Tampa’s Capitol Records star Aidan Bissett chats Gasparilla Music Festival
Aidan Bissett was a Jesuit High School senior living in Tampa when he got signed to Capitol Records in 2021. Since then, the alt-pop singer embarked on a North American tour, amassed nearly 600,000 TiKTok followers and charmed over 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Oh, and he just turned 21 today.
On Friday night, Bissett will take the stage at Gasparilla Music Festival — the same event he attended for years as a teenager. He chatted with the Tampa Bay Times on the phone about playing Lollapalooza, working on his debut album and rocking out ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Stanley Cup victory.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The last time we talked in 2021, you had just gotten signed to Capitol Records. What’s been going on since you left Florida?
I’ve learned so much over the past few years about composition and creation and my own sound. I wanted to really define myself as an artist. That’s one of the most challenging things an artist can do, finding that distinct sound. I’ve really enjoyed touring and bringing in people that I know are better than me that I can learn from. Now I feel as an artist I’ve really figured out what I want to do and where I want to be, especially around creating like a real experience for fans.
How does it feel to be playing a festival in the place where you went to high school?
I’ve attended Gasparilla Music Festival as a fan multiple times, so it was pretty sick when we got the offer to play. For the show, I’ve refined the tour set quite a bit for the festival scene. We’ve never been able to play a late slot either, so this will be really cool to be able to see what the crowd interaction will be like at night.
What can people expect from your show?
I love energetic festival sets. We played Lollapalooza this past year and that was the first festival that gave us a really good idea of what we should bring to the table. I love, as a fan, just being able to let loose and scream. So as an artist, I want to be able to bring that to the fans. I want them to be able to just mosh around and forget what’s going on around outside.
What other bands on the lineup are you most excited to see?
Young the Giant is huge. Chase Lawrence from Coin has been a huge mentor for me throughout the creation of all my music, so being able to see him on a festival stage is really special.
Are there any artists you saw growing up in Tampa that you’ll be channeling in your performance?
Yeah, I saw Cage the Elephant probably my junior or senior year of high school, when they did the Stanley Cup free show at Curtis Hixon. And I remember watching them on stage and their frontman has such an incredible presence. So being able to channel that kind of rock star energy on stage is really fun.
What’s next for you after this festival?
I’ve been working on my debut album, which is weird to say but so exciting at the same time. I feel like I have a really, really, really strong vision on what exactly that is, in visuals and music. I’m so excited to be able to share it because it feels like the most mature and well put-together body of work that I’ve worked on so far. It still feels like it’s piecing together to be something really cohesive and special. It should be out in the fall. Of course, there is a tour coming up, too.
If you go
Gasparilla Music Festival takes place Friday, Feb. 16, through Sunday, Feb. 18, at Julian B. Lane Park in Tampa. Catch Aidan Bissett playing Friday from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the Fortune Stage. The festival features music, art, food trucks and more. Tickets start at $45 (not including service fees) and are available for purchase now at gmftickets.com.
Proceeds benefit youth music education and local professional musicians. For more information on the festival, visit gasparillamusic.com or follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Follow Aidan Bissett on Instagram at @aidanbissett and TikTok at @aidan.bissett. Check aidanbissett.com for tour dates and information on new music.
