disclaimer: this article was written before Extravaganza 2023 and was in the May 18th printed edition of Daily Nexus.

UC Santa Barbara’s Associated Students Program Board announced the lineup for this year’s Extravaganza, held this past Sunday on May 21. 

The much anticipated lineup was revealed at Storke Lawn on Thursday, May 11, exactly at 1 p.m. during A.S. Program Board’s Tea Party, where they celebrated the lineup announcement. The lineup has received mixed reviews and reactions from students. This year’s Extravaganza has the theme of “Tea Party” and is free to all students with an access card. Similar to last year’s event, a total of three artists are confirmed to take the stage this Sunday, but the poster that revealed the lineup teases the possible addition of more performers. 

“It sounds like it’s a lot more indie than the school is used to,” shared Maddie Pierce, a first-year biopsychology major. “But I feel like that might be a good thing.”

Set to headline the event is Grammy-nominated EDM duo Galantis. Traveling all the way from Sweden, the group consists of Christian Karlsson and Linus Eklöw, who both previously worked as co-writers and producers in the industry. Karlsson is noted for co-writing Britney Spears’ smash-hit song “Toxic.” The other member of the duo, Eklöw, both co-wrote and produced Icona Pop’s 2012 track “I Love It,” featuring Charli XCX. Galantis signed to a label in 2013 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording for their track “Runaway (U & I)” back in 2015.

“I’ve only heard of Galantis, but I’m really into EDM music, so that sounds interesting to me,” said first-year actuarial science major Brielle Deocampo. 

The second act revealed is singer Remi Wolf, who is fresh off playing both weekends of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Wolf defines her music as “funky soul pop” and is known for her viral single “Photo ID,” which is also a collaboration with fellow artist Dominic Fike, who was a headliner for UCSB’s 2021’s virtual Extravaganza. Wolf played the Santa Barbara Bowl last May when she was featured as one of the openers for Lorde’s Solar Power Tour, and she also hosted a Free Noon show at Storke Tower in 2019. Her return to UCSB is highly anticipated by many students. 

“I think [the lineup is] good because I know Remi Wolf and Galantis,” second-year computer science major Raina Kakani shared. “I don’t know a lot of their work, but I’m a fan of live music in general. So I think it’ll be fun.”

The final artist announced for Extravaganza is 21-year-old Atlanta-based rapper Destroy Lonely. His debut studio album “If Looks Could Kill” was released earlier this month on May 5 and made headlines for topping Spotify’s  Top Albums Global Debut Chart — beating Ed Sheeran’s newest album “Subtract.” “If Looks Could Kill” features 26 tracks, including a feature with fellow rapper Ken Carson. 

Still, many students expressed a desire for the A.S. Program Board to book more popular and well-known artists for future Extravaganzas. 

“I don’t know any of the people who are performing, which I feel is kind of sad compared to past performances. It’s just not as interesting,” first-year history major Vincent Calvillo said.

Students referenced past Extravaganzas, such as 2010’s performances, which featured Drake as its main headliner.

“I’m hoping in the next four years there’ll be better lineups compared to what I’ve seen in the past. I’ve heard about Drake coming in the past … and I’m just waiting for one of the people that come for us to be up and coming or be a big deal,” stated Anushka Vijay, a second-year computer science student. “I just want to be able to say in my college experience [that] I saw someone who’s now a really big deal.” 

This appeared in the May 18th Daily Nexus printed edition.

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