those long summer days and nights, hanging out with friends and family, eating and drinking to their hearts’ content, while being serenaded by that golden country twang – that is the raison d’être of LASSO!

If there was ever a question, Montreal is now most definitely a country music town, and LASSO Montréal has proven to be one of the most exciting country music events in North America. With some of the top talent in country music booked for 2023, this second edition looks to be an even bigger, unforgettable country event. On August 18-19, Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau, one of the most picturesque festival sites in North America, will once again be home to a massive get together to celebrate the power of live music! The festival’s second edition will feature some of the hottest acts from the US, as well as incredible talent from our own huge Canadian and Québec backyard! Joining headliners Chris Stapleton and Kane Brown are a variety of exciting acts, carefully curated by the LASSO team to maximize your good time country vibes.

Last year, Montreal’s Brittany Kennell was a revelation for fans attending the festival, and this year LASSO Montréal is pleased to introduce her as the official ambassador for its 2023 edition. The Montreal-based artist has already made a name for herself in Quebec, Canada, and the States with her vintage yet modern country music style. Brittany explains:

“If you would have told 18 year old Brittany Kennell, when she moved to Nashville 15 years ago that she would be back to play the first edition of Montreal’s first ever country festival LASSO and that the following year she’d be the spokesperson, I don’t know if I would have believed you. It’s beyond my wildest dreams and an absolute honor to represent my city, my province and my country community.”

Some highlights to look forward to this summer:

• Big Loud recording artist, Jake Owen, has been dominating the charts since he burst onto the scene in 2006. The Florida-born singer has ten #1 singles to his name, and his honky tonk baritone has been streamed over 2.5 BILLION times in the US! The multiple award winner’s laid-back style makes for an amazing live show that has fans singing along in droves, as witnessed last year when he headlined several high-profile festivals.

• Brothers Osbourne are the real deal when it comes to rockin’ country! The duo, consisting of brothers T.J. Osborne and John Osborne hail from Maryland, where they learned how to light up the sky with country fire whenever they hit the stage. With 6 Grammy noms under their belts, four CMA Awards, five ACM trophies, and a collection of some of the most infectious country hits to chart in the past decade, the bros are sure to have the crowd swaying back and forth to their high energy hoedown!

• Pennsylvania-born Gabby Barrett is widely considered the face of Gen-Z country, having been named Billboard’s Top New Country Artist of 2020, an Amazon Music Breakthrough artist, included in Variety’s 2020 Young Hollywood Impact Report, and one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Music. In her meteoric rise to the top, she has amassed nearly 2 BILLION global streams, and her debut, I Hope, was the most-streamed country song of 2020, highlighted as one of the Best Songs of the year by the Associated Press and Billboard, and won CMT’s 2020 Breakthrough Video of the Year award, simultaneously cracking the Top 3 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 chart – in fact, Gabby is, to date, the youngest artist with a #1 debut at country radio in over two decades. Prior to her LASSO gig, Gabby will also be honored on March 2nd at the 2022 Women in Music Awards with the Rising Star Award.

• Elle King is an absolute phenomenon – the young singer-songwriter is the daughter of comedian Rob Schneider, but there is nothing funny about her career in music – the four-time Grammy Award nominee received high honors from the Country Music Association Awards as well as the Academy of Country Music Awards. The singer cites a varied list of musical influences, including Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Otis Redding, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and AC/DC, making for a very old-school sound. In fact, The Guardian describes her sound as “steeped in every genre of vintage Americana – sassy rock’n’roll, vampy R&B, country sadness, and a little blues.” Elle has been touring with LASSO headliner Chris Stapleton to massive acclaim, and it will be great to see her do her thing in Montreal.

• A true icon, multi-platinum Canadian artist Dean Brody has just come off arguably the single biggest year of his career, headlining multiple festival stages across the country. The popular singer/songwriter has collected an unprecedented 34 Top-10 singles; 18 CCMA Awards; 2 JUNO awards, and his music has garnered over 425+ million streams around the globe. Only Shania Twain has more Canadian streams when considering Canadian country artists’ “lifetime” results.

• Quebec’s own Francis Degrandpré, discovered by the public on the wildly popular TV show La Voix in 2020 (on Marc Dupré’s team), sold out his March show at Corona Theatre in Montreal and released his debut album Soir de quai in May. Performing on stage is where Francis feels most comfortable, and he’s sure to have the crowd enraptured by his strong vocals when he takes the stage at LASSO.

• Ontario’s Jade Eagleson is one of Canada’s top country talents, with several # 1 hits to his name, including singles like “Lucky,” “All Night to Figure It Out,” “More Drinkin’ Than Fishin'” and “She Don’t Know.” Eagleson kicked off LASSO in the City last year to much fanfare, and his 99+ million views on YouTube speak for themselves – Jade’s Honky Tonk revival is one not to miss! He’ll be taking the stage on the Friday evening.

• Raleigh, North Carolina’s Priscilla Block is among country music’s most exciting new artists, with an authentic voice that has made her into a real-deal social media darling! The new TikTok star describes her sound as “a little sass, a little trash, and a little sad”. Representing a new generation of future country stars, Priscilla is sure to get toes tappin’ when she hits the stage at LASSO this summer.

• Acadian trio Les Hay Babies are one of Canada’s and Quebec’s most beloved groups and a perfect fit for LASSO! Their infectious indie-folk-country sound has been celebrated from coast to coast – the trio won Les Francouvertes in 2013 as well as being elected “Francophone Songwriter of the Year” at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. In 2015, My Homesick Heart was crowned “Francophone Album of the Year” at the East Coast Music Awards, as well, and with Boîte aux lettres, their 3rd album, they have gone back to basics for a sound that will pierce through the noise and have fans feeling really good again!

• Madeline Edwards is one of America’s most exciting new country artists. In the last year, she has earned non-stop accolades as a Spotify “Hot Country Artist to Watch,” an Apple Music “Country Riser”, and a CMT “Next Women of Country,” as well as from NPR, who named her a Top 20 Breaker artist. Madeline’s 13 million streams to date is a sign of what’s to come, and with her debut at the Grand Ole Opry in the rearview mirror, the sky’s the limit!

Lasso Montréal will be bringing the country vibes to Parc Jean Drapeau from August 18th to 19th. Tickets go on sale this Friday (March 3rd) at 10 am! GA tickets start at $135 CAD for 1 day, $230 CAD for 2 days. Gold tickets start at $255 CAD for 1 day, $410 CAD for 2 days. For tickets and more information, visit lassomontreal.com!