6 Flog Gnaw artists on what’s inspiring them right now

Photography Janaiah LloydNovember 27, 2025MusicSpeakerbox6 Flog Gnaw artists on what’s inspiring them right now

Against a backdrop of a country in flux, last weekend served as a reminder that the Los Angeles festival belongs to the weirdos, innovators and those unclassifiable

ShareLink copied ✔️November 27, 2025MusicSpeakerboxTextMagdalena O'NealPhotographyJanaiah LloydRead More GettyImages-1291355015

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Camp Flog Gnaw returned to Dodger Stadium for its 11th year, and once again, Tyler, the Creator proved he can pull a sold-out crowd before even revealing a lineup. When the gates opened at noon each day, fans didn’t wander; they ran. And while the headliners were stacked with names like T-Pain, A$AP Rocky, Geezer, Doechii and GloRilla, the real electricity pulsed from the earliest sets. This year, the festival felt like a referendum on where music is headed next – a reminder that breakthrough talent doesn’t just warm up the day, they shape its entire emotional architecture.

On Saturday, Zelooperz set that intention immediately. Taking the stage at 1pm, he performed to a crowd that felt more like midnight. There were mosh pits, lobster claws lifted sky-high, and fans screaming every lyric off his new album Dali Ain’t Dead. Looperz has always lived in his own cinematic universe, but seeing that world spill out across a stadium before most people had even had lunch showed just how deeply his art resonates right now. His set was less an opener and more a thesis statement, reminding us that this weekend belonged to the weirdos, innovators and those unclassifiable.

Rising names continued to own the day. Melbourne genre shapeshifter Ecca Vandal tore through the Gnaw Stage with a set that felt like a pressure-valve release – brutal, bright and impossible to ignore. Across the field, Samara Cyn offered an opposite but equally needed frequency. Her set unfolded with silky R&B sounds, controlled flows and lyrics that felt like journal entries confidently being shared into a microphone. In a festival ecosystem built on adrenaline, Cyn made stillness feel radical.

Sunday Service graced us with MIKE’s first official Flognaw set. The beloved New York figure’s introspective style has shaped the underground for years, and his appearance on stage felt like a long-awaited homecoming. MIKE’s flow, smile and gratitude for the crowd while the sun set overhead turned the time spent together into something tender. You could feel the East Coast in his cadence, the self-reflection in the collages from journals, the childhood photos on the screen behind him and the lineage of the culture he’s carrying forward.

Finally, Paris Texas, the duo whose genre-bending music and energetic presence have earned them a cult following, delivered a set that felt like a controlled demolition. Their mix of punk, rap and cinematic world-building translated perfectly to a festival that celebrates artists who refuse binaries. They didn’t just perform – they detonated.

All of this happened against the backdrop of a country in flux, an industry reshaping itself in real time; audiences are exhausted, hopeful, anxious, hungry. In Los Angeles, especially, where creative communities are navigating economic pressure, political tension, and cultural burnout, festivals like Flog Gnaw hit differently. This year wasn’t just about discovery – it was about endurance. About remembering how live music can create temporary utopias and pockets of joy. It was proof that forward motion is possible even when everything else feels stalled.

Tyler has always curated with intention, giving space to artists he believes in, not just artists who are algorithm-approved. But in this specific cultural moment, the gesture feels bigger. These rising acts didn’t just fill slots; they reflected the restlessness and brilliance shaping the next era of music.

We caught up with six breakthrough artists after their sets to talk about what’s inspiring them right now and how they’re navigating the world as it is.

ZELOOPERZ

Photography Janaiah Lloyd

Your latest project, Dali Ain't Dead, dropped a couple of months ago, and now you’re on tour with Earl Sweatshirt. With all of that going on, what’s inspiring you right now creatively?

Zelooperz: The breeze, actually. Being able to hear it faintly and just feel it on your cheek. Whether it’s warm or hot, it’s the warmth. The breeze has been inspiring me all day.

What does it mean to you to perform at Camp Flog Gnaw?

Zelooperz: It’s a really cool festival full of great acts. Being here is any young aspiring artist’s dream. I am always thinking about my younger self and just being appreciative. It was a milestone. Hopefully, I can do it next year or the year after that. But even if I don’t do it again, I got to do it today, and I bodied it. It was everything I wanted it to be.

How’s the tour going?

Zelooperz: Fun contest. Can’t beat the homies in a fun contest.

DEB NEVER

Photography Jay Lloyd

What’s inspiring you right now, creatively and beyond?

Deb Never: I’ve been listening to a lot of Toto’s self-titled album lately. Cash Bentley, Chelsea Wolfe, Kate Bush, Funkadelic, Summer Walker’s new album, and Fiona Apple’s When The Pawn, just to name the most recently listened to. But beyond music, I find a lot of inspiration in my daily life and friends. I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many creative people.

What does it mean to you to perform at Camp Flog Gnaw? What are you most excited about?

Deb Never: I always thought of Flog Gnaw being a cultural staple of LA, and it’s my first time performing at Flog Gnaw, so I’m just happy to be here and be a part of it. Tyler’s an artist that I truly admire, so I’m excited to see his set, Blood Orange, Paris Texas, Geese, Geezer, Teezo, Fousheé, and GloRilla.

How is the current climate in America influencing your music and how you see the future of the industry?

