One of the biggest music festivals in the world Coachella, announced its artist lineup for April earlier than expected this year. Rather than in January like previous lineups, next year’s lineup released Sept. 16. The announcement drew mixed reviews from social media users ahead of the April shows.
Day one is headlined by Sabrina Carpenter, who is back after debuting her hit song “Espresso” during her 2024 performance. Carpenter is likely headline with her most recent release, “Man’s Best Friend,” which came out Aug. 29.
Global girl group KATSEYE will also perform on the first day of the festival. The girl group gained national attention earlier this year for its GAP Jeans advertisement. It hopes to continue its rise into global stardom as it takes the stage at Coachella, playing songs like its smash hit “Gnarly.”
The most notable hip-hop performances of the festival take place on day one, with rapper Sexyy Red and U.K. drill artist Central Cee. The day is also set to include some unique vocal performers, including Teddy Swims, most known for his viral 2024 song “Lose Control,” ambient artist Ethel Cain and alternative R&B artist Dijon, who has gained fame working with the headliner of day two.
Day two’s headliner, Justin Bieber, is a familiar name to Coachella, but this is his first time headlining. Bieber has returned to the mainstream with his recent releases of SWAG and SWAG II. The R&B-influenced albums will hopefully provide Bieber with the ability to regain stardom.
Day two also spotlights two rising artists: former TikTok star and dance-pop artist Addison Rae and alternative artist Sombr. Both are being given an incredible opportunity to continue to boost their profiles after multiple award nominations, including Sombr winning Best Alternative Video at the Video Music Awards.
Day three brings a notable first to the festival, as Colombian artist Karol G will be the first Latina artist to headline Coachella. She represents a major milestone for Coachella as it celebrates its 25th anniversary. This performance could also serve as a major test point for fellow Spanish-language artist Bad Bunny’s fears about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Another international artist has gained the attention of fans. K-pop band BIGBANG has reunited once again for its 20th anniversary.
Joining in on reunion shows is the recently reunited rap duo Clipse. The brothers came back together earlier this year to release the album “Let God Sort Em Out after a 16-year hiatus.
This lineup has drawn mixed reactions from fans, as some have expressed disappointment.
“This gotta be the worst lineup in music festival history,” one user said of the official announcement posted on the Coachella Instagram page.
Others have felt this is a repetitive lineup and does not live up to the 25th anniversary.
“Did you guys forget it’s your 25th anniversary,” another Instagram user said. “This is terrible. Half of this lineup has played the last 2 years.”
With reactions like these to the announcement, this year is looking to be more about Coachella proving itself, which is not desirable for the 25th anniversary. Carpenter has continued to rise in the pop sphere with her releases, but “Man’s Best Friend” did come with less acclaim compared to last year’s “Short n' Sweet.”
Bieber’s pivot into a more mature R&B-influenced album has drawn mixed reviews from critics. This makes Coachella a chance for Bieber to prove this is a genuine evolution. Karol G has smashed records for U.S.-touring Latina artists. She is not exactly the level of pop star Coachella typically attracts for its headliners. It seems Coachella is prepared to break barriers with this addition.
As the headliners each have some meaningful critiques, this is a big opportunity for rising artists to steal the spotlight. KATSEYE and fellow reality show-created band BINI are among the few names to garner positive reactions about their appearance at Coachella. This could be a moment for both bands to rise to global recognition, similar to bands like BTS.
Acts such as Foster The People or Swae Lee, who have been out of the spotlight for quite a while since their hits “Pumped Up Kicks” and “Sunflower,” respectively, were released, could mark a return to mainstream fame with this performance.
Coachella may be in a real dilemma despite the fun speculation. The lack of country music, including big artists like Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs and Zach Bryan, may cause a void. Coachella is not traditionally home to country acts, but it may have been advantageous for the festival.
As Coachella celebrates its 25th anniversary, it presents a challenge to the concept of the music festival. Coachella needs to prove its brand matters just as much, and potentially even more than the music, to deliver a high-quality show next April.
