Osheaga Day Three: Lorde, Zara Larsson, OkLou, and Sofia Isella shine through Osheaga's stormiest day
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Lorde live at Osheaga
By Sunday, Osheaga recorded its second-highest attendance in history—a testament to both the strength of this year's lineup and the dedication of Montreal music fans. Between FRIENDS brought infectious dream-pop energy to the muddy festival grounds, MICO turned technical difficulties into a joyful Montreal singalong, Oklou's ethereal performance seemed to drift effortlessly through the downpour, and Zara Larsson injected much-needed sunshine into an otherwise grey afternoon. As the festival entered its final stretch, Sofia Isella embraced the gloomy atmosphere with gothic theatricality before Lorde closed the weekend with one of Osheaga's most visually ambitious and emotionally immersive headline performances.
BETWEEN FRIENDS
Sibling duo Brandon and Savannah Hudson brought their self-proclaimed “laptop-dream pop” to the Scotia Valley stage. Featuring a massive monster truck with “BETWEEN FRIENDS” custom-printed on the rims adorning the stage, Savannah Hudson utilized the prop to command the audience's attention, climbing and posing on it throughout the set to match the duo's high-energy visual aesthetic.
Most of their songs make you want to shake ass, and that is exactly what the crowd did. Keeping the momentum high with upbeat hits like “JAM” and “iloveyou,” Brandon and Savannah proved they know exactly how to work a crowd. - Gabrielle Cadiang
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - MICO live at Osheaga
MICO
Sporting a Loverboy beanie with ears, MICO rushed the belairdirect stage with palpable energy. Having missed MICO every single time he stopped in Calgary on tour, the irony wasn't lost on me that the very first time I finally got to see him live happened to be at my first major festival. For a first-time attendee, it was incredible to see just how many people in the crowd knew the lyrics word-for-word. During "glhf <3," MICO himself looked completely in awe as the audience sang back every line.
His stage setup featured a series of altered traffic signs, a stop sign with "STOP" replaced by "DREAM," and an orange construction sign reading "KEEP BREATHING." I found myself completely captivated by his visuals, particularly during "OH!", where stock photos accompanied each lyric on the screens. His visual aesthetic is playful, calling to mind the golden era of early 2000s internet memes.
When his set ran into a few technical difficulties (an issue that unfortunately plagued subsequent sets as well on both the Valley and Forest stage), MICO handled it like a pro. He commanded the crowd to break into "Olé, Olé, Olé"—the classic chant heard at Montreal Canadiens games—turning a minor hiccup into a fun, interactive moment, paying homage to the city of Montreal. - Gabrielle Cadiang
SOFIA ISELLA
There couldn't have been a more fitting artist for Osheaga's rain-soaked final day than Sofia Isella. The Los Angeles-based songwriter emerged wearing oversized clothing caked in mud and dirt, looking as though she'd crawled straight out of a swamp—or on the run straight out of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Against a backdrop of relentless rain and rolling fog, the theatrical entrance immediately established one of the weekend's most unforgettable sets.
Musically, Isella occupies an intriguing space somewhere between Billie Eilish's meticulous pop precision and Ethel Cain's haunting gothic Americana. Opening with "Out in the Garden," she immediately demanded the audience's attention, stalking and crawling across the stage like something resurrected before suddenly springing back to life—sucking on a lollipop before handing it to a tearful fan at the barricade.
"The Chicken Is Naked and Afraid" became one of the performance's defining moments. As eerie chicken clucks echoed through the backing track and Isella lamented, "Oh, I'm in such pain," the entire scene leaned fully into horror cinema. Before closing with "I Looked the Future in the Eyes, and It's Mine," Isella revealed that the previous crowd in Iowa had insisted Montrealers didn't know how to bounce, challenging Osheaga to prove them wrong. She climbed down to the barricade, holding hands with fans as the audience answered with resounding enthusiasm.
It wouldn't be the last we saw of Isella that evening. She later surprised the crowd by joining British singer-songwriter Paris Paloma for a stirring duet of "Labour," capping off a breakout day that felt destined to introduce thousands of festivalgoers to one of alternative music's most compelling emerging voices. - Jess Arcand
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Sofia Isella live at Osheaga
Oklou
Coming off an incredible debut album, French alt-pop visionary Oklou graced the belairdirect stage with her soft, ethereal vocals. Opening her performance with “ict,” her delicate voice and airy delivery wrapped the audience in a layer of dreamy, captivating vulnerability.
