It’s official — UCONNIC is upon us! Now that SUBOG Concerts has begun promoting the night on their Instagram, and after the recent announcement of Malcolm Todd at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, it’s only a matter of time before the UCONNIC headliner is announced. Previous faces have included Ross Lynch, Swae Lee and Flipp Dinero, but who will be the next headliner?
Maleena Muzio, she/her/hers, Associate Life Editor, maleena.muzio@uconn.edu
I have noticed a few trends when it comes to UCONNIC Headliners; being that they are typically smaller rappers or indie musicians (with the exception of Ross Lynch last year). This year, with the recent breakthrough of so many smaller artists, it is hard to come up with a confident prediction for who the performer will be.
Two predictions from @storsschicks on Instagram specifically caught my eye: Malcom Todd and Reneé Rapp.
Todd blew up a few years ago on Tik Tok and is known for his Mac Demarco meets Steve Lacy indie-bedroom pop sound. One of his most popular songs is “Roommates” from 2020 — what better song is there to perform at a college campus? “Chest Pain” is also incredibly popular, and I don’t doubt that would be on his setlist.
Rapp, on the other hand, most famous for her Broadway role as Regina George in “Mean Girls” and appearance on “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” recently became a pop diva. My guess is that she would perform songs like “Leave Me Alone” and “I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone” from her 2025 sophomore album “Bite Me.”
Thaddeus Sawyer, he/him/his, Staff Writer, thaddeus.sawyer@uconn.edu
After last year’s success of The Driver Era (featuring former “Austin & Ally” star Ross Lynch), it’s not hard to read the tea leaves and figure out who SUBOG is targeting this year.
Last year’s choice was clearly a litmus test to see how UConn students would respond to a former Disney star before committing the big bucks to an even bigger celebrity
Forget Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo or even older stars Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez. What UCONNIC needs is Dove Cameron. The former “Liv and Maddie” lead is still at the level where UCONNIC could make sense but is famous enough that she would be an upgrade over the past few artists.
Jaylyn Davis, she/her/hers, Campus Correspondent, iue25001@uconn.edu
As a second semester student, I’m not very familiar with UCONNIC and what artists are chosen to perform there. However, if I were to make a prediction on who’s going to perform at UCONNIC this year, I would base it on current music trends and interests within the UConn community.
One trend that’s currently prevalent on campus is the 2016 theme. I’ve read articles that talk about people being nostalgic of that year, so I wouldn’t be surprised if an artist who was famous in that year will perform at UCONNIC. Some notable artists from that year are the Weeknd and Drake. If the Weeknd is selected to perform, he might sing some of his hits from 2016, including “Star Boy (feat. Draft Punk)” and “Die for You.” If Drake is chosen to perform, then he might sing some songs from his 2016 album, “Views.” A few songs he might choose could be “One Dance (feat. Wizkid & Kyla)” and “Controlla.”
The 2016 theme is ubiquitous on campus, but I’ve heard students talk about albums that were released within the past few years. One album I heard is “The Life of a Showgirl” by Taylor Swift, so it’s possible that Swift could be chosen to perform at UCONNIC. If she’s chosen, then she might play songs from “The Life of a Showgirl,” including “The Fate of Ophelia” and “Opalite.”