Coachella. You’re the most coveted ticket on the planet. You’re the event every music fanatic in the world dreams of attending. The empress of music festivals. The most raging music event of the year. The stage every artist dreams of gracing. This is Coachella. Coachella 2024 has had its run at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, on the weekends of 12 to 14 and 19 to 21 April 2024. Every year, crazy things happen at Coachella. This year is no exception, and we’re about to delve into the highlights of the hottest music festival on the calendar!
Let’s start with the most essential information – the headliners. Every year, that roster bejewelled with artists’ names is the reason we music maniacs breathe. When we saw the headlining acts for Coachella 2024, we were ecstatic. And now that the festival is over, their performances electrified the atmosphere, as we all knew they would. Ladies and gentlemen, this year, your headliners were Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator, and Doja Cat!
Lana Del Rey
Resident sad-girl pop queen Lana Del Rey took the Coachella stage after ten whole years! She said, “Exactly 10 years ago to the day. We’re still doing it.”. Yes, you are! We grew up to Lana’s anthems. She was the person we were crying our hearts to after every breakup, any heartbreak, whether at 2pm or 2am. She was our person. Her music raised us. And she’s still doing what she does best after ten years while being unapologetically herself in a world that changes one and all.
She made a heart-stopping entrance on motorcycles. “What’s up, Coachella,” she asked, probably not realising that she was becoming a part of a core memory of thousands of people lucky enough to witness her in her true form. She performed some of her hottest songs – Doin’ Time, Summertime Sadness, West Coast, Chemtrails Over The Country Club and Young And Beautiful! We do wish she had also performed her other iconic songs, such as Say Yes To Heaven, Radio and National Anthem. But we’ll gladly take what we get!
But Lana didn’t come alone. She brought with her surprise guests that had the venue crackling with electricity! On weekend 1, she had Jon Batiste appearing for Candy Necklace, Jack Antonoff playing the piano during Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me — but I Have It, and this generation’s new sad-girl princess, Billie Eilish! Together, they performed Billie’s Ocean Eyes and the ever-iconic Video Games. They honoured each other’s music, artistry, and styles on a stage that celebrates music.
Both artists gushed about each other in words that will be immortalised forever as some of the most heartwarming words an artist can say about another – “That’s the voice of our generation, the voice of your generation. I’m so f*ing grateful she’s standing next to me right now, singing my favourite song of hers,” Lana said. And Billie said, “This is the reason for half of you bi*ches’ existence, including mine! Lana Del Rey, you guys, come on!” Truer words have never been spoken. I got goosebumps as I watched this on my screen, but imagine hearing this live.
On weekend 2, Lana brought out another guest, Camila Cabello! Lana and Camila sang Camila’s newest song, I LUV IT, and it was a dynamic showcase of vocals, a criss-cross of aesthetics and exhilarating energy all around. I’m not the biggest fan of this song (the chorus haunts me in my sleep!), but Lana’s mesmerising touch transformed the song from a pop hot mess to an enchanting love story, especially when the music stopped, and Lana sang to Camila, “I love it, I love it, I love it”!
“[Camilla] is my girl; I have so much fun with her. I love this song, and thank you so much, angel, for coming and singing with me,” Lana exclaimed at the end of the performance.
But the latest headline about this hot headlining act is that Coachella is looking at a $28,000 fine for breaking the city’s curfew after Lana’s set went 13 minutes over last week! It seems that as part of its agreement with Goldenvoice, the festival is charged a daily fine of $20,000 for the first five minutes past curfew and an additional $1,000 every minute after that. Well, we got an amazing performance from Lana, so we’re not complaining.
Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator, is one of the greatest names in hip-hop. He’s one of the few fantastic phenomena that led this next generation of hip-hop and brought his magic to the Coachella stage. He was the icon for the kids growing up in the 2010s, and his influence and impact on us cannot be put into mere words. But his performance at Coachella 2024 is a testament to his legacy, with the crowd hyped up with him, screaming his songs like it was the catharsis they needed. The icon you are, Tyler!