Between songs, Oklou kept her interactions effortlessly charming—speaking to the crowd in French and dropping a gentle “merci beaucoup” after each piece. Even with the rain coming down, her voice gave the illusion that the clouds were parting to let something divine through. When she realized the crowd had been standing in the downpour waiting for her to come on, her humble reaction said it all: “That’s really cool!” - Gabrielle Cadiang
Wrapped in dense fog that blurred the line between stage and sky, the French alt-pop visionary transformed the belairdirect Stage into something dreamlike. Oklou was joined by producer, longtime collaborator, and PC Music OG Casey MQ, known for his work with Cecile Believe, Shygirl, Eartheater, and Vagabon, whose presence added another layer of texture and lore to the performance. Together, they glided through songs like "Take Me By The Hand," before shifting gears entirely during the underscores collaboration "harvest sky." With the track's pulsing trance rhythms, the atmosphere from quiet introspection into an impromptu dance party, with festivalgoers happily embracing the downpour rather than hiding from it. - Jess Arcand
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Oklou live at Osheaga
ZARA LARSSON
With colourful visuals of sun-kissed skies and tropical scenery illuminating the Bell River Stage, the vibrant summer energy on display was exactly what the crowd needed to combat the gloomy, overcast weather in Montreal. Zara Larsson wasted no time setting the mood, immediately kicking off her high-energy set with a magnetic rendition of “Midnight Sun.”
Although Zara’s career in music has spanned the majority of her life, her resurgence as a global pop icon was firmly cemented last year with the release of hit tracks like “Midnight Sun” and her standout collaboration “Stateside” with PinkPantheress. Beyond her recent radio hits, her playful pop culture presence—most notably the viral flying dolphin memes tied to her hit song “Symphony”—was clearly reflected in her flashy, vibrant stage outfits. This tropical, high-fashion atmosphere extended well into the audience, where fans leaned into the resort-wear vibe, decking themselves out in gold jewelry, bright swimwear, and vacation-ready festival gear.
Choreography remains one of the defining highlights of Larsson’s live performances, striking a seamless balance between razor-sharp precision and effortless, infectious fun. Every movement feels meticulously planned yet entirely natural, matching the upbeat, high-energy production of her set. Ultimately, her music carries a vibrant, feel-good quality that makes it impossible to stand still, instantly transforming the crowd and inviting everyone to get up, dance, and celebrate life.
One of the definitive highlights of the set came during "Lush Life," where Zara kept up her beloved concert tradition. Spotting a dedicated fan at the front barricade decked out from head to toe in her official merch, she brought them up onto the stage to join her for an energetic dance moment that had the entire crowd cheering. - Gabrielle Cadiang
LORDE
While some fans spent Sunday hoping for a surprise Charli XCX appearance during "Girl, So Confusing," Lorde hardly needed any special guests to deliver at Osheaga. Returning to the Montreal festival twelve years after first playing it as a teenager, the New Zealand artist presented a show where the music, visuals, costume design, and even her own body became part of the same artistic language.
That cohesion was immediately apparent in her wardrobe. Throughout the performance, Lorde wore visible heart monitor electrodes across her chest and a CDJ swinging around her neck reading "90 BPM," blurring the line between the pulse of the music and the pulse of the body. Paired with the now-iconic X-ray artwork from Virgin, the imagery reinforced the album's fascination with physicality and transformation. Nothing about the production felt accidental; every visual element echoed another.
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Lorde live at Osheaga
That relationship between body and music extended into the stage design. Rather than simply using cameras to magnify the performance for fans further back, Lorde treated them as collaborators. During "Shapeshifter," animated webs of interconnected nodes tracked her movements in real time, while another camera embedded beneath a transparent platform captured her pressing her face against the glass below. At times she appeared to be singing to the floor itself, but in reality she was performing directly into the lens, transforming the giant video screens into an extension of the performance rather than a passive broadcast. It was a clever reminder that intimacy at a festival isn't reserved for those standing at the barricade—Lorde found a way to give every audience member a front-row perspective.
The newer material embraced pulsing synths, pounding electronic percussion, and club-ready arrangements that stood in stark contrast to the indie-pop foundations that first introduced Lorde to the world. Even older songs felt reimagined through that lens, giving the performance the feeling of a carefully curated rave. Midway through the set, Lorde reflected on her first Osheaga appearance when she was just 17 years old, attending the festival with her mother.
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Lorde live at Osheaga
"Now I'm 29 years old," she told the audience. "I've gone through so many phases and you've stuck with me. I hope my music brings you closer to yourself and your feelings—to your deepest pains and your greatest joys."
She later joked that Montreal girls are the prettiest in the world, a declaration that earned one of the loudest cheers of the evening. Naturally, the emotional peak arrived during "Ribs." Performing from within the crowd itself, Lorde was surrounded by shimmering lasers cutting through the rainy night, their reflections dancing across thousands of festivalgoers. With Osheaga recording the second-highest attendance in its history, it felt like a fitting finale. - Jess Arcand