We Found the Queer R&B Sanctuary at Outside Lands

After two days packed with high-adrenaline performances, Sunday at Outside Lands offered festivalgoers an oasis to recharge before the work week.

The day began with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus honoring those who lost their lives to HIV/AIDS. Death Cab for Cutie treated fans with their soulful and somber anthems. And RÜFÜS DU SOL closed the main stage with their hypnotic brand of electronic music.

But the stage that nourished the soul throughout the day was Twin Peaks, graced by back-to-back R&B performances and powered by a loud and proud queer energy from the audience. While the festival promoted the Dolores’ dance floor as the space celebrating LGBTQ+ communities, the Twin Peaks stage became another haven for queer fans.

And yes — in typical Outside Lands fashion — it was very cold. Mariah the Scientist certainly thought so.

“You owe me a warm night, honey,” the Atlanta-raised R&B superstar joked with the crowd. “I don’t even know if I get that in this town.”

But the air sweeping in from the Pacific Ocean felt a little warmer when Mariah delivered the chorus of “Like You Never” from her 2025 album Hearts Sold Separately. 

Mariah’s soft, intimate vocals make a perfect match with her fluid, enchanting melodies. Wearing a pink general’s cap adorned with a pussy bow that rippled in the wind, she rallied fans with “2 You” — her anthem to an impossible love. Fans responded by putting two fingers in the air.

A sensual choreography that included fabulous back-up dancers sporting pink bedazzled military-inspired uniforms (epaulettes and all), Mariah commanded the audience to channel their own sensuality. And of course, to embrace and savor all the feelings that come with heartbreak.

While Mariah’s lyrics suggest intimacy, British performer kwn (pronounced kay-one) drives it to the front. Since first coming onto the scene in 2022, kwn has worked to make space for queer female love in R&B. Her performance style is fueled by her charisma, confidence and swag.

In her latest album and all pride aside, she makes sapphic desire tangible and her fans match that energy. As soon as she began singing “risk it all” — a song about finding a baddie at the club — the crowd was already twerking. Just one smile from kwn sparked screams from hundreds of fans. 

Kwn’ songs dig into the nuances that come with being a heartthrob. She’s very attentive of her partner’s sexual needs in “‘til u cry.” She’s a player showing off her game in “five more.” Devoted and adoring in “eyes wide open.”

With a taper fade, a gold chain, a flannel button-up and a wallet chain to complete the player persona, kwn kept her look sleek and clean. But the ’90s R&B aesthetic — denim shorts, track suits and big, clunky jewelry — could be spotted all over the crowd.

Perhaps no one embraced the ’90s aesthetic more than Destin Conrad, the Florida-bred singer-songwriter who built a massive following on Vine in the 2010s and whose latest album Love on Digital was nominated for a Grammy. The 26-year-old rocked a two-toned Canadian tuxedo and snake-print shoes for his Outside Lands debut.

“I’ve got an alter ego,” he told the crowd with a smile before singing “MR. E,” where he showed off his vocal style: a silky, airy whisper that moves effortlessly between ranges. And he got the crowd hyped with the more upbeat “JUMPIN’,” a rallying cry for “bad bitches and pretty boys, they/thems, non-binary hoes.”

But the loudest cheers came when Conrad sang “KISSING IN PUBLIC” — a celebration of kissing a male love interest without fear. “I see a lot of cute boys here,” he told the crowd with a smile.