Lollapalooza Interview: Caroline Kingsbury on the Joy of Playing Three Sets in One Day & Sharing New Music

During Lollapalooza, there was perhaps no one busier than Caroline Kingsbury. Not only did the L.A.-based queer indie pop star delight fans with a fun-filled set on the BMI Stage on Friday afternoon, she also played an intimate set at the Toyota Music Den within the festival grounds and rocked out with fans at Schubas opening up for Del Water Gap during an Official Aftershow – all on Aug. 1.

We caught up with Kingsbury on Saturday morning when she was still riding high on the excitement of playing three killer shows and the anticipation of getting to see some amazing artists throughout the rest of the weekend.

“I’m feeling good actually. I mean, I knocked out so hard last night, I played three shows, and I was probably in bed by three last night. Woke up at nine. And here we are, so I feel like I had a good amount of rest. I’m excited because I get to go see some of my favorite artists for the rest of the weekend,” said Kingsbury, noting that she was especially looking forward to checking out Marina, Young Miko, and Sabrina Carpenter.

Kingsbury enjoys fan interaction, so to add to the fun her team passed out ribbons in the audience that everyone could wave around during the set.

“We handed out about 100 ribbons of all different colors. And I just thought that it would look so beautiful because it was also a little windy, and I don’t know, I just wanted to do something that would feel whimsical and silly and goofy and fun,” she said. “It was awesome. It was really fun to see.”

Another fun aspect of Kingsbury’s set was the fact that she took the opportunity to debut the new song, “Chocolate,” off her forthcoming EP Shock Treatment.

“’Chocolate’ was really fun. That was because I debuted that song actually on the BMI stage at Lolla. That was the first time I had ever played it live. It was special. It really was,” said Kingsbury, adding that there’s something magical about experiencing a new song live for the first time. “Recording is great and listening to a song is great, but when you connect the two [live performance and studio recordings] that’s the magic, you know.”

Kingsbury can’t wait to share more songs from Shock Treatment, which is due to be released in the fall, and she previewed that fans can expect the unexpected when it comes to the tracklist.

“The fans can expect four more songs. So there’s gonna be three more and then a bonus track as well. They’re all very different. Each song has kind of its own sonic world and playing into the larger storyline of the EP,” she explained. “So just expect a variety of different moods and sounds and ways that you’ve never heard me.”

Along with releasing the Shock Treatment EP, Kingsbury is also looking forward to playing live across North America this fall on a co-headlining tour with Maris, dubbed Give Me a Tour.

“We put out a single this year called ‘Give Me a Sign,’ and it had a really viral moment. It was really so cool. And so we decided to go on tour together,” Kingsbury said. “We’re doing a like full two hour set together. Sometimes she’ll sing by herself, sometimes I’ll sing by myself, and then we’re gonna do songs together. So it’s gonna be just a really special communal experience.”

Shaking up the norms of the music industry – whether on stage or in the studio – is something that inspires Kingsbury, especially as an independent artist.

“That’s something that both me and Maris are about, is very much like disrupting the old ways of doing things, because literally surviving as an indie artist is insane,” said Kingsbury noting that it’s always appreciated when fans purchase albums and merch by the artists they love. “It’s almost impossible, so we got to stick together, which is actually going to create some really cool things. Creativity is bred out of, I don’t know, struggle ultimately. So I think it’s going to breed a really, really cool experience for the fans and for us.”

Click here to check out more of our Lollapalooza coverage and Caroline Kingsbury – tickets, streams, merch, and more – can be found online at Carolinekingsbury.com. Learn more about Lollapalooza at Lollapalooza.com.