Sun, September 28, 2025
Doors: 11:00 am
Show: 12:00 pm
merriweather post pavilion
Columbia, MD
NO CHAIRS PERMITTED
There’s a point on Doechii’s acclaimed 2024 mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, when she yells to the heavens, “I’m everythiiiiing!” Her cry hits as a refutation to those who contort themselves trying to cram her into one genre or identity. As it turns out, the self-anointed Swamp Princess is defining herself just fine. The Tampa-born, L.A.-based rapper/singer is one of the most dynamic of her generation — as compelling delivering blunt bars over literal boom bap, as she is cooing affirmations over astral jazz, as she is barking orders over blistering house, as she is seducing over a radio-conquering R&B jam. In many ways — commercially, critically, personally — Bites is the culmination of the Top Dawg Entertainment/Capitol Records innovator’s wild rise. In 2023 alone: Doechii scored her first RIAA Platinum® plaque and Billboard Hot 100 hit with the “No Scrubs”-sampling viral R&Bop “What It Is (Block Boy).” She turned heads again with Eurodance/rap hybrid “Alter Ego,” featuring JT. Next, she played Coachella’s main stage, popped in to perform on Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, and hit the road with Doja Cat. Before the year was out, she was named a RISING STAR among Women in Music by Billboard (joining the likes of Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and Ariana Grande), and even showed off her acting chops in A24 film Earth Mama. Ultimately, though, what’s most impressive about Doechii isn’t simply that she excels at literally every form she explores. It’s that she is at home in her artistry, wherever it takes her.
Kesha is an undeniable pop icon with 10 top 10 singles, more than 3B worldwide streams, two #1 albums, four #1 songs on top 40 radio and nearly 40M followers across social media. The 2x GRAMMY® Award-nominated superstar attracts a diverse, passionate and socially-engaged global audience who believe in the messages behind her music while critics also have unanimously sung her praises. Kesha’s ventures outside of music include a top-rated TV program, an award-winning film, a book, a cruise and a cosmetics line, all of which spotlight an artist whose passion, talent and charm has earned her legions of fans. Additionally, Kesha has been a staunch advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community and animal welfare through various organizations since the start of her career. 2023’s Gag Order, which marked Kesha’s first new album in over three years, was met by worldwide critical applause and later named “Album of the Year” by The Arts Desk while also placing in the upper echelons of year-end charts from Rolling Stone, PopMatters, The Independent, Slant, and The Sunday Times.
2024 was among undoubtedly among the most momentous years of Kesha’s historic career, with highlights including her featured role on the remix of Charli XCX’s “Spring Breakers” (found on the acclaimed Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat), starring on the cover of GLAMOUR Germany, and being honored as “Music Icon” at GLAMOUR Germany’s 2024 Women of the Year Awards. Kesha – who kicked off the year teaching “The Alchemy of Pop“ as Artist in Residence at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA, followed by a major Ted Talk at Vancouver, BC’s TED2024 conference – further delighted fans with show-stopping festival performances at West Hollywood, CA’s OUTLOUD Music Festival At WeHo Pride, Philadelphia, PA’ Wawa Welcome America Festival in Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, IL’s Lollapalooza and Mexico City, MX’s Festival HERA HSBC, as well as such surprises as a live performance to over 5,000 ecstatic fans at Brooklyn, NY’s sold-out Planet Pride 2024 and a special guest appearance alongside Reneé Rapp at Indio, CA’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that saw the two stars performing Kesha’s 8x RIAA Platinum-certified, worldwide #1 classic hit, “Tik Tok,” complete with raised middle fingers and an updated lyrical shout to “F-ck P Diddy.” “This I think is the hottest person on the Earth,” Rapp said while introducing her surprise guest. “Everybody put your f-cking hands together for Kesha.” Her incredible 2024 was wrapped up by teaming with iHeartRadio for rapturously received holiday performances at Kiss 108’s Jingle Ball Presented By Capital One at Boston, MA’s TD Garden and Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball Presented By Capital One at Washington, DC’s Capital One Arena.
Djo – the musical project of actor / producer / songwriter Joe Keery known for his work in blockbuster projects as Stranger Things and Fargo – announces his highly anticipated new album The Crux. The follow-up to Djo’s 2022 album DECIDE, which featured the blockbuster hit “End of Beginning,” The Crux will be released on April 4th on AWAL. Djo has also announced a major 2025 global tour. The Djo – Back On You Tour will feature Post Animal as support on all North American, UK and EU tour dates.
