The Outside Lands Music Festival has released its lineup, which includes a few notable Jewish performers on the bill. The 17th annual festival will be held Aug. 8-10 in San Francisco.
Topping this not-at-all-comprehensive list, and arguably the most famous Jewish performer, is the Los Angeles-based rapper and singer Doja Cat.
Born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, Doja Cat was raised by her Jewish mother. She spoke about it in an interview in 2013 with Los Angeles rapper Dumbfoundead when she was just beginning her career.
“My mom was kind of a [laughs] hip-hop head, really ironic because like — I’m Jewish, my grandma’s Jewish,” she said. “She’s white, and she was never exposed to music like that until she started meeting people and was like, wow I really love this.”
Joining Doja Cat in the list of headliners is Vampire Weekend, the alt-rock band led by Ezra Koenig.
Koenig talks about Jewishness explicitly in his songs, and he shows it, too; in 2019 the band released a video set in Zabar’s deli in New York with an appearance by Jerry Seinfeld. Another video includes a seder scene.
Gracie Abrams, who performs soft and emotional music often called “bedroom pop,” has Jewish heritage through her father, J.J. Abrams, the director of cult TV shows like “Lost” and both “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” films. He’s said, “I do consider myself Jewish, and I take my kids to services on holidays because that is something really important to me.”
Gracie Abrams has posted about visiting Israel. A few days after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, she wrote on Instagram: “When I was 17 and 18 years old I had the privilege of being part of a program that promotes dialogue and understanding between Palestinian and Israeli youth.… I am heartsick and terrified thinking about what they are going through right now.” (The post received some backlash online from fans who found it too pro-Israel.)
Also on the bill is Mill Valley native Sasha Goldberg of the duo “The Army, The Navy,” which she formed with her childhood friend Maia Ciambriello. Michigan neo-soul singer Mayer Hawthorne (real name Andrew Mayer Cohen) is known for his smooth songs that sound like old Motown but are in fact original.
In an additional note, Anderson .Paak, who will be at Outside Lands, is not Jewish but did sample “Hatikvah,” the Israeli national anthem, in his song “Come Down” (right at the beginning before the song segues into a funk bass).
Three-day passes for the festival went on sale March 26, and they sell out quickly, so if these artists or any of the other talented people on the lineup interest you, make sure to grab tickets while you can.