GITS Fest 2023

Born to a Dominican mother and Mexican father in New Jersey, 21-year-old Ambar Lucid grew up watching her dad get deported to Mexico when she was a little kid, a traumatic experience that cast a shadow over her childhood. Seeking an escape from the daily hardships of life, she found refuge in pop artists such as Lady Gaga, Kesha, Bruno Mars, and her “idol” Selena Gomez. “All I really had to entertain myself was pop culture,” she says of years spent watching pop music videos, artist interviews, and concert footage on YouTube. Ambar knew at a young age that she wanted to make music professionally someday, something that gave her a sense of comfort and hope when she needed it most. However, her complicated upbringing and where she came from, as she tells it, made it seem like a “very unrealistic thing to want to be an artist.” At school she joined clubs such as chorus and band, and started learning how to play the ukulele and piano. At age 11, she started teaching herself how to play the guitar. Not long after, she began uploading her original songs to SoundCloud—folk-tinged, bilingual indie pop and R&B tracks tackling the hopelessness and sadness that teens often face in today’s complex world. Songs such as “A letter to my younger self” and “Mar de Llanto'' allowed Ambar to navigate her struggle with depression and the feeling that even her loved ones thought she was “crazy” for following her dreams. Coupled with what Ambar refers to as a “conscious spiritual journey,” this psychedelic discovery sparked a new evolution in Ambar’s sound and aesthetic, creating a whole new world for the dynamic artist: a rainbow-hued cosmic realm of flowers, mushrooms, faeries, and butterflies, all enveloped in a soundscape of soulful vocals, trippy psych-rock, and lush electronics as heard on her transcendent Garden of Lucid album, released in 2020. Ambar has since embraced a new alter ego, Estrella, that was birthed while working on her forthcoming sophomore album of the same name. Lucid describes Estrella as “the bold and confident woman I am becoming, fully embracing and owning my fluidity, identity, and self-confidence.” In this new era, she has released two singles, “girl ur so pretty” a pop song that embraces Lucid’s sexuality and “La Torre”, heavily influenced by the tower tarot card signifying dramatic and necessary change. Inspired by her alter ego, Ambar’s next single, “Timeless,” continues her journey into that prismatic world. With more new music on the way, including her upcoming album Estrella due out later this year through 300 Elektra Entertainment, Ambar is on a mission to touch as many souls as she can through her inimitable sonic storytelling.

Fueled by self-love and manifested dreams, Baby Tate is forever evolving. The Atlanta-based artist, formerly known as Yung Baby Tate, has a new, concise moniker, but the 25-year-old’s sound remains sprawling. Within a single body of work, you’ll hear summery pop, amorous R&B, and hard-hitting hip-hop. Baby Tate’s debut project, 2015’s ROYGBIV, saw her exercising full creative control, as a singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, and engineer—independent skills she’s been honing since she was 13 years old. By 2018, Baby Tate had locked into executing concept albums, releasing the thematic BOYS EP, followed by her breakthrough project, GIRLS, in 2019. With both collections, Baby Tate expanded her musicality and songwriting processes, connecting strongly to women and femme audiences through kaleidoscopic beats and highly relatable lyrics. At the center of Baby Tate’s endeavors is an intentional interweaving of female empowerment and joy, as evidenced by her cohesive, yet varied 2020 EP After the Rain, the home of her viral, confidence-boosting hit “I Am.” A genuine heroine for any person who’s ever faced intrapersonal challenges, the multi-hyphenate artist offers both gentle and assertive reminders that all we need is faith, fortitude, and fearlessness. With each release, Baby Tate provides her fans with potent anthems and inspiring bars, unveiling new facets of her technicolor character in the process.

You don’t ever have to worry about what Catie Turner is thinking. She will tell you within seconds. Besides being a singer and songwriter, she prides herself as “an overly emotional and anxious attachment-style musician with a lot of over-sharing to do."  However, that over-sharing continues to click with listeners. The Langhorne, PA native went from placing 7th on American Idol in 2018 to releasing “teenage crisis”  anthems such as “Prom Queen” and “i luv him.” in 2019. Beyond piling up over 120 million streams, she’s reeled in critical acclaim from TIME, Billboard, American Songwriter, People and more. She took all of her heartbreak from a breakup and turned it into the bops, ballads, and confessions on her 2021 EP, Heartbroken and Milking It, introduced by the single “Therapy.” She describes her ex’s response to these bops as “not appreciative.” Most recently, Catie has been touring the US with the likes of Valley and LEON and releasing music like high-energy bop “Nothing,” emotionally-charged “God Must Hate Me” and the quirky and playful “Step Mom.” With new music on the way, she just hopes you think she’s pretty cool, because she doesn’t have a plan B.

