Linkin Park, Playboi Carti to perform at Lollapalooza India with Yungblud, Khelani

Mumbai, Aug 29 (IANS) Rock band Linkin Park is all set to perform at Lollapalooza India 2026 and its guitarist-keyboardist Mike Shinoda said that India has been a place they wanted to play for a long time.

Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park, who is debuting in India after a 30 year long wait said in a statement: "India has been somewhere we've wanted to play for a long time. Our fans there are incredibly passionate and we can't wait to finally bring our live show to them."

Linkin Park, which was formed in 1996, currently consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bassist Dave Farrell, vocalist Emily Armstrong, and drummer Colin Brittain.

The lineup for the band's first seven studio albums included lead vocalist Chester Bennington and drummer Rob Bourdon; after Bennington's death in July 2017, the band endured a seven-year hiatus, during which Bourdon chose to depart from the band.

The lineup also includes names such as Playboi Carti, Yungblud, Kehlani, LANY, Sammy Virji, Fujii Kaze, Calum Scott and more. The festival will take place in Mumbai on January 24th and 25th, 2026.

The Grammy winning rock band Linkin Park is known anthems like ‘In the End’, ‘Numb’ and ‘Crawling’ with recent releases like ‘Lost’, ‘Friendly Fire’ and their latest album FromZero topping charts.

With a cult-like following and a sound that reshaped modern rap, Carti is as much a cultural movement as he is an artist. His era-defining tracks like ‘Magnolia’, ‘Sky’ and ‘Stop Breathing’ and his latest album Music where all 30 tracks stormed the Billboard Hot 100.

The riot of rebel continues with Yungblud, the British phenomenon whose punk-charged, heart-on-sleeve energy has sparked viral anthems like ‘Parents’ and ‘Fleabag’.

With a voice that melts genres, Kehlani is known for ‘You Should Be Here’and ‘Distraction’. She first found her voice in the soulful stories of Erykah Badu, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse carrying forward that same spirit with unflinching honesty, stitching pain and power into every velvet-smooth verse.

Meanwhile, EDM wunderkind Knock2, just 25 years old and already hailed as the future of bass, is set to drop dancefloor firepower that will leave nobody still.

From LANY’s shimmering brand of synth-pop heartbreaks that have become the soundtrack to countless late-night confessions, to Sammy Virji’s infectious UK bass mastery that commands dancefloors worldwide, the line-up brings together a spectrum of sound and emotion.

Fujii Kaze adds his soulful, piano-driven intimacy, weaving vulnerability into every note, while The Midnight transport audiences with their widescreen synthwave nostalgia, echoing neon-lit nights and cinematic horizons.

India’s very own metal band, Bloodywood, returns to the stage with their globally acclaimed blend of folk and metal that has redefined the genre, standing tall as a true export of Indian music.

Calum Scott’s stirring ballads will bring festival-wide sing-alongs and emotional high notes after opening for Ed Sheeran’s record-breaking show in Mumbai in 2024, now establishing himself as one of today’s most heartfelt storytellers in pop.

India’s indie vanguard takes charge too, from Ankur Tewari & The Ghalat Family’s Hindi rock poetics, to tabla maestro and Asian avant-garde pioneer Karsh Kale known for fusing traditional Indian classical music with electronica, rock and other contemporary genres, having collaborated with global stars like Sting and Alicia Keys and to the lush electronic independent pop textures of OAFF-Savera, the pair behind ‘Doobey’.

BookMyShow Live, division of BookMyShow, spearheads Lollapalooza India as the promoter and co-producer for the festival’s Indian edition along with global producers, Perry Farrell and C3 Presents.

--IANS

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