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Fiona Grey was Nocturnal at Lollapalooza: Pop chanteuse Fiona Grey told us about her Grace Potter and the Nocturnals experience.

Fiona Grey: This concert goes on the list of shows I saw that made me sure there was nothing I wanted to do more than make music. Lollapalooza was a special breeding ground for my musical inspiration. I would go every year through my teenage years. From smoking a joint with Gary Clark Jr to sneaking to the front of a Vampire Weekend main stage show by convincing the security guard I was Ezra’s girlfriend – I had so many wild and memorable moments. I ended up watching Grace Potter and The Nocturnals from the side stage. It was the “Ooh La La” era, but I really didn’t know much more about her at the time.

There is nothing quite like an artist taking you out of your head and straight into their universe. I’ll never forget her white fringe dress, the way she owned the stage, and how much fun she had. It was everything you want to do as an artist. She made me forget all the struggles of being a 16 year old and empowered me to be a better artist. She belted out the songs without ever making you think about the strength of her voice, but instead drew me in so I became even more entranced with the stories inside her songs. It was watching a master at work, as a young aspiring artist, it was the fuel I needed.

I remember wanting to be her so bad after that, and for a while wrote more blues leaning tracks to be like her. It turned out that I didn’t need to emulate her stylistically, but I have been inspired by the power she brought to her music and the quality of stage performance she created.

Fiona Grey was Nocturnal at Lollapalooza: The “Sick of It” single is out now.

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