Frank Ocean, Blackpink, Bad Bunny, and more
In 2022, Coachella returned after a two-year Covid-mandated hiatus. That event kicked off the return of the concert season as we knew it, and helped reassure the world that life as a live music fan was back to something resembling normal. This year, the fest is set to make history again. As Rolling Stone’s Tomas Mier wrote when the Coachella lineup was announced last January, “With Blackpink, Bad Bunny, and Ocean as the main performers, this year’s iteration is the first where all of its headliners are 100 percent non-white.”
Fitting in everything you want to see during thees two weekends in the desert isn’t easy. Coachella has remained true to its 1990s roots as a showcase for new dance and alternative music, while expanding to host acts as gigantic as the Weeknd, Harry Styles and Beyonce.
Here’s our guide to the artists you absolutely won’t want to miss this year.
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Angèle
Image Credit: JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images A collab with Dua Lipa on the bilingual bop “Fever” was only the tip of the iceberg for Belgian star Angèle. After the release last year of her pop-perfect sophomore album, Nonante-Cinq (Ninety-Five in English), — which included the earworm Brussels ode “Bruxelles Je T’Aime” and the Damso-featuring “Démons” — the singer is finally ready to formally introduce herself to American audiences. Her Coachella appearance arrives in the midst of her first-ever tour, and she’s one of those singers you want to say you “knew before they were cool.” —T.M.
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Bad Bunny
Image Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Roc Nation When Bad Bunny takes the stage at Coachella this year, he’ll officially make history as the festival’s first Latino headliner ever. The accomplishment comes after the Puerto Rican superstar had a massive year: He was the most streamed artist for the third year in a row, and his fifth LP, Un Verano Sin Ti, broke records, spending more time at the top of the charts than any album in 2022. His World’s Hottest Tour was among 2022’s highest-grossing tours — and his three-hour, star-studded performances offer hints that he’ll probably go big at Coachella, too. —J.L.
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Becky G
Image Credit: Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images for The Latin Recording Academy Last year, Becky G thrilled audiences as she joined Karol G on the Coachella main stage to duet their massive collaboration, “Mamiii.” She has two albums under her belt, and a decade-long discography to reference (we’re praying for her to do her 2014 breakthrough “Shower”), so 2023 feels like the perfect year for a Becky G Coachella. Her set is sure to be a tribute to her Mexican American roots — and with recent collabs with corridos singer Peso Pluma and group Fuerza Régida, who knows who the singer might bring out as a special guest? —T.M.
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Björk
Image Credit: Santiago Felipe/Getty Images for ABA From her elaborate costumes to her meticulously crafted sets, Björk performances are always visceral experiences. For 2011’s Biophilia, her theater-in-the-round sets included a caged tesla coil that served as both a stunning visual and a percussive-lightning rhythm. 2015’s Vulnicura — which chronicled the disintegration of her longtime relationship with artist Matthew Barney — was so emotionally powerful it reduced many in the audience to puddles on the floor by intermission. As Björk continues her tour to support last year’s Fossora, it’ll be interesting to see if she can translate her Cornucopia “digital theater” to the Coachella stage, but it’s a always a safe bet that her set will be an immersive event you won’t want to miss. —A.L.
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Blackpink
Image Credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images for Coachella When Blackpink made their Coachella debut in 2019, they had yet to release a full album and were only a few singles deep into their U.S. career. Relegated to a side stage, they delivered an energetic set that instantly won over the cynical crowd. This year, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rose return as official headliners, riding a wave of success — and multiple hit songs — that has made them one of the biggest pop groups in the world. Taking to the main stage at Coachella 2023 after a Number One album and sold-out world tour, Blackpink have already won — consider this their victory lap. —T.C.
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Boygenius
Image Credit: Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images We called them the world’s most exciting supergroup, and part of that comes from watching Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus euphorically onstage with one another. It’ll be fascinating to witness big rock moments on The Record like “Satanist” and “Anti-Curse” live, as well as incredibly tender gems like “We’re in Love” and “Emily I’m Sorry.” If we’re lucky, Bridgers will play “Me and My Dog” and its new sequel, “Letter to an Old Poet,” back-to-back. You’ll need water to keep yourself hydrated from all that crying in the desert. —A.M.
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Burna Boy
Image Credit: FilmMagic/FilmMagic for Outside Lands In July, Burna Boy will become the first Nigerian artist to headline a U.S. stadium when he plays New York’s Citi Field, just more than a year after he became the first Nigerian artist to headline Madison Square Garden. His sets at Coachella will be just one more victory lap for the Afro-fusionist. Backed by a crack band that includes ebullient backup singers, a corps of traditional African drummers, horns, and sometimes even strings, Burna Boy is a live showman in the classic sense, energetically vibing with his band and the crowd as he effortlessly brings together decades of Afrobeats, R&B, and pop. —J.D.