The Crux was co-produced by Keery and his long-time collaborator Adam Thein. It’s an album of impeccable craftsmanship. Unlike Keery’s previous albums – bedroom recordings centered around synths – The Crux spotlights lush guitars and instrumentation reminiscent of late 60’s and 70’s pop. It’s an album full of loss and yearning, but also one full of wit and gratitude. The album was written all over the world in a particularly fertile period for Keery – where he was grappling with the transience of his other job, being untethered and away from his friends and family. But to make the album he settled into the legendary Electric Lady Studios in his adopted home of New York City. The Crux not only showcases his ambitious scope, but also his skills as a deft multi-instrumentalist and songwriter (all songs were written by Keery or in collaboration with Adam Thein).
The first single “Basic Being Basic,” with Oberheim OB-X8 synths and falsetto refrain, has its final verses shrewdly skewer the (often online) tropes of modern day posturing. “It’s kind of a shot fired to anyone who’s trying to be of the moment,” says Keery. Listen to the song HERE.
I’m Lola Young, a South London girl with a big mouth and an even bigger love for making music. At 23, I’ve been lucky enough to create songs that speak to people on a global scale, blending the chaos of heartbreak, self-discovery, and everything in between into sounds that feel real and unapologetically me.
My official debut album, This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway, is all about raw emotion—love, rage, humor, and finding myself. It’s not just pop music; it’s a mix of everything I’ve ever loved, from hip-hop and indie to art-pop and grunge. Working with incredible producers like Jared Solomon (Solomonophonic), Conor Dickinson, and even SZA, I spent six months crafting these songs, pouring my life into every lyric. Tracks like “Don’t Hate Me” and “Conceited” have gone viral, connecting with people in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
I started out young, writing songs at 11 and performing in open mic nights around London. The Brit School gave me some grounding, but it’s the years of gigging in pubs and finding my sound that really shaped me. Since signing to Island at 18, I’ve released EPs, gone viral on TikTok (shoutout to my best mate Lily West for filming those DIY vids), and gained a fan base that includes Madonna—still can’t believe that one!
My music is rooted in real life: messy relationships, mental health struggles, the highs and lows of being young and figuring it all out. I grew up listening to legends like Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, and Prince, but I’ve always found my own way. I think that’s why my songs resonate—they’re brutally honest, sometimes funny, and always true to me.
With a sold-out U.S. tour and This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway finally out there, I’m ready for whatever comes next. Fame is scary, sure, but I just want people to relate to what I’m saying. If my songs make someone feel a little less alone, then I know I’m doing something right.
Role Model’s been in love. He was so in love he wrote his entire debut album, Rx, about it. But not all romances last forever, and the 27-year-old’s grieving of that same relationship is at the center of his sophomore album, Kansas Anymore. He began the project in 2022 but, faced with the ending of a formative relationship, he scrapped much of this early work. On his own and reinspired, he started anew, collaborating with Noah Conrad, Ian Fitchuk, Scott Harris & Jonah Shy to craft Kansas Anymore — a folk- tinged, lyric driven album featuring 13 new songs including “Oh Gemini” and “Deeply Still in Love.” Role Model is looking forward to playing these songs live, but more than anything, he’s embracing the sense of pride — and closure — he feels about making the album, about turning a personally heavy season of life into something that might move others. As rough as it was to ride that roller coaster of heartbreak and homesickness, Role Model feels these are the greatest songs he’s made yet.
Rachel Chinouriri is 2024’s most exciting British breakout star. With the release of her debut album What A Devastating Turn Of Events she cemented her reputation as one of the UK’s most accomplished young songwriters. Making the album was a cathartic experience for Chinouriri: by putting the challenges and joys of her life so far under a microscope she traverses themes of life, death, home and belonging, mental health, love and letting go with unflinching honesty, resulting in a one of the most unique indie pop records in years. What A Devastating Turn Of Events landed in the Top 20 of the UK Official Charts and led to Rachel securing her first two BRIT Award nominations (Artist Of The Year, Best New Artist), following previous nominations for an Ivor Novello award, multiple Rolling Stone UK awards and being tipped on the BBC’s coveted Sound Of poll. Following the album’s release she played a triumphant and emotional set on Glastonbury’s The Other Stage, sold out her UK headline tour and starts 2025 by supporting Sabrina Carpenter on all dates of her Spring UKand Europe arena tour. With her fiercely loyal fanbase, the ‘Darlings’ behind her, and over 2.4 million monthly Spotify listeners, Chinouriri has clocked up over 233 million global streams to date. Over years of experimenting with musical stylings, highlighted in her exploratory 2021 Four° in Winter project, Rachel began to hone a style totally her own with her 2022 EP Better Off Without, blending her signature delicate vocals with pure indie instrumentation. She has been praised by the likes of The Observer (“brimming with fresh ideas”), NME (“consistently charming”), GQ (“Chinouriri is set to dominate”), BBC Radio 1, Later… With Jools Holland and more. Elsewhere, she’s received recognition and support from the likes of Adele, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender and Hollywood darling Florence Pugh, who starred in the video for Rachel’s single ‘Never Need Me’.
Willson, Ashe’s third studio album, is a triumphant follow-up to her debut album Ashlyn and sophomore album Rae. (2 billion career streams, 1 million IG, 1.3 million Tik Tok)
The third in the installment, and her surname, Willson is a strong return to Ashe’s songwriting roots and marks her return to Nashville, where she started her career after graduating from Berklee College of Music.
A record about her life-altering divorce changed her life for the better, “Moral of the Story” went viral mere weeks before the pandemic in 2020 – leading to billions of streams and global tours for years before it led to a career burnout.
She took a pause, moved back to Nashville where her career had started and took some time to reset and re-center herself. She bought a home and renovated it herself. When she was finally convinced to join a friend’s writing session, she fell back in love with music again. She came home from the session and the first song of what became Willson poured out of her. She was back.
Willson is about staying true to who you are, coming back to yourself after losing yourself, and understanding that it’s all part of the human experience. This is the first album Ashe will be releasing independently, after parting ways with previous label of 7 years. She is the primary songwriter of the album as well as the creative director for the project visuals. Willson feels sticky and sweet – like getting bit by a mosquito on a hot, summer day.
So far evolved from who they were when they first began releasing music in 2017, The Aces deserve the sense of celebration they feel in their new music. With 3 albums, over 250 million streams, and countless other milestones under their belts, sisters Cristal and Alisa Ramirez (lead vocals/guitar and drums), Katie Henderson (lead guitar/vocals), and McKenna Petty (bass) are in full form working toward their 4th LP Gold Star Baby (out August 15 via SoundOn).
“The Magic” is The Aces “most confident single yet” (Dork Magazine), and with “Jealous” and “You Got Me” as their followup releases, they cement that they have no qualms with being the coolest ones in the room. Continuing to reach new pop heights, the band is rapidly becoming one of the genre’s most exciting and authentic voices.
The Aces have toured with the likes of 5 Seconds of Summer, X Ambassadors, The Vamps, and COIN, and have played at festivals all over the world, including NY Pride, Lollapalooza, Firefly, Bonnaroo, OUTFEST, Sziget, Pukkelpop and more. During their 2023 headline tour they sold out the international run across the UK, Australia & Japan. In 2024, they opened for Chappell Roan at Kentucky Pride and supported Goth Babe on a US run. So far this summer they have played at Summerfest as they make their way towards All Things Go and a headline tour this fall.
MICHELLE’s first project of buoyant R&B tracks was an ode to New York City, the city where all 6 members of the band grew up. But amid the success of that project, 2018’s HEATWAVE, and 2022’s AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS, they left home and broadened their perspective. The band traveled across the U.S. and Europe opening for Gus Dapperton, Arlo Parks, and Mitski, headlining their own shows, and playing festivals.
While writing their new album, Songs About You Specifically, MICHELLE decided to rent out a house in Ojai, California. Surrounded by lizards, the smell of ripe cactus fruit, and endless expanses of sand, they experienced a sense of solitude and closeness they hadn’t before. It shifted the tone of their work. While their earlier music channeled the churning restlessness of the city, these news songs meander and expand into starry shoegaze reveries, slick funk riffs, and lilting 80s synth pop.
Their newfound closeness also helped them write more vulnerable music. On Songs About You Specifically, the band members express their complicated desires, voice their regrets, and own up to their moments of selfishness. By slowing down, cutting out any distractions, and fostering a sense of communal closeness that necessitated honesty, MICHELLE ended up with a collection of songs that feel like the truth.
