We Are What We Listen To: Music Doesn’t Contribute to Culture, It Guides It.
Springtime has always been a personal favorite, with the back-to-back holidays, new opportunities, and the regenerating feeling that comes along with the longer, warmer days. Being on campus during a 50-degree day, listening to a playlist I haven’t touched since we last saw the sun, and seeing more students around campus than I have in weeks, it’s hard to not appreciate. It’s this feeling of excitement that showed up online after Lollapalooza released its official lineup. In the weeks leading up, social media rumors and fan speculation built momentum, turning the festival announcement into a cultural moment. With iconic headliners like Lorde, Charli XCX, John Summit, and The Smashing Pumpkins, Lollapalooza has reinforced its ability to spot artists not just shaping the music industry but our social culture itself.
Music is The Blueprint
Music serves more than as white noise to fill the background. Music doesn’t just reflect how an artist or a listener feels; music actively shapes our identity, values, and perspective. As communicators, we recognize that social media trends signal far more than a population’s sense of humor; they reveal major shifts in culture. The same applies to circulating music trends. This year’s Lollapalooza headliners reflect that influence, as each has grown in their career while making a strong cultural impact through their messaging, is a true way to build a connection with audiences.
Charli XCX, John Summit, and Olivia Dean are all featured as upcoming headliners for the 2026 LollaPalooza lineup; each artist brings their own cultural references and associations. For major events like Lollapalooza, staying in tune with these shifts is essential. Like any other strong brand or organization, Lollapalooza’s relevance depends on its ability to recognize and elevate artists who aren’t just popular but who are actively shaping our cultural and media landscape.
Nostalgia for Brat Summer
Beginning with Charli XCX, her career began over a decade ago, in 2012, when she was featured on Icona Pop’s “I Love It”, a global radio hit that thrust the artist into the spotlight immediately. Following this, Charli continued to release albums for years, shifting her sound away from radio pop and closer to the rave and hyperpop community. With the exception of a few standout songs, such as “Unlock it” with Kim Petras or “Speed Drive”, which was featured in the 2023 Barbie movie, Charli XCX struggled to reach the same level of fame she had in her early career. It wasn’t until May of 2024 that Charli XCX released her sixth studio album, “brat”, that her career projection completely pivoted. Brat was more than an album; it was a true moment in time. People across the country were seen wearing lime-green shirts, and the term “brat summer” was widespread. This album was no short-lived trend, with continued references across social media almost two years later. This album, intentionally or not, changed the landscape of mainstream media.
The Rave Culture Rebrand
John Summit, one of the festival’s Thursday headliners, has a pathway to mainstream media that is very similar to Charli XCX’s. Beginning his career as an accountant, Summit describes his exploration of rave culture as a natural turning point and creative outlet. After being fired from his job in 2019, he began creating, producing, and performing music full-time and is now the founder of his own record label, Experts Only. Summit continued for years, securing sets at various venues and festivals across the country, including EDC, Miami Ultra, and Bonnaroo, but his impact extends beyond his live performance skills, as he actively mixes and creates his iconic sound.
Rave culture has been historically niche; the intensity, sound, and environment were regarded as aggressive and underground for most. John Summit acts as a cultural translator, with songs like “Where You Are” that brought rave culture closer to the mainstream exposure it previously lacked. With each performance, Summit expresses the importance of inclusivity, belonging, and shared experience that comes with rave experiences, essentially rebranding the entire community. His ability to turn something that previously felt exclusive and inaccessible into a strong community is reflected in the hype surrounding his set announcements.
You Can’t Rein Us In
Pivoting to other headliners such as Olivia Dean and Lorde, these artists share a close relationship with their audiences through the intimate, personal experiences that resonate in their music. Both women have discographies that seem to grow along with them, reflecting on personal experiences like the fear of growth, heartbreak, and struggles with self-identity. While both artists are sharing these personal experiences on a mass medium, the messaging feels direct to the listener. Songs like “David” by Lorde and “Rein Me In” featuring Olivia Dean sparked social media trends centered around female empowerment and self-acceptance. For both women, their music isn’t just sound; it's their raw emotions, which contribute to the deeply personal relationships fans feel with both artists
Turning Music Into Movements
2026 will be referenced for many reasons, whether that be Punch the Monkey, Alyssa Liu's Olympic Win, or Zendaya and Tom Holland's wedding, but just as notably, the iconic movements in the music industry. Music doesn’t simply contribute to our culture; it guides our values and sets evolving norms. Through social media, these movements reach far beyond fan bases, connecting broader audiences and turning individual artists into symbols for collective identity.
For large-scale events, such as Lollapalooza, the ability to recognize and align with these cultural shifts is key to maintaining its relevance. Anticipation isn’t built on lineup announcements alone; these reactions are driven by how well an event captures the momentum of these movements, reflecting what audiences are already engaging with and looking for more.
Haley Norton is a Senior at GVSU, majoring in Advertising and Public Relations. She is expected to graduate this May and is excited to continue exploring professional opportunities in the Grand Rapids area. During her final year at GVSU, she hopes to make the most of her time as an Account Executive at GrandPR, strengthening her academic foundation, personal portfolio, and professional network.