Hailing from Canada, singer/songwriter Jade LeMac has been singing and writing music since she was 12. Her career launched in 2020 with the rise of TikTok, and LeMac hasn’t looked back since. Now 21, she performed at Lollapalooza — a music festival known around the globe.
The Daily Illini sat down with LeMac to learn more about her musical journey and what challenges she’s overcome to get to where she stands today.
**This interview has been edited for length and clarity.**
The Daily Illini: Could you describe what it was like performing at Lolla?
LeMac: It was so awesome. This was my first festival in the U.S., so I was excited to do it, and it’s Lollapalooza, like let’s be real, it’s the coolest ever. So, performing here, I was so nervous, but I think it went super well. The crowd was so interactive and so awesome, so I had a great time. It was super fun.
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The DI: Coming from Canada, have you noticed any big differences?
LeMac: I’m personally from Vancouver, and the Vancouver music industry is not the biggest. So, traveling anywhere, it’s kind of awesome to see how big the music industry can be and all these huge festivals, and Lollapalooza is one of the biggest, so it’s just so cool to be here.
The DI: Can you describe your journey in music to get here and what coming to Lolla means to you?
LeMac: I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I’ve been writing since I was about 12. I was featured on some EDM songs, and I was like 13 or 14, which is so funny, and then TikTok happened. Then once I was 17, I think I released my first song, “Constellations,” and from there it’s just been an amazing journey. It’s gotten to the point where I’m performing here at Lolla, and it’s just so so cool and so surreal. It’s a dream come true.
The DI: On your journey, have you faced any challenges you’ve had to overcome, anything you’ve learned from that?
LeMac: It’s difficult being a smaller artist, because I feel like there’s so many people and there’s so many people trying to make it, and it can be difficult to try and, you know, be successful. It can be hard seeing how some people react and everything, and just like trying to find something that’s you. I’m still young and I’m still growing. I’m trying to find my sound and everything. So, I think that’s been challenging because I really feel like I have to know who I am right now, but I’m still in a process of learning who I am. So, I think that was my biggest challenge.
The DI: You are on the younger side of a lot of artists, do you ever feel like that puts you at a disadvantage, or do you feel like you are able to connect to a different audience?
LeMac: I wouldn’t say that it’s a disadvantage. I think that, like with music, it’s something that so many people rely on and use to cope with things, so I feel like being younger, there’s just always going to be people my age going through similar things. So I think I’m just relating to certain people at this age … and then when I get a little bit older, I’ll probably relate to some older people and everything like that. So yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s a disadvantage, it’s just different.
The DI: What makes you stand out from other artists?
LeMac: Well, I’m half-Asian, I’m Vietnamese, Chinese, I’m part of the LGBTQ+ community. I write all my songs myself. I’m really big on that, and that’s something I take a lot of pride in. I feel like all those things I’m very proud of, and it’s a big part of who I am, and I try to show that in my music as much as I can. And really, I’m just trying to be myself and everything you know? I rock my own style, I write how I write and everything like that. And I am hoping that can part me away from others.
The DI: Looking to the future, what are you excited about? I know you have a new single coming up, so kind of describe what you’ve got in the works.
LeMac: Yeah, I have an EP that’s coming out in the fall, and the first single off the EP is “Running Home,” which I’m so excited about. I just sang it for the first time today at Lolla, and I saw so many awesome reactions in the crowd. It was just so fun to perform. So I’m excited to get that one out, and I’m going on tour with Maren Morris this fall, so I’m very excited for that. That’s going to be my biggest tour that I’m on. So there’s a lot of exciting things coming up.