Peach PRC takes the things you only say on text to close friends (or exes) and turns them into pop that shimmers as much as it singes. The rising pop star packs an often unbelievable journey from writing and recording in her bedroom to social media phenomenon into smart, slick, and sweet songs with a bold bite. Equally funny and sensitive, she holds nothing back when it comes to life’s ups and downs, mental health, and everything in between. Peach PRC has received over 2 billion social views, a combined audience of 4 million-plus social followers, generated over 220 million combined artist streams, and attracted acclaim from Billboard, Rolling Stone, Vogue Australia, BuzzFeed, Consequence, NME, Paper, Refinery29 and more. Launching her TikTok page in 2019, she organically attracted an audience by posting everything from funny moments to self-care advice and, of course, music. A snippet of her first single “Blondes” played over the background of a video where she discussed the track’s meaning, and it went viral. The full version eventually amassed over 15 million Spotify streams as she maintained this momentum with the follow-up “Colourblind”, racking up another 4 million Spotify streams. Along the way, she carefully cultivated an undeniable style with a twist. That twist defines her debut single “Josh,” the ultimate kiss-off to the worst ex ever and has already received over 36 million streams and counting. Peach PRC followed up the success of “Josh” with her self-proclaimed girly camp pop single “Symptomatic”, receiving over 12 million plus combined streams to date, and ending 2021 with “Heavy”, which has tallied 22 million plus combined streams. In 2022, Peach PRC released the liberating single “God Is A Freak” and had everyone talking including pop music titans Billie Eilish, Finneas, and Justin Tranter. Followed up by “Forever Drunk”, where she teamed up with GRAMMY Award-nominated powerhouse songwriter Bonnie McKee. In 2023, she captivated audiences and tastemakers with the Manic Dream Pixie EP. Beyond piling up millions of streams, it debuted at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The chart-topping EP included singles “Kinda Famous”, “F U Goodbye”, and “Perfect For You” which notably pays tribute to Paris Hilton’s gold-certified 2006 smash “Stars Are Blind.” Among the EP’s acclaim, she received multiple ARIA Award nominations (Best Pop, Best Video, and Best Artwork), and nominated at this year’s TikTok Awards (Music Act of The Year). 2024 also saw Peach PRC travelling the globe, performing for a sold-out debut headline tour with stops across Australia, North America, and the United Kingdom. With special performances that include supporting BlackPink in London’s Hyde Park, Splendour in the Grass Festival, Spilt Milk Festival, Falls Festival and Spin Off Festival. 2025 is setting up to be a massive year with multiple new singles to be released and once again international and Australian tours. As always, there’s no shortage of passion, power, and pink. It is Peach PRC after all…
Alemeda, the emerging Ethiopian-Sudanese artist makes Alternative Rock/Pop music as a form of self-expression and empowerment. The 23-year-old Singer/Songwriter/Producer made a name for herself with her viral 2021 debut single, “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows, ” which has earned more than 8 million streams to date, following up with, “Post Nut Clarity” (two million and rising), in the summer of 2022. Telling tales of leveling up, and leaving regrettable exes in the past, she weaves between pop, rock, and alternative stylings while using soft melodies to capture her unbothered attitude. Alemeda’s introduction to music was fairly unconventional. She grew up between Ethiopia and Arizona in a stern household with strict religious rules and customs where she was alienated from music up until the age of 10. She found secret solace in songs via an analog clock radio. Some of the first tunes she fell in love with included Coldplay’s, “Viva La Vida” and Rihanna’s, “Only Girl (In the World).” This eventually led to her posting covers online and taking part in local talent shows at the age of 13. Criticism and familial disapproval of her musical aspirations only made her more determined to push the envelope. She recalls, “I was very in my culture’s opinion, ‘a rebellious kid’, so kids like that in my African community were sent back to Ethiopia to discipline them by reinforcing the values of our culture. It was basically my mom’s way of ‘straightening me out’, but that obviously didn’t work, so it was kind of a waste of time.” After graduating high school in 2017, she impulsively left to Los Angeles to pursue her passion of music. Since then, she’s written songs that bared her soul and now she’s hoping to prove that her ambition stretches far beyond her own career. Inspired by the artists she loves—Coldplay, Maroon 5, Rihanna, and Arctic Monkeys, she is relentless in being a representation amongst her fellow East Africans in this diaspora. Her recently released single, “UR SO FULL OF IT”, offers a glimpse into a new chapter of Alemeda’s career, moving on from the turbulent emotions of adolescence, to showcasing her growth and confidence. Influenced by the frustration she felt in a long-distance relationship, “UR SO FULL OF IT”, captures that angry energy and redirects it. “No, we can’t be friends again / had your chance, but I’m over it”, she sings. This is an anthem about turning pain into power. With her highly anticipated & recently released debut EP “FK IT”, she’s determined for her music to be a light in the darkness for others, just as she needed to be for herself. “When I started out in music, my biggest support system was East Africans all over the globe”, she says. “Growing up in a refugee family it was very important to me to be successful and inspire others like myself to have the extreme belief that no dream is impossible.”
Venue Information:
Merriweather Post Pavilion
10475 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, MD, 21044
merriweathermusic.com