This year’s Springfest officially commenced on Sunday, April 26, boasting Swedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson as the concert’s headliner. Larsson took to the stage after openers Notebook P and student acts, One Night Only, Hazel Drew, Marakosa and disc jockey, JAGA. Hundreds of Brandeis students gathered on Chapels Field to enjoy these performances, jostling to reach the barricade and dancing among friends. After a cloudy morning, the sun managed to peek out just before the student music groups began.

Larsson performed several of her recent Billboard hits. She opened her dynamic set with “Midnight Sun,” performing the viral choreography from her ongoing “Midnight Sun” tour. The tour’s main dancers, Summer Villiers, Lovisa Bengtsson, Chelsea Cooper and Honey Makwana, joined her on the University’s stage, enriching the pop star’s bright and flawless vocals. The four made the challenging, athletic choreography appear effortless, the perfect complement to Larsson’s captivating stage presence. 

“Are you a little bit warmed up?” Larsson greeted the cheering crowd, following her opening combination of “Midnight Sun” and “Blue Moon.” She prefaced her set’s next song, “Can’t Tame Her,” and exclaimed, “I want to see you dance tonight! I want to see you sweat. Are you with me?” The audience answered affirmingly with a chorus of enthusiastic cheers.

During her performance of “Lush Life,” Larsson chose Hayden Asiedu ’28 to join her and her dance crew on stage. Per her tour’s tradition, Larsson picks a concert attendee from the audience to join her on stage, dance the viral “Lush Life” sequence and pick a design for her to spray paint onto a blank T-shirt. In an April 27 statement to The Justice, Asiedu said that he knew Larsson’s music well before hearing about the Campus Activity Board’s Springfest announcement, having heard hits like “Lush Life,” “Symphony” and “Never Forget You” over the radio while he and his siblings did household chores. Asiedu said that the nostalgia he feels from hearing Larsson’s music made him feel as though he was meeting an old friend.

“When I realized Zara had chosen me, it wasn’t a choice that was randomized,” Asiedu wrote. He said that his friends in the audience pointed to him enthusiastically when Larsson and her dancers started their search. Asiedu, specifically credited Karolina Komar ’28 as the driving force behind his joining the performance, as she first taught him the dance, along with his friends in Brandeis Posse Scholarship Program.  

Asiedu also asked Larsson to paint a heart on the T-shirt, accompanied by the letter “R” to commemorate his late brother, Rangel, who passed away last month. He wrote, “His passing hit me hard and I felt like I needed to dedicate the moment to him because he is such a bright light in my life.” Additionally, Asiedu brought the flag of Ghana on stage with him, blending the personal embellishment into Larsson’s original choreography seamlessly. He emphasized that his culture is a significant aspect of his identity.

“You all look ethereal. Very, very, pretty,” Larsson exclaimed. She asked, “Are you feeling pretty?” In keeping with her tour’s traditions, Larsson led the crowd in the mantras that prelude her song, “Pretty Ugly,” telling the audience to chant “I’m so pretty” after her, repeating the phrase to the music. “It’s about the attitude. It’s about not giving a fuck,” Larsson explained. Following this round of chants, she asked the audience to chant “I’m so ugly, and that’s what makes me pretty!” 

Her songs “Hot & Sexy,” “Never Forget You” and “Symphony” rounded out her set. During “Symphony,” Larsson’s team threw a pod of inflatable dolphins into the crowd, referencing the TikTok meme where users post confessional anecdotes about their lives — often depressing — over colorful graphics with the song’s cheerful melody, hopeful playing in the background. 

Before Larsson played, returning student opener Hazel Drew ’28 performed with JonAaron Arnell ’28 on drums, Cam Steinberg ’26 on guitar and guest instrumentalist Joey Kane on bass. In an April 27 statement to The Justice, Drew shared that she met Steinberg through their a capella group, Starving Artists, Arnell over Instagram and Kane while they worked as field hands on her family’s farm. The band performed two of Drew’s original songs, “Compromise” and “Nothing No One Never Happened,” both of which she said are available for streaming on platforms alongside her upcoming Extended Play, “Above the Afterglow.” 

“This year’s onstage experience was amazing,” Drew wrote. She highlighted that CAB’s new wristband procedure allowed a larger audience to be present during her set, since attendees could enter the venue faster than last year. Drew added that this was her first performance featuring her original music in some time, and it reminded her of how much she missed it. She wrote, “It was so much fun to see people vibing with my music, even if they didn’t know the words.” 

After Drew, One Night Only took the stage, featuring Emily Confino ’26 and Isidora Bustos ’28 on vocals. They performed covers of Paramore’s “Ain’t It Fun,” Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie” and a mash-up of Adele’s songs “Rumor Has It” and “Someone Like You.” Confino and Bustos sang alongside instrumentalists Ben Selip ’28 on guitar, Daniel Zeidan ’26 on drums and Kian Wignaendts Van Resandt ’28 on bass.

In an April 27 statement to The Justice, Zeidan reflected positively on the band’s performance, feeling proud of their showing, despite his worries during microphone checks. He shared, “I felt very in tune and in synergy with the rest of the band. We worked very hard for a long time practicing, and there’s no one else I’d rather have spent Springfest with onstage.” 

Marakosa was the last student act to play before Notebook P, led by vocalist duo Iyegbekosa Ohan ’27 and Divina Ashley ’27. Selip and Stephen Dixon ’26 joined Ashley and Ohan on bass and guitar, Ananya Dalal ’26 played the keys and Godson Ademola-Thomas ’27 played the drums. Marakosa’s set featured three original songs: “Fantastic Tactics,” “JJM” and “Like You,” and ended with a cover of Djo’s “End of Beginning.” Ohan, in an April 27 statement, shared that Marakosa’s initial set also included a fourth original song, “Eucalyptus Mint,” but due to time constraints, the band excluded the piece.

Ohan wrote that Marakosa is “rooted in experimentation” and that “taking the stage felt like inviting people into a world [they] have been building together through songwriting, friendship and collaboration.” She highlighted the audience’s receptiveness to the band’s original works. “It reminded us that student artistry can exist on campus. We strongly believe that Springfest is meant for the celebration of students, not simply entertainment,” Ohan elaborated. 

Alongside the musical performances, Springfest also boasted a Food Truck Festival sponsored by CAB, the Department of Student Engagement, President Arthur Levine ’70 and vendors in the Shapiro Campus Center. Some of these vendors included a photo booth, a glitter tattoos station and a station where illustrators spray-painted customized designs on T-shirts for students. Many students showed off their new T-shirts at the festival. 

All in all, Springfest was a day of community, joy and artistry at Brandeis, made possible through CAB’s hard work and dedication throughout the academic year. The festival brought the student body under the sun for one last celebration before final exams began, marking the semester’s final days.