The artist Kaytranada and the group Men I Trust take pride of place on the billboards of the Coachella and Bonnaroo festivals, two of the most important music events in the United States.
• Also read: Kaytranada at Coachella
Proof that his star has been shining even brighter since winning two Grammy Awards in 2021 is that Montreal producer and DJ Louis Kevin Celestin, aka Kaytranada, is even one of the most anticipated artists on the 14th Days poster .and April 21 at Coachella, a festival that takes place over two weekends and draws more than 125,000 spectators.
Looking at the daily lineup of about fifty artists, his name is the fifth most important, behind headliner Bad Bunny, then Gorillaz, Burna Boy and the Chemical Brothers.
For its part, the name of the trio Men I Trust, born in Quebec almost 10 years ago, rubs shoulders with that of the British formation Franz Ferdinand on the program for June 18 in Bonnaroo, during a day with the Foo Fighters.
Positive impact for men I trust
Photo archive, AFP
The group Men I Trust during their participation in the Coachella festival in 2019. The Quebec indie pop formation is in the process of hosting next summer’s Bonnaroo festival.
Curiously, keyboardist Dragos Chiriac had not realized the importance of Men I Trust’s presence in Bonnaroo when Le Journal spoke to him.
“I don’t know this festival that well. You teach me it’s a big deal, I had no idea,” laughed the musician.
On the other hand, because his group has taken part in Lollapalooza and Coachella, he knows how positively a spot on the poster of a prestigious festival can be an artist.
“Because we could put the names of these festivals on our resume, we were able to raise our fees and a lot of people started taking us seriously. There is a level of awareness and promoters are then more willing to take a risk by hiring us,” he says.
On four continents
One thing is for sure, it didn’t hurt Men I Trust who can play almost anywhere in the world, whether it’s America, Europe, Asia or Oceania.
The demand is there. Additionally, as in 2022, Dragos Chiriac and his accomplices Emmanuelle Proulx and Jessy Caron will spend much of 2023 touring the world. Almost 90 concerts on four continents are on their program.
“We’re also working on new music,” adds Dragos Chiriac.
We’ll see them in Montreal later in the year. There was talk of a presence at the Festival d’été de Québec, but the call from the programmers came just as Men I Trust had just said yes to dating in Europe. It will therefore be postponed.
The other big names
Coachella
From April 14 to 16 and from April 21 to 23, 2023
Bad Bunny, Blackpink, Frank Ocean, Gorillaz, Rosalía and Björk
Bonnaro
From July 15 to 18, 2023
Kendrick Lamar, Odesza, Foo Fighters, Zed’s Dead, Lil Nas X and Paramore