Gasparilla Music Festival Experience
Image by Me -Aidan Bissett on “Fortune Stage”
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend Tampa’s local 3-day music festival called Gasparilla Music Festival (GMF). It follows the infamous, wild and crazy Gasparilla parades; celebrating the founding anniversary of Tampa Bay. The festival features live music, art, food trucks and more. But what made this experience really special was the inclusion of Tampa’s local rising star, Aidan Bissett!
Aidan Bissett was a High School senior, attending Jesuit Catholic High School, living in Tampa, posting TikTok videos from his bedroom when he got offered to sign with Capitol Records in 2021. Since then, the alternative-pop style singer has embarked on a North American tour (continuing this summer), amassed nearly 600,000 TikTok followers, has over 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and is working on a debut album! All at 21 years old! No big deal!
No surprise he was able to draw quite a crowd who enjoyed every second of the performance, including myself. He made jumping and singing while playing the guitar look like a simple task! For a young performer just starting out he was very confident and comfortable on stage.
Throughout the whole set, I wasn’t quite familiar with all of the songs but none the less I found myself listening to them all the next day on a loop! I can see now why his fan base is ever growing! The energy was palpable! He even included an unreleased song titled ‘Planet’ into the set-list as a preview for his fans!
(This song has since been released-attached at the bottom of page)
The single leads off the deluxe edition of his Supernova EP. The newly released collection includes fan-favorite tracks like "Tripping Over Air" and "Out Of My League.”
I think what makes Aidan so appealing is his age, his fans can easily relate to his music because they are all in a similar stage of life. His lyrics speak to them in that respect. I have felt this way personally with a lot of younger artists these days; I enjoy watching their careers grow from the beginning and progress because in a way you feel like you grow up with them. I am sure many of you can relate to a certain artist that reminds you of a certain phase of your life. I think Aidan will be that kind of performer for many of his young followers.
It’s not everyday that I get to experience an up and coming talent rock the stage in his hometown on the city’s biggest stage! If you can’t already tell by this review, he has definitely gained a fan in me! Even if you're not an alt-pop fan, Aidan Bissett is an artist you absolutely do not want to miss!
Catch him on tour this summer! All dates are listed below!
-XOXO Rachel