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Charli XCX
Image Credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images For her first live performance since wrapping up the eighth (!) leg of her Crash tour in March, Charli is bringing her high-octane bangers to Indio, California. A veteran festival performer, the pop star will no doubt get attendees jumping with all the party hits throughout her discography — from her breakout 2012 hit “I Love It,” with Icona Pop, to 2016’s cult favorite “Vroom Vroom.” There’s also the sizzling choreography to her newer singles “Baby” and her 2022 Tiesto collab “Hot in It” to look forward to. —M.H.K.
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DannyLux
Image Credit: David Alva; Jackie Gallardo; Johny Arsenio Tarazona Sanchez As música Mexicana continues to grow, a new generation of young artists has found major success by courting fans on social media with brooding, brokenhearted sounds. But DannyLux has always brought a touch of sweetness to sadness, a bit of richness to melancholiness. The 19-year-old wunderkind actually grew up in Palm Springs; he got his first guitar from his father, who was a sanitation driver in the Coachella Valley. When DannyLux performs his gentle sierreños and corridos at the festival, it’ll be more than just his Coachella debut — it’ll mark a deserved homecoming show. —J.L.
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Flo Mili
Image Credit: Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Flo Milli is a lot of fun on records like 2020’s Ho, Why Is You Here? and 2022’s You Still Here, Ho?, firing off nonstop bars about how incredibly cool she is (and how unspeakably pathetic her haters are) with a smirk and a shrug. Onstage, she’s all focus. Her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Tour last year showed that she’s a top-flight live MC, delivering each verse with precision and attitude. It’s been a hell of a come-up for an artist who’s been polishing her punchlines since she was a kid in Mobile, Alabama. Don’t be surprised if she outraps some even bigger names at Coachella. —S.V.L.
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Frank Ocean
Image Credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images The hearts of Frank Ocean fans broke when the 2020 edition of Coachella, which the reclusive musician was slated to headline, was canceled by the pandemic. Now, he’s back at the top of the billing for his first festival appearance since Los Angeles’ FYF in 2017, stoking anticipation that he’ll debut new material and even maybe release his first new album since 2016’s Blonde and Endless. Even if this isn’t a year of more Ocean activity, audiences will still weep when they hear him play alternate renditions of his now-classic songs. —M.H.K.
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Horsegirl
Image Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images The Chicago trio Horsegirl established themselves as one of the best new indie rock bands around with their excellent 2022 album, Virtues of Modern Performance. They’re the kind of punk-rock scholars who reference Tom Verlaine and Patti Smith in their songs, and can knock out a joyful cover of the Minutemen’s “History Lesson Part 2.” They don’t go in so much for onstage histrionics, but their spacious, poetic guitar racket is sure to sound beautiful wafting through the desert night. —J.D.
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Jai Wolf
Image Credit: Mat Hayward/Getty Images Jai Wolf, an indietronica producer specializing in magic-hour synthesizers and Coldplay-size melodies, may as well be the house band at Coachella. His biggest hits — “Starlight,” “Indian Summer,” “When It’s Over” — sound precision-engineered for both blasting across the night sky and soundtracking a montage of the weekend. The producer’s kept pretty quiet since 2019’s moderately received LP The Cure to Loneliness, only recently releasing the keening “Want It All,” meaning the set will serve as something of a comeback, too. —C.P.
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Kali Uchis
Image Credit: Mauricio Santana/Getty Images When Kali Uchis first performed at Coachella in 2018, she’d just released her stunning debut album, Isolation, which introduced her lush R&B and sad-girl balladry to the masses. This year, she’s taking the stage as a fully formed, Grammy-winning artist, touting an entirely new set of songs from her soulful third album, Red Moon in Venus. The project caught her during a creative spurt: In January, she shared that it’s one of two LPs she plans to drop this year, which means fans might get to hear some unreleased tracks at the festival. —J.L.
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Kaytranada
Image Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Live Nation If there’s someone who knows how to get bodies moving, it’s Kaytranada. Never mind his legendary Boiler Room sets or his stacked discography of funky dance tracks, the Canadian producer has more than a decade of DJ’ing experience, with a reputation for getting the stiffest crowds grooving. Attendees of his Coachella set should keep a close ear out for his newer collabs and remixes, like his PinkPantheress team-up “Do You Miss Me?,” or even upcoming tracks with Aminé that the Portland rapper recently teased. —M.H.K.
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Lava La Rue
Image Credit: Lorne Thomson/Redferns Lava La Rue’s discography is scant, but it’s full of unpredictability — credit their West London upbringing, which exposed them to a wide spectrum of soul, punk, and electronic music. “Vest and Boxers,” a single the singer-songwriter released early last year, combines a sinuous yet spiky bass line with an effervescent vocal that captures first-crush feelings; Hi-Fidelity, their EP from last year, packs a lot into its five tracks, with “Motel” embarking on a starlit space-funk exploration that detours into a rubbery guitar solo and the title track showing off their MC stylings. —M.J.
