This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s summer editorial intern Connor Hanrahan. Find him on Instagram at @hannerhansmh. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
2024 has been one helluva year for live music fans. Taylor Swift has taken the spotlight in nation after nation, Chappell Roan has brought infinite vibes across America and Europe, and Sabrina Carpenter has emerged as a new modern pop superstar. So many other artists have rocked the stage this year that it would be impossible to recap or include them all. Instead, we’re gonna take a look at artists who should absolutely 200% be touring next year.
Lana Del Rey
Lord help me, Lana needs to tour. Well, she DID technically tour in 2023-24 but this “tour” only included a measly 10 cities in the US and a few festival appearances. Her most recent album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard received rave reviews upon release and many of her fans hoped that she would follow it with a tour. She did, but she omitted the entire west coast of the United States, excluding her performances at Coachella and Outside Lands.
What few shows she HAS done this year have all sold out and have left festival stages unprepared to accommodate for so many fans. Other artists at Coachella noticed significantly fewer audience members just because so many Lana fans bought tickets just to see her. If that doesn’t warrant a fully fledged world, or at least US, tour, I don’t know what does!
Her last west coast inclusive tour was in 2019-20 when she toured following the release of her Norman Fucking Rockwell! Album. This was ages ago.
Lana, I beg, please come back to Cali.
Bruno Mars
I didn’t realize this, but Bruno Mars hasn’t toured since his 24K Magic World Tour in 2017-18… Of course, he hasn’t had many opportunities since then. In 2021, he contributed to the release of he and Anderson Paak’s collaborative album An Evening With Silk Sonic under their duo name Silk Sonic.
This seemed like a massive opportunity for the duo to tour but they never arranged a formal studio album tour and they haven’t released anything together since. This isn’t surprising considering the seemingly random release intervals of Bruno’s albums, but it was still disappointing for fans everywhere.
That being said, there seems to be no reason for him to tour. He is one of the most popular artists in the world and if he is down to leave it at that, so be it.
However, it would seem that he wasn’t content because he is going on tour this year and next for his The Uptown Funk Odyssey tour. He is currently finishing out a series of shows in southeastern Asia before returning to Las Vegas.
Lorde
It’s almost that time you guys. We are one year away from the four years it takes Lorde to release new work. Her third studio album Solar Power was released in 2021 and initially left a substantial portion of her fanbase wanting. Its acoustic vibes and somewhat solemn production style, courtesy of Jack Antonoff, was a huge switch up from her previously bassy and synthetic sound.
Her first two studio albums Pure Heroin and Melodrama used 808s, rumbly basslines, and creatively arranged synths. Solar Power offered a new sound that represented her altered outlooks on life and a different vibe altogether. Its bluegrass harmonies and instrumentals offered a sense of serenity and solitude. It was definitely an album designed for a sunny day at the beach, but many of her fans are hoping her next album will return to her roots after what will be an 8 year hiatus from the bassy music they loved.
Thankfully, Lorde is consistent in touring after her albums and covering large areas geographically. Her Solar Power tour covered 4 continents and had over 65 separate shows, meaning there is a terrific chance she will come to an area near you. However, considering that she typically releases her albums during the latter half of the year, the odds of her touring during 2025 are slimmer than the odds she tours during 2026.
One Direction
Guys, it’s time.
The beef should be settled, the fans want more, and it’s time the boys grow up and give us what we want: The One Direction Reunion Tour.
Has Liam been talking mad shit about the band?
Maybe.
Have they all gone their separate ways and had successful solo careers?
Yes and eh, kinda.
Does this mean they can’t get all 5 back together for a tour that would undoubtedly sell out every single show?
Absolutely fucking not.
Look me in the eyes and tell me seriously that Niall, Liam, Louis, and Zayn have something better to do in 2025. You can’t! 3 of those names have mid tier solo careers and the other is slowly fading into irrelevance. For gosh sake, the most important thing Liam has done this decade was go on the Impaulsive podcast and ramble on about how he should’ve been number one in the group.
I mean, their final On the Road Again tour sold out 99.65% of the total tickets available. That’s bonkers. And much like Lana Del Rey fans, One Direction fans are diehards that will never stop supporting them. Heck, I’m willing to bet their tours had people fainting like Michael Jackson did. I know people who TODAY would take a bullet for Harry.
Not to mention that this tour only included 4 of the members. Zayn had already left the group in an effort to begin what would become the second most successful solo career of any of them. Reuniting him with the others would surely shake the fabric of existence and lead to the second most popular tour of any artist this decade… Behind The Eras Tour obviously, though I suspect it would be close.
What do you think? I know there are probably plenty of artists who should tour in 2025 and heck, if I’m being honest, I think Taylor should tour again but I’m also just a bit of a zealot. Let me know who you think about artists touring in 2025 in the comments below!
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