Los Angeles is a dazzling and energetic destination for trending popstars to go on tour, and LA seems to get all the attention. Pop artists have made it obvious that they’re biased to coming to LA to perform which is valid given the lively environment, but as LA county locals we need to make sure that we don’t take advantage of it.
Current trending popstars that have come to LA in the past two years consist of Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Gracie Abrams, Addison Rae, Tate McRae and more.
Many of these artists use LA concerts for special guest collabs, album announcements, single or album debuts and ending tours. For example, Tate McRae closed out her “Miss Possessive” Tour and announced “So Close to What Deluxe” on Nov. 8 at the Kia Forum. Sabrina Carpenter also finished her “Short N’ Sweet” Tour on Nov. 23 at Crypto.com Arena.
Julia Coe is a senior in MBA and attended one of Tate McRae’s shows at the Kia Forum in September. “I think we’re super lucky that we’re so close and that we happen to be where a lot of stuff happens,” she states.
“Since we are in LA and it’s like a hub, I think that it makes sense to be involved in a lot of tours,” adds Coe. According to the Brickroom article “Why is Los Angeles the #1 Go-To City for Live Music Lovers?” Los Angeles is, “a city that lives and breathes music… [it] provides the perfect stage.”
LA fans have gotten used to expecting greatness and exclusive performances and shows, and most of the time we get exactly what we’re looking for. But when we don’t, we tend to get upset and forget that LA already gets more than enough and we need to be appreciative of that.
Addison Rae and Lorde both brought out special guest Charli XCX at their separate LA shows in October 2025.
Gabriella Olivia-Herrera is a senior in PEACE and attended Lorde’s “Ultrasound World Tour” on Oct. 18. “It felt surreal. Seeing Lorde and Charli out on the same stage felt like a gift and I was being spoiled,” Olivia-Herrera recounts her experience when Charli came on stage. “…LA always seems to get more, which I won’t complain about since I get to experience that.”
We’re very lucky that the city is only about an hour drive during rush hour, so we need to learn to be grateful for the experiences and pop artist concerts that we have access to.