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The Linda Lindas
Image Credit: Gus Stewart/Redferns After blowing up in 2021 for their viral performance of “Racist, Sexist Boy” at the L.A. Public Library, the Linda Lindas have emerged as the coolest teen punk band in recent history. Made up of Asian and Latinx girls aged 12 to 18, the Lindas are now becoming seasoned performers, bringing the raucous tracks from their 2022 debut album, Growing Up, to the festival circuit. Their Coachella set will kick off more fest dates, as well as an opening slot for Paramore later this summer. —M.H.K.
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Los Bitchos
Image Credit: Shedrick Pelt/Getty Images for SXSW Los Bitchos’ recent debut — produced by Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos — is titled Let the Festivities Begin!, so that should give you an idea of how rowdy their live sets are. The global all-female outfit typically pass around a bottle of tequila among one another while spreading waves of disco, funk, Latin rhythms, and Turkish psychedelic rock to the crowd. They tend to dance, toss in some “woo’s!” and screams, take turns soloing, and make hilarious animated facial expressions. Put it this way: If you’re going to trip out to any band at Coachella, let it be this one. You’ll feel right at home when they play “Tripping at a Party.” —A.M.
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Noname
Image Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images Noname is one of the sharpest critical thinkers in music, with a distinctly ambivalent feeling about fame. “I don’t like doing things that I know are going to build on my celebrity because that’s not ethical to me when I’m trying to be anti-capitalist and also trying to present myself in a specific way,” she told Rolling Stone in 2021, explaining her mixed feelings about photo shoots and concerts. But anyone who’s seen one of her shows can tell you what a warm, joyful, altogether compelling presence Noname is onstage. Now that we know she’s got a new album, Sundial, coming this summer, we’re even more excited to see where her mind is headed next. —S.V.L.
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Pusha T
Image Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Roc Nation Pusha T has high standards for his music — this guy hasn’t half-assed anything in at least 20 years. “If I’m not doing hip-hop at a high level, I won’t do it anymore,” he told RS last year, in one of those statements that would be hyperbolic coming from nearly anyone other than one of the dudes who made Hell Hath No Fury. He’s always been one of the best live acts in hip-hop, with breath control that’s second to none and a steady commitment to showmanship, and his performance in Southern California will surely give you a rush as pure as the drugs in his metaphors. —S.V.L.
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Rae Sremmurd
Image Credit: Andrew Chin/Getty Images In 2016, Rae Sremmurd electrified the Coachella crowd with a dynamic set that featured, amid performances of songs from their then-forthcoming Sremmlife 2, a “Vote for Bernie Sanders” shoutout. This time out, Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi will be playing both weekends in what will be their first shows together in a bit. They’ll also be kicking off the tour to support their excellent new album, Sremm 4 Life, which came out a week before the start of Coachella, so the stakes will be high. Considering the duo’s trademark live exuberance, it’s a good bet they’ll rise to the occasion. —J.D.
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Rosalía
Image Credit: Arturo Holmes/WireImage The million-dollar question: How is Rosalía going to transform the dazzling performance art of her Motomami tour for a Coachella stage? We’re not sure, but she’s sure made it work at festivals in South America earlier this year. With the success of Motomami and its addicting single “Despechá,” her Spanglish hit “LLYLM,” and a recent collaborative EP with her fiancé Rauw Alejandro, the Spanish star’s performance is one you’re just not allowed to miss. Let’s hope an onstage Rauw-Rosalía duet happens. —T.M.
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Wet Leg
Image Credit: Lorne Thomson/Redferns Crowds absolutely love to scream along to Wet Leg asking, “Do you want me to assign someone to butter your muffin?” from their 2021 viral hit “Chaise Longue” — as heavily advertised on the British indie rock band’s TikTok. After touring basically the entire world behind their 2022 self-titled debut album and playing a string of opening dates for Harry Styles, the duo will lead more singalongs to their tongue-in-cheek anthems that’ll rock the California desert. —M.H.K.
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Willow
Image Credit: Simone Joyner/Getty Images <COPINGMECHANISM>, last year’s album from celebrity offspring Willow Smith, channels the emotionalism she’s displayed on songs like the left-field hit “Wait a Minute!” into charging, expansive rock. If her live band lives up to the promise of that record, expect riffs that will fill the Empire Polo Club’s field, and urgently yelped lyrics that go into pointillistic detail about love and anxiety. —M.J.
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Yves Tumor
Image Credit: Jim Dyson/Getty Images In their larger-than-life performances, Yves Tumor cuts the difference between glam rock star and actual religious figure. Their Coachella appearance marks the first shows since releasing their sprawling new album, Praise a Lord Who Chews, But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds), which they’ll tour behind throughout the rest of the year. Sticking with the same live band since 2019, the experimentalist is a must-watch set for lovers of pop dramatics and straight-up shredding. —M.H.K.
