When UPSAHL first went to San Francisco’s Outside Lands last year, she dreamed of playing there. Only one year later, UPSAHL opened the Lands End stage on the last day of the sold-out festival.
“It’s insane. I feel like I manifested it,” said UPSAHL. “I’m honored to be on the lineup. I feel like this is the best vibe for a festival. The fog, the trees… When I came last year for the first time, I was like, ‘This would be so fun to play one day!’ I didn’t know it’d be the following year. I’m honored.”
Her gig at Outside Lands is the latest of her string of festival appearances. UPSAHL recently performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago, and she’s also scheduled to perform at Rock en Seine in France and Reading Festival in the United Kingdom later this month.
“It’s my first year of doing festivals,” said UPSAHL. “So, it’s like a dream to be a tiny part of the lineup, you know?”
While UPSAHL is touring the world, she is making sure her hometown isn’t forgotten. On August 18, she released Volume 3 of THE PHX TAPES, a series of songs that reminisce on her life in Phoenix, Arizona. UPSAHL said her time in the desert always plays a part in her music.
“My dad was in punk bands in Phoenix growing up, so I was very heavily inspired by that whole scene. The summers are so unbelievably, unbelievably hot that there really was no other option than for me to write shitty songs in my room, you know? The grittiness and the sort of punk energy that Phoenix has always had has had a really big influence on me for sure.”
THE PHX TAPES V3 features two new songs, “0 to 100” and “FBL.” When asked what TV show or movie best represents these songs, UPSAHL chose a popular moody teen drama.
“I feel like Euphoria covers the whole spectrum of emotions, problems, and toxicity. That’s kind of what I tried to do with ‘0 to 100’: just be completely vulnerable, not give a fuck about what I’m saying, and hope people can relate.”
UPSAHL also recently released her collaboration with LE SSERAFIM, a remix of their viral song “Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard’s wife.”
“I’ve been such a fan of LE SSERAFIM for a minute,” said UPSAHL. “They’re like icons in my eyes. They reached out randomly with ‘Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard’s wife’ and I was like, ‘They want me to write a verse? The song is already perfect. What are you talking about?’ I sat in my room, recorded my little vocals, and then the song came out a month later. It’s an honor. They’re all so badass… I feel like I got to be part of a bunch of badass women.”
UPSAHL doesn’t plan on slowing down after her festival tour. Later this year, she’s scheduled to support Tove Lo during her Dirt Femme tour.
“I’ve been a fan of Tove since I was in high school and recently got to write with her,” said UPSAHL. “She wrote a song off of my last EP with me called ‘Toast,’ and watching her creative process in the studio has been so amazing. Now, getting to be on tour and watch her process of performing is gonna be like a masterclass. And also, just her fans are so fucking amazing. It’s gonna be so fun.”
UPSAHL’s new project, THE PHX TAPES V3, is out now.
Written by Kenzel Williams.
