Rising power pop star FLETCHER hit the stage at Billboard's Hot 100 Festival last weekend and we were lucky enough to witness the greatness in person. It was her third ever festival performance and she ended with "War Paint," the song that was pivotal in her career. We caught up with her before the set where she told us about playing with The Knocks, collaborating with Maggie Rogers, and must-haves for her upcoming tour. Take a look below at our Q&A with FLETCHER!
iHeartRadio: Your first headlining tour is about to kick off. What are some tour must haves?
FLETCHER: My best friend Alex is going to be with me so she’s a must have. Alcohol’s a must have. We all need a handle of Tequila. Some Patron is always nice. So my best friends, some alcohol, and my Polaroid camera to sort of just capture all of the fun moments that happen.
Is there a city that you’re going on tour to that you’ve never performed in before?
I’ve never performed in Toronto so I’m so excited about that. I’ve never been to Chicago even just visiting. So it’ll be my first time visiting and playing there.
Tour starts in Toronto on October 3, however FLETCHER is no stranger to performing in Canada. She joined The Knocks onstage during the Purpose Tour's Canada dates in 2016.
How did you link up with The Knocks and how did you end up performing with them on the Purpose Tour?
I was just always a fan of The Knocks. We connected on social media a very long time ago. They hit me up like "Hey would you want to do the Canada dates for the Purpose Tour? We’re opening for Bieber." And that was a very surreal experience. By far the biggest crowd I’ve ever performed in front of. You literally just said Bieber’s name and I felt like they were screaming for me. So I kept saying "Who’s excited for Bieber?!" And they’re like "AH!"
And that was even before you graduated?
Yeah that was before I graduated. I was in my senior year at the Clive Davis Institute.
A lot of talent comes out of that program and I know you performed with Maggie Rogers this Summer. Do you have plans to collaborate with anyone from the program?
Yeah you know what, I’m such a fan of Maggie as a person and an artist. I think she’s so deserving of all the success that’s she had come to her so far and I’m so happy that she has such an incredible fan base. Getting to perform with her at Firefly this year, we did a Spice Girls "Wannabe" cover which was such a surreal moment. To see it kind of all come full circle because I remember when we were just like 18 sitting in our Clive classes working on projects together. Madison Love is another one who came from the program. She’s an incredible songwriter. So I’ve been writing with her in LA a bit. It’s really cool to see everything come full circle and be able to collaborate on another level with good friends.
For more information on tour dates and tickets, check out http://www.wasteyouryouth.com/
Photos: Rachel Kaplan for iHeartRadio