He performed his mega hits like EARFQUAKE, BEST INTEREST, See You Again, and ended with NEW MAGIC WAND. Midway through his incredible set, he said, “The first time I played Coachella was 2011. I didn’t know what the f*ck Coachella was, but me and my friends at the time, we went by Odd Future. And it was great. We were in a house. We rented a crib, went to Target n**ga, bought some snacks, and performed. The performance was terrible. But it was awesome.” And here he was, making history, creating a special memory for himself and everyone there.
One thing about Tyler, The Creator, is that he really proved himself to be a creator – a creator who creates craziness that leaves everyone questioning everything about him. I mean, don’t we remember his music video for “Yonkers”, where he ate a cockroach? He turned heads and got the whole world’s attention! He brought that same craziness on the Coachella 2024 stage – he threw himself through the wall of a fake trailer as pyrotechnics set off behind him. His aura on stage is incredible. He’s a genius and a true artist who created a perfect set and performed like no one ever could!
Tyler is phenomenal on stage alone. But that’s the thing. He wasn’t alone. He brought so many surprise guests that it’s tough to keep count! Let’s see if we got it right – Tyler’s barrage of surprise guests on weekend 1 included Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Donald Glover) singing Running Out of Time, A$AP Rocky for Potato Salad and Who Dat Boy, Charlie Wilson playing the piano, for EARFQUAKE, Kali Uchis for her part on See You Again.
But on weekend 2, Tyler brought out only one guest. But I think you’ll go a little nuts when I tell you who he did invite. This one’s a true blast from the past. It’s someone the OG fans would surely know. Ladies and gentlemen, Tyler brought with him Earl Sweatshirt, a fellow member of Odd Future! For the first time in ten years, they performed AssMilk, which initially debuted on Tyler’s 2009 mixtape BASTARD, followed by their WOLF collab “Rusty”. They hugged each other, and Tyler said, “I love this guy so f*cking much”. This was one for the history books!
And then came the ending. Once again, Tyler is a true creator. He entered with a smash and left with a woosh. He commanded attention from beginning to end. At the end of New Magic Wand, Tyler vertically climbed a rock as if by magic (or suspension cables). A storm came onto the stage (not a real one!), Tyler appeared to be holding onto the edge of a cliff for dear life until the storm swept him away. And he disappeared. Tyler, you truly are a creator!
Doja Cat
And then comes our Sunday headliner, Doja Cat. She literally made history at Coachella 2024. She’s the first female rapper and the second Black woman (after Beyoncé in 2018) to headline the festival. If you’ve seen her perform (live or on your screens), you’d know she was made for the stage. She shines when she’s up there, and her stage presence is unreal. She shines amidst her backup dancers and glistens even when she’s alone. She brought this magic to Coachella 2024.
But didn’t Doja Cat say she wanted to quit music? I can’t keep up with her lore, but she makes bangers that deserve a stage and a crowd packed with music die-hards like Coachella’s. One thing about Doja, though, is that she keeps her relationship with her fans “strictly business” and avoids sweet-nothings with them. When Doja told those who engage in parasocial relationships with the idea of her to “get off your phone and get a job”, she lost about 300,000 followers on Instagram, leading the world to believe that this was the beginning of the fall of pop-princess Doja Cat.
Yes, it was the fall of a pop princess. But then rose a rap queen. She made this metamorphosis during the peak of her career and began to re-pursue a path in rap. But she ate it up, and we love it! We see this transformation in her album “Scarlet”, which is very rap-heavy in comparison to “Planet Her.” And she brought this rap-based set onto the stage of Coachella as well.
Most of the songs she performed were from “Scarlet”, and we noticed she missed out on many of her hits from “Planet Her”, which were our biggest obsession once upon a time – Woman, Get Into It (Yuh), You Right, and Kiss Me More. She did perform Ain’t Sh*t and Need To Know, though, in a rather rap-forward manner too, if I may add.
Nonetheless, her setlist defines Doja’s new chapter in her career. It’s true to who she is as an artist, and we admire her courage to bring this version of herself to a stage as mega as Coachella’s. She may have brought back her rap era, but she never left her aura that fills any stage and venue. With a rather simple set, Doja brought the fire on stage with her irreplaceable stage presence and avant-garde style in true Doja-Cat fashion!
