2025 marks the 15th Governor’s Ball music festival. Each year, New York City comes together for this momentous weekend of live performances, serving as an unofficial kick-off to summer in the city. When the biggest names in music hit Flushing, it's a sign that ice cream trucks will soon appear, tank tops with denim cutoffs will be the only viable outfits and AC bills will be skyrocketing. Hotter than the weather, though, is this year’s lineup.
The Headliners
Who’s to say what this summer’s audience will look like at Corona Park? The headliners cover a range of sounds and positions in the culture. If one thing’s for sure, it’s that NYC high school kids will crawl their way out of the woodwork of final exams to catch their favorite acts. It’s not Gov Ball if a 16-year-old doesn’t ask to hit your GeekBar. The youth’s appearance is further guaranteed by Tyler, the Creator’s Friday night headlining slot. Between his own festival, Camp Flognaw and stops at Coachella 2024 and this year’s Lollapalooza, he’s become the GOAT of festival appearances. Not to mention, he’s fresh off the success of his Chromokopia Tour, where he masterfully guided fans through his entire catalog, Eras Tour-style.
The other promise that can be made is that no matter what Tyler does, he may quickly be overshadowed by his co-headliner, Benson Boone, and whatever flips and tricks he decides to pull. On Saturday, Olivia Rodrigo makes her big return after a few months away from live performance. Gov Ball is the start of a summer of festivals for the 22-year-old, and PAPER is dying to hear anything new she’s planning to premiere.
Hozier closes out the weekend with the glorious, crushing concert versions of Unreal Unearth. This album, and the two expanded editions he released for it this year, earned him quite the comeback.
The Boys Are Back
Ever-present this weekend is a select number of young, male music stars that have confidently made names for themselves within their respective scenes. PAPER is dying to hear Mk.gee and Matt Champion play their soft, emotive R&B sets. Each of these boys are long-term collaborators with Dijon, so a guest appearance would be the icing on the cake. We’re going crazy in the crowd at Role Model. If all we got from the weekend was live renditions of “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out,” and other cuts from Kansas Anymore, we’d be okay with that.
On Saturday, we’ll catch Conan Gray and Wallows, where we’ll be transported back to the 2019 TikTok indiesphere and love every second of it. Wallows’ EP More, from March, is a joy, and Conan’s new single “This Song” is a beautiful start to a new era for him.
Royel Otis and Montell Fish finish things off on Sunday. Royel Otis will hypnotize their audience with simple but addicting indie, powered by lead singer Otis Pavlovic’s reserved vocals. Montell Fish’s 2024 LP CHARLOTTE built a world with ethereal guitars and ranging genreless production.
High School Hip-Hop
Once again, Gov Ball has become notorious for the young crowds they draw. No one’s finger is on the pulse like New York City high schoolers, especially when it comes to hip-hop. Their seal of approval on the festival is a great sign. This year’s lineup is blessed with everything from experimental artists like JPEGMAFIA to legends like T-Pain and Key Glock. We can’t wait to bounce to Amaarae’s Fountain Baby and the new deluxe tracks she graced fans with this year. And Queens’ hometown hero Lexa Gates is sure to soothe crowds with her sultry, fluid deliveries of some of the best lyrics and flows in recent memory. Her 2024 album, Elite Vessel, was one of PAPER’s favorites of last year. She’s been teasing new music on Instagram, so we’ll be in her crowd this weekend with our ears open for whatever she brings.
Modern Classics
And then are the artists that have proven their live performance chops and are simply a pleasure to see on any festival’s lineup. By this, we of course mean Clairo. Charm summer round two begins this weekend. We’re looking forward to The Backseat Lovers, Car Seat Headrest, The Garden and The Japanese House. While we aren’t waiting with bated breath for Boone-style backflips or teases of the follow-up to Guts, we know that these sets will pack punches and we’ll be thinking of them when the weekend comes to an end.
Photos courtesy of Governor's Ball and Getty
