NXNE is an annual festival held in one of the greatest cities of the world, Toronto, that packs more than a week of music, art, games, and comedy. As part of the conference, NXNE takes over Yonge Street on the final weekend bringing some of the main acts of the fest right to the middle of the action.
U.S. Girls is the decade-ripe project of Candian-American singer songwriter Meghan Remy. Remy originally started writing music under the joke-born moniker in 2007, but has been a permanent resident of Canada since 2010. Remy released In a Poem Unlimited in late February, and it's cornerstone song “Rosebud” has over 1 million plays on Spotify. The 6-piece experimental pop project kicked off their performance in the square as fans began to file in for the first night of the Festival Village. Though we did get to hear some of the newer tracks off In a Poem Unlimited, the crowd also got to hear older songs from U.S. Girls discography as well.
Harlem-based rapper Azealia Banks was up next in the Yonge-Dundas Square. Backed by a drummer, DJ, and two dancers, she performed a forty-five minute set of some of her most notable hits. “Anna Wintour,” the lead single off of Banks' upcoming album Fantasea II: The Second Wave, kept the crowd moving with its dance-able beat and tongue-twisting verses that Banks performs flawlessly. The set ended with her most notable hit and debut single, “212.”
The Prince of Toronto, Jazz Cartier was the final performance of the night. The Toronto born rapper is known for his wild stage antics, but the large gap between the audience and Jazz almost seemed to hold him back. Decked out in a pair of satin pajamas, Jazz jumped down into the crowd and seemed to feel much more at home in the pit with his fans. Best known for his mixtapes, Marauding in Paradise and Hotel Paranoia, the 25-year-old is releasing his debut album later this year. The rapper closed out the night playing his biggest tracks including “Dead or Alive,” “Tempted,” and his latest single “Godflower.”
U.S. Girls
Azealia Banks
Jazz Cartier