In fact, her fashion choices on stage were very deeply thought out, as she shared with Vogue. She said, “The plastic and synthetic materials all are a nod to this sort of ‘scientific’ exploration of the self—a dissecting of the mind and deeper understanding of what makes us the way we are.” She also said how she “wanted this show to feel like a textural fever dream. Almost like you’ve fallen into my hair and dove through my head and into my thoughts.” They also tried to create more masculine looks, just like how “Scarlet” was a masculine response to the pop princess transformation.
As if hailing the victory of the rap and hip-hop genres, Doja Cat invited onto the stage fellow rappers 21 Savage, Teezo Touchdown and A$AP Rocky! She breathed life (or live!) into collaboration songs with these artists. She performed n.h.i.e. with 21 Savage, MASC with Teezo Touchdown, and URRRGE!!!!!!!!!! with A$AP Rocky. Doja Cat is a trailblazer, but she’s also a humble queen for bringing these rap stars to share this honour with her.
Other Surprise Performers
But, mind you, these were just the headliners. Coachella 2024 stretched far beyond the Coachella stage! There were many other stages throughout the venue that had so much happening too. Let’s briefly go through some of the other surprise performers!
On weekend 1, Bizarrap DJ at the Sahara tent brought out the one and only Shakira, who performed their collaboration La Fuerte and made a jaw-dropping announcement—she’s doing a world tour, “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour”! Singapore is not on the roster (yet?), but this will be her first tour since 2018, so this is exciting!
Also on weekend 1, while Shakira was convincing everyone that her hips don’t lie, Olivia Rodrigo came up on stage as a guest performer. And whose set did she join? No Doubt’s reunion set! Olivia Rodrigo, donning an “I heart ND” shirt, joined Gwen Stefani and performed Bathwater! We can’t wait to see her headline the festival one day.
Back on the main stage, Peso Pluma brought along our 2010s princess, Becky G! It’s funny because just last year, Becky brought Peso out on stage during her set, and now, this! Together, they performed Chanel. On weekend 2, Peso also invited Anitta on stage, and they performed Bellakeo!
Another huge moment at Coachella 2024 was the people’s pop prince Justin Bieber, who was invited by TEMS, to the stage, where he belongs to perform Essence alongside Wizkid. This moment stole the show and had the crowd screaming like never before. After all, this is Justin Bieber – he accompanied our youths, and here he was, creating another spectacle the world will remember forever.
Paris Hilton also made an appearance this year during Vampire Weekend’s set. Strangely enough (or maybe perfectly normal for Paris!), she played a game of cornhole while the band performed a medley of fan-favourite songs. Well, they brought the theatrics!
Still on weekend 1, Mia Moretti DJed at the DoLab stage and brought out her friend and our queen, Katy Perry! And during J Balvin’s set, he welcomed surprise guest Will Smith, who rapped the iconic theme to Men in Black dressed as his character! Bebe Rexha, who also performed at Coachella this year, closed her set with one of the world’s favourite songs to this day, I’m Good (Blue), together with David Guetta!
Another icon joins this long (and never-ending) list of surprise performers – Kesha! She performed TikTok with Reneé Rapp! While Kesha’s performance is a headline in itself, she made a lyrical change that drove the world insane! In the original lyric, she sings, “Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy.” But at Coachella, she and Rapp changed that to “Wake up in the morning like f*ck P. Diddy.” P.Diddy has been accused of sexual misconduct in five separate lawsuits filed in recent months. That lyric change was a queen move.
And those were some of the most thrilling surprise performers we just had to share!
Other Highlights
In recent years, K-Pop artists have been walking the path to Hollywood success, and one of the honours that comes with that is the chance to perform at Coachella. The now-disbanded K-Indie band ‘EE’ was the first Korean act to perform at Coachella in 2011. Epik High was the first K-pop group to perform in 2016. And BLACKPINK was the first K-Pop act to headline the festival in 2023. We’ve seen more and more artists taking the spotlight at this prestigious festival. Two more K-pop acts had this chance this year, and one made headlines for not-so-great reasons.