Representing the missing link between anesthetized woozy trap, nocturnal R&B, and psychedelically-spun alternative, Chase Atlantic blur boundaries between genres through fearless experimentation and innate melodic inclinations. The band has amassed over 2.8 billion Spotify streams, and has received acclaim from Billboard, OnesToWatch, mxdwn, PopCrush, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, and Rock Sound of which they graced the cover. The Australia-born and Los Angeles-based trio—Mitchel Cave, Clinton Cave, and Christian Anthony—boldly push forward on their prolific creative journey while signed to Fearless Records. The band unleashed a string of EPs—Dalliance [2014], Nostalgia [2015], and Paradise [2017]—before their self-titled full-length debut, Chase Atlantic. They put up serious numbers on the likes of “Friends” [400 million Spotify streams], “Swim” [406 million Spotify streams], “Into It” [276 million Spotify streams], and “Okay” [91 million Spotify streams] to name a few. In 2019, their sophomore album, PHASES, attracted widespread praise. OnesToWatch predicted, “while we would say the sky is the limit for Chase Atlantic with a showing this strong, chances are they would just break out of the stratosphere in the year to come.” More recently, their single “OHMAMI” hit an impressive 96 million streams in only 6 months. Along the way, they canvased multiple continents, headlined across the US, UK, and Europe, and sold-out venues such as Webster Hall in New York, Kentish Town Forum in the UK, and The YouTube Space in Los Angeles in addition to gracing the stages of Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Reading and Leeds.

Hailing from the Bay Area, California rapper DreBae emerged as one of the most viral sensations in 2018 with a slew of homerun singles. His first feature release Baby Boy put everyone on notice, quickly. Combining his astonishing sense of wit, polished punches, and natural charisma to ride a beat, DreBae introduced himself to the world with a ferocious heart towards the premiere of his first single Elegant, and cross audience single No Pressure with Mega thee Stallion. His jubilant & juggernaut social media presence has connected with many of today's hottest artists such as Megan thee Stallion, City Girls, and Nicki Minaj. Kehlani invited DreBae during her main stage time of San Francisco Pride 2018 where Dre performed his hit lead single Elegant to the tune of 50,000 spectators in his hometown. Being a positive role model by exuding confidence, self-care practices, and hardworking dedication has allowed DreBae to continue to have an influence over his young audience. DreBae prides himself on being true and free-spirited through his work and activism through the LGBT community.

Short for Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge, IDK is as much a moniker as it is a mission. The Prince George’s County, Maryland, artist has long dedicated his life and art to presenting big ideas in accessible ways. Using witty lyricism, percussive flows, and a chameleonic musicality, IDK turns life lessons and philosophical musings into utter bangers. In the process, he’s become one of rap’s most inventive practitioners. His new album, USEE4YOURSELF, is his richest work yet, a sprawling meditation on love, materialism, masculinity, and the effects of a troubled upbringing. It’s also a culmination for the man born Jason Mills, who began his musical journey behind bars about a decade ago. Through albums like Subtrap (2015), IWASVERYBAD (2017), and Is He Real? (2019) IDK built a proper body of work. And he uses that foundation as a jump-off point for not just music, but action that enriches the world: his inquisitive Radio Clue Apple Music radio show; No Label Academy, his music biz course in collaboration with Nike and Harvard University; and his Clue Records, which in 2020 released IDK & FRIENDS 2, a soundtrack for Kevin Durant’s Basketball County: In the Water documentary full of DMV-area artists. In 2021 he dropped confessional and guest-laden album USEE4YOURSELF, which featured Young Thug, Offset, Swae Lee, the late great DMX, and more. The critically acclaimed offering received praise from NPR, Billboard, Office, i-D, NME to name a few. His most recent project Simple. with Kaytranada finds both artists in peak form, pushing each other to new limits.