When The Linda Lindas played with Karen O before they even formed
In the age of the internet, it’s not uncommon to become an overnight sensation. Social media has become backed up with one-hit wonders and an ever-churning 24-hour fame cycle, but this hotly tipped four-piece have changed the game when it comes to virality. Though still in their chrysalis years, both age and career-wise, The Linda Lindas already have the raw, unfiltered energy of a band that has lived through something unimaginable. The group manage to channel the rage-fuelled garage bands of the early 2000s, an era and scene forged long before the quintet were even born.
While balancing homework and band practice, Bela, Eloise, Lucia, and Mila have now gone on to achieve more in their teens than some musicians do in a lifetime. Influenced by the riot grrrl ethos, artists like Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney and other feminist icons from the 1990s, they’re now ready to take their musicianship to the next level.
Their TikTok videos in 2021 may have skyrocketed the group to stardom, but they’re not exactly cashing in for cheap hits. Instead, they’re making music that they would want to hear themselves, which is why it’s no surprise that Paramore’s Hayley Williams saw kindred spirits in them. The band went on to collaborate with Paramore on a remix of ‘The News’ in October 2023, where Williams’ fiery vocals are reintroduced in a fresh and exciting way, harking back to the golden days of ‘Ignorance’ and ‘Misery Business’. But the girls had impressive collaborations under their belt before this one was even a twinkle in their eye.
Flashback to 2018, the girls were recruited by Dum Dum Girls’ Kristin Kontrol to play covers at a local festival in LA, winning them new fans and praise from none other than the frontwoman of NYC rock band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen O, a champion of the festival. With their hearts on their sleeve, they got to perform ‘Day and Night’ with her alongside rock duo Best Coast.
She later invited the girls to join her on stage in 2022 at a packed out arena – The Hollywood Bowl. Karen O introduced their hit song ‘Maps’ with a proud speech, stating: “For me, it’s like history in the making… We have…deeply soulful, deeply brilliant Asian American women. If the young Karen O…if I saw this show I’d be f**king stoked!” This moment was not lost on any of the artists performing, including dreamy alternative pop band Japanese Breakfast, closing out the show with an electric cover of ‘Kids in America’.
The Linda Lindas rocked out on their songs ‘Oh’, ‘Growing Up’, and, of course, ‘Racist, Sexist Boy’, with elements of pop-punk sneaking in from time to time. Now, climbing further and further up the rungs of the industry, it’s clear that this was never amateur hour or some cringey scene from The School of Rock. The Linda Lindas are more than aware of how good they are.
Rather than taking on a pastiche of styles, their latest album, No Obligation, is a strong display of their developing musical skill, a new starting point for the group to go beyond Instagram virality or Spotify rabbit holes and instead pave the way for a successful, long-lasting career. Their music has meaning for fans navigating their own young worlds, and the lyrics provide that feeling with a soundtrack.
Complete with headbang-worthy hooks and furious anthems, The Linda Lindas are a stark reminder that rock and roll’s best acts are the ones that refuse to grow up all at once. Each shred, solo and sun-speckled harmony occasionally peeks through to guide us back to a time before the quintet formed – a decade now only remembered through the remnants of fuzzy camcorder footage.
On the road in March 2025 for their first ever headline North American tour, The Linda Lindas are playing some major live shows alongside support acts Be Your Own Pet and Pinkshift, a thrilling chance to meet their fanbase head-on, beyond the threshold of a screen. Although their youth is still a huge talking point for fans, press and critics alike, the girls are not attempting to shy away from their age, nor are they letting it get in the way of the music they want to create. Love it or hate it, The Linda Lindas are no passing fad.
