Five Osheaga artists critics are banking on this weekend: Berlam, JID, Bar Italia, Grand Eugène, Little Simz

Beyond the major lineups anchoring Osheaga this weekend, the festival's deeper card holds five acts worth your time, according to La Presse critics.

Berlam has emerged as one of Quebec's essential R&B voices in recent years. For his first Osheaga, the independent artist will bring three musicians — Sunthy Williams-Prom Tep (piano), Eugène Beringer (trumpet), and Anthony Aka (guitar) — to deliver vaporous R&B-pop-electronic hybrids. He'll also debut tracks from Essence Musique 1, arriving later this year, alongside a surprise guest. His set happens Friday, July 31 at 5 p.m. in the Sirius XM Sessions stage.

JID, the Atlanta MC signed to Dreamville (J. Cole's label), delivers technical rap with machine-gun precision — every syllable sharp and deliberate. His 2025 album God Does Like Ugly is his most polished work. He plays Friday at 8:35 p.m. on the Belairdirect Valley stage.

Bar Italia, a London trio of Sam Fenton, Jezmi Tarik Fehmi and Nina Cristante, sounds like Sonic Youth reimagined through 1990s britpop. Their fifth album Some Like It Hot (October 2025) channels the era perfectly. Saturday, August 1 at 4 p.m., Belairdirect Valley stage.

Grand Eugène — the duo of Jeremy Lachance and Melyssa Lemieux — builds dream pop with dark romance. Their album Deux places au cimetière explores eternal love with poetic melancholy. Saturday at 5:15 p.m., Sirius XM Sessions.

Little Simz, the British rapper, keeps expanding her craft with each release. After winning the Mercury Prize in 2022 for Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, she followed with No Thank You and Lotus, both showing deeper sonic range and technical mastery.