NEWS
Øya Festival has added more names to its 2025 line-up – you can find all the details below.
The 26th edition of the event is due to take place at Tøyenparken in Oslo, Norway between August 5 and 9. Tickets are on sale now – buy yours here.
Last November, it was announced that Chappell Roan, Khruangbin and Wet Leg would be performing at the festival. Organisers then confirmed another wave of acts in December, featuring Charli XCX, Queens Of The Stone Age, Fontaines D.C. and more.
Now, an extra batch of artists have joined the bill – with Lola Young, Mk.gee, Portishead‘s Beth Gibbons, and Bicep leading the way.
They are joined by other new additions Yung Lean & Bladee, Refused, The Chats, Hermanos Gutiérrez, Pa Salieu, Kelly Lee Owens, Geordie Greep, Envy, Daniel Romano, Outfit and Arp Frique & The Perpetual Singers.
There is also a range of Norwegian talent on the line-up, including Ane Brun, Ramón, Isah, Rabo and many more.
Øya describes itself the “world’s greenest festival”, and is committed to providing a 50/50 gender split of artists in its line-up. Last year’s line-up boasted the likes of Pulp, PJ Harvey, RAYE, Arca, Astrid S and Holly Humberstone.
In a glowing five-star review of the 2024 event, NME praised Øya’s “blissed-out vibe” and forward-thinking ethos. “You can sense it throughout the week: artists love coming here, and the fans reflect that,” it read. “Øya has a reputation as one of the most forward-thinking festivals in the world. Here, joy is an act of resistance.
“Gender parity on the line-up was quietly the norm here many years before events were making headlines, and every year comes with a renewed push to be the greenest festival around. This year, all the locally-supplied food is pescatarian (and pretty damn good compared to your normal rushed festy scran in a napkin), and Øya is providing free menstrual pads and tampons for festival-goers.”
NEWS
Lola Young has joined forces with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release a new T shirt for the charity’s Lifelines collection.
The shirt supports CALM’s suicide prevention work, with proceeds helping to fund vital resources such as its helpline and CALMzone mental health app.
CALM introduced the Lifelines range last year, with Fontaines D.C., Blossoms and Inhaler also contributing their own designs to the collection.
Young’s design includes the words, “There’s a flicker of light. There’s always morning after the night”, taken from her track ‘Flicker Of Light’.
“I wrote this song about realising there is hope. I have often felt like there isn’t, but there is always a reason to keep going,” Young said. “That’s even when you don’t want to get out of bed, you do, and that is amazing, and you’re still here, and you’re still alive, and if anything, that’s something to be proud of.”
CALM CEO Simon Gunning also shared his appreciation for the collaboration, saying: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Lola for supporting ‘Lifelines’ and showing just how powerful music can be as a force for good.”
Priced at £30, the T shirts come in both standard and boxy fits and are available to purchase here.
Young has regularly spoken about her experiences with mental health. She returned to performing earlier this year after calling off her 2025 tour because of exhaustion. The decision followed her collapse during a performance in New York City. During her time away, she later discussed receiving support for addiction and attending AA meetings as part of her recovery.
In an interview with NME in May, Young explained that she believes “all healing journeys are never ending”, although she is now “definitely in a much better place”. She also said she feels “excited and ready to perform and to release music”.
Reflecting on the encouragement she received after publicly discussing those challenges, Young said: “My fans inspire me in the same way I hope to inspire them. I feel like I’ve never tried to be especially honest… it just comes very naturally to me.”
“I don’t really have any other choice but to be honest, so if people connect to that, and that’s amazing.”
Several musicians have also applauded the ‘Messy’ singer for honestly addressing the pressure placed on touring performers. Lily Allen said she was “in awe” of the BRIT and Grammy winner, while Victoria Canal credited Young with bringing greater attention to the damaging impact demanding tour schedules can have on artists’ mental wellbeing.
When NME asked whether musicians were beginning to establish firmer boundaries around their health, Young replied: “I never intended it to start a movement, but I hope that it does in some way.”