The two groups are ATEEZ and LE SSERAFIM. ATEEZ wow-ed the audience with the very essence that has the world falling for the allure of K-Pop – that all-roundedness. They excelled in their vocals, dance, and their stage presence. They ate it up and left the festival with more fans than they came in with. But LE SSERAFIM, on the other hand, has shocked fans, and not for the right reasons.
On weekend 1, their sub-par vocals disappointed many festival-goers. Their vocals were not stable and off-key many times, and in the many videos I watched, they didn’t sound like they were singing but more like screaming into the microphone.
With songs that are perfect for a festival, like ANTIFRAGILE and Perfect Night, their vocals failed them. But we give credit where credit is due – they knew how to hype up the crowd and seemed to have a pretty electric presence. But Coachella is about music, and that music didn’t come through.
But then, on weekend 2, their vocals were nothing like what we heard on weekend 1. The difference was like night and day. But it didn’t take long for the Sherlocks of TikTok to figure it out – it seems that the backtrack on weekend 2 was significantly louder. In fact, it was so loud that it could mask any imperfections in the live singing. Many even claimed they could’ve been lip-syncing.
Well, whatever it is, singers gotta sing! With so many artists vying for a spot on Coachella 2024’s line-up, it seems unfair that they got a spot but didn’t deliver. It’s not for no reason that Coachella is trusted for only bringing singers to its stages because they don’t allow their performers to lip sync.
Nonetheless, there were many stars off-stage too, which was another highlight for Hollywood fanatics, aching for a glimpse into the VIP section of the audience. Taylor Swift and footballer boyfriend Travis Kelce made their Coachella debut as they were spotted in the audience for Ice Spice and Bleachers. Actor Barry Keoghan was cheering for his girl, Sabrina Carpenter. Other celebrities spotted were Jeff Bezos, Rihanna, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Megan Fox, Nina Dobrev, and Robert Pattinson supporting his baby mama, Suki Waterhouse!
Ending Thoughts
Coachella 2024, you were, yet again, a star-studded experience on and off the stage!
Nonetheless, Coachella has most certainly lost its charm. Once upon a time, Coachella was an exclusive privilege. It was a stars-only and strictly fan-only experience, which gave the festival its credibility as the biggest festival on the music calendar.
But now, it’s saturated with influencers hoping to make a fashion statement and an audience that cannot vibe with the performers because they’re not there for them but for the vibes. Coachella is no longer that girl, but she’s, unfortunately, now more a fashion ground than a music fan’s dream come true.
While the line-up this year was pretty incredible, especially with headliners offering a range of genres stemming from different music generations, we need to remember the peak of this music event. Headlining acts in the 2000s were insanely huge, which made Coachella the hot affair it had started to become. Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beastie Boys in 2003, Radiohead and The Cure in 2004, Coldplay in 2005, Depeche Mode and Tool in 2006 (but instead, Daft Punk‘s elaborate LED pyramid performance made Coachella history!), Prince in 2008, and Paul McCartney in 2009!
In recent years, 2018 was a smashing year for Coachella, with The Weeknd, Beyoncé, and Eminem as headliners. Since then, Coachella has gradually lost its allure, and it’s a shame that it’s losing its identity, which it’s worked hard to build all these years. Nonetheless, 2024 was a great year, with the headliners and roster representing a greater variety of genres and cultures. At least, in this way, Coachella stays true to its essence as the pinnacle of music events.
With Coachella 2025 dates confirmed for 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 April 2025, we can only hope, pray, and do every music ritual in existence for an artist line-up that will bring Coachella back to where it used to be! Till then, we’re going to take in the amazing performances we got this year and reel from the pop culture bombs dropped.
Coachella
🗓️Dates: 11 to 13 April and 18 to 20 April 2025
📍Location: Empire Polo Club, Indio, California
Check out Coachella’s official website, Instagram and TikTok pages to catch up on everything that happened and for more details on Coachella 2025!
Cover Photo courtesy of Coachella.
