Aside from the programmed headliners each year, there are always a couple of breakout stars at on the music festival circuit that simply take our breath away.
These artists – despite their early set times or small-stage scheduling – are the ones who defy the odds and show that real talent and showmanship can still garner huge crowds and headliner-level hype. We've seen it happen with Billie Eilish in 2018 at Laneway Festival (who opened the festival with an early afternoon set), and again with Chappell Roan in 2024 at Lollapalooza. And now – on a sling of festival dates from Coachella 2026 to last weekend's Gov Ball – we have the unlikely rise of hyperpop sensation Slayyyter.
Her Gov Ball set attracted a massive crowd
Slayyyter's 2pm slot at the festival had a massive crowd that outsized plenty of her afternoon contemporaries, with many fans arguing she should be playing later in the evening to deal with so many people. TikTok videos taken of the crowd showed tens of thousands singing to her hit CRANK.
@worstgirlworld THE CROWD IS SO LOUD TOO WHAT #slayyyter #govball #crankit ♬ CRANK - Slayyyter
Who is Slayyyter?
Slayyyter was born Catherine Grace Garner on 17 September 1996 in St. Louis, Missouri (making her a Virgo). The American singer and performer has become known for her DIY-approach to the hyperpop/electronic pop genre (think Charli XCX, SOPHIE and Arca as influences). Her sound and style are both very Y2K-coded, and the singer rose to fame from SoundCloud demos she posted back in 2018.
Her debut studio album Troubled Paradise was released in 2021, followed up by STARFUCKER in 2023, and now – just earlier this year – in 2026 she released her third album WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA (which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Dance Albums).
Her biggest songs are high-energy, industrial-pop hits like BEAT UP CHANEL$ and CRANK, as well as other hits like Mine and Alone. She's already toured with Charli XCX, Kesha, and Tove Lo, where she told Office Magazine about her pre-show rituals: "Me and my DJ Owen Jackson do a shot to the song Time To Dance by The Shoes."
Why was her Coachella set so huge?
Slayyyter played for a massive Mojave Stage crowd on Friday, marking her debut performance at the festival. The capacity-busting crowd was compared only to that of Chappell Roan back in 2024 (whose set at Coachella absolutely launched her career to insane heights).
Will she be touring?
Yes. She'll be performing a her new album, WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA, on an upcoming tour that kicks off in North America this September, before bringing the tour to Australia for a few dates in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. She'll then be moving to Europe and the U.K. in October.
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