Deb Never: Historically, music and art have reflected whatever was going on in the world at the time, and I don’t think that’s changed. I think a lot of that collective frustration will be expressed, whether that’s through my music or other artists.

PARIS TEXAS Pin It

Photography Jay Lloyd

You’re coming off a long tour with Tyler, so I’m sure being here is comfortable for you both in a lot of ways. With that in mind, what’s inspiring you guys right now creatively?

Louie Pastel: I think trying to find inspiration has inspired me, which sounds silly. The process, the search, the research, it’s all inspiring me right now.

Felix: I think just exploring newer mediums and witnessing creatives who are just starting out on their grind. The fresh wave of energy that comes with that is really inspiring.

Your music and visuals often touch on some of the harsher realities surrounding us right now. How is the current climate in America influencing your music and how you see the future of the industry?

Louie Pastel: I have a lot of hope. America, or society in general, seems to overcorrect on both sides. And something's going to happen really soon – something good. Hope is happening, and hope is very scary for a lot of right-wing, non-cultured white people. Now, we’re in hell. But overcorrecting hell means we’re closer to heaven, so I have hope.

Felix: I used to feel somewhat resentful, like we’re in the worst time to be doing this. Assuming that if it were a different time that we broke through, it’d be better, but the more I've been sitting down and thinking about it, I think we have a responsibility to figure out the best way through the chaos surrounding us. I try to be grateful that people even care to listen to our music in a time like this.

Who are you guys excited to see this year?

Louie Pastel: Blood Orange is playing tomorrow. So I might go and be like, remember me? I used to drive for Uber like ten years ago. I picked him up, and he whistled a beat I was showing him, and we were vibing. Then I got to New York and ran into him again, and I told him, ‘Yo, I was your Uber driver.’ He told me he remembered me and gave me his number, but he never answered. So now’s my chance to be like, ‘Hey man, we’ve come a long way!’

ECCA VANDAL Pin It

Photography Jay Lloyd

You’re having a big year and touring all over the world. What does it mean for you to be performing at Flognaw?

Ecca Vandal: I’m just so excited to be here because I’ve always wanted to be at this festival, and I’ve heard about it all the way in Melbourne, Australia. To be here and be a part of the show is just an absolute honour.

What's inspiring you right now, creatively?

Ecca Vandal: Travelling is really inspiring to me right now. I'm living out of a suitcase – actually, three suitcases – and have been out of home since February on the road. I'm so inspired by all the creatives that I've been meeting along the way.

Who are you excited to see perform this weekend?

Ecca Vandal: So excited to see Party of Two, I think they‘re killer. I just saw Geese and am super stoked for Kali Uchis.

MIKE

Photography Jay Lloyd

What’s inspiring you right now, creatively?

MIKE: I’ve been watching this show called Oz, which is set in jail around an inside job. It’s super dark, but certain parts are shot super artistically. One of the main characters does a narrative throughout the show where he just says deep philosophical perspectives on what’s going on, which has been super inspiring.

What does it mean for you to be performing at Camp Flog Gnaw?

MIKE: I’ve played a couple of different times here, but this is my first year having my own set, and I'm just happy. I feel like Camp Flog Gnaw is a staple in LA, and it’s cool to do something that feels like it’s for the city.

How is the current climate in America impacting your music and how you see the industry growing over the next few years?

MIKE: I think it’s affecting all of us in a similar way because we’re all kind of getting smoked at the same time. This time is filled with everybody just doing what they can, supporting the people who need support. We need to focus on building these more insular worlds, so we can be the change we want to see. It’s time for people to come together and realise we have a lot more in common than you think, and we’re all fighting the same fight. We just have to come together and have hope, no matter how corny that sounds.

Who were your favourite acts this weekend?

MIKE: Earl Sweatshirt for sure and Navy Blue. The gang has high hopes for T-Pain, too.

SAMARA CYN Pin It

Photography Jay Lloyd

What’s inspiring you right now, creatively and beyond?

Samara Cyn: Honestly, there’s a lot happening in the world, and it’s really sad. There’s a lot of agony out there, but I think there’s also a lot of positive moments where the community is coming together and seeing my peers stay outspoken. Everything has been like pushing me and motivating me to speak out more through my music and personally.

How do you feel the current climate in America is impacting music and the industry?

Samara Cyn: I wish that it would impact more people to speak up about what’s happening. I think we all know right from wrong, and we all have ethics, but there's a lot of fear when it comes to speaking up and saying what needs to be said. We need a lot more people to say the quiet part out loud, and I think people are starting to step up to the plate. I went through an era with my music where it was just about vibes. That was fun, and it was fire, but people are starting to want lyricism back and more meaningful messages. People come to music to feel seen.

What kind of music have you been listening to lately?

Samara Cyn: Recently, I’ve been listening to Gabriel Jacoby. He just dropped this project, and it’s absolutely incredible. I listen to Sales when I’m on my alternative vibes, as well as Men I Trust and Dizzy Fae. I’ve been listening to a lot of my friends; they’ve been dominating my playlist.

What does it mean for you to perform at Camp Flog Gnaw?

Samara Cyn: It’s so surreal. This is such a well-curated festival, and it has been since it started out. This is my first time ever at Camp Flog Gnaw, and I love that I got to be on stage for it.

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