This weekend, the annual Boston Calling music festival is back at Harvard Athletic Complex. Since 2013, the festival is known for bringing nationally and internally acclaimed touring acts alongside up-and-comers and tens of thousands of fans to Massachusetts for three days of live concerts.
Ahead of Boston Calling, we’re featuring interviews with a number of the local talents from Greater Boston who will be taking the stage. Boston-based poet, rapper and educator Oompa will perform on Sunday, May 29, alongside headliner Metallica and big names like Weezer and Japanese Breakfast.
Originally from Roxbury, Oompa took her stage name from a nickname she got well before she started rapping. Oompa has been making and releasing music for five years, but describes herself as “always emerging [...] always up-and-coming” with new releases. Her latest album, Unbothered, has “this kind of confidence” that the artist doesn’t think she previously had as a rapper.
Oompa describes her music as an "embodiment of ambition, full of storytelling and hope." She draws from her personal experience and tastes to create albums, which have landed acclaim from the Boston Music Awards, NPR, and more. Now, she’s ready to play Boston Calling, which she sees as “an affirmation” of her long-held belief in her own potential.
Get ready for Boston Calling by hearing more from Oompa, and be sure to catch her set at the Red Stage early on Sunday afternoon!
GBH will be at the festival from Friday, May 27, through Sunday, May 29, providing updates and coverage on the GBH News social media accounts. Follow along on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for updates!
Check out our Boston Calling local Spotify playlist: