Coachella 2023 was a music festival that took place over two weekends in mid-April 2023. The 22nd

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...

, Coachella 2023 was held at the

Empire Polo Club The Empire Polo Club is a 78-acre (32 ha) polo club in Indio, California in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, approximately 22 miles southeast of Palm Springs. Founded in 1987, it has hosted international polo tournaments. It leases ou ...

Indio, California Indio (Spanish language, Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, Califo ...

. The festival was headlined by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, South Korean girl group Blackpink, American singer

Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...

, and American

pop-punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

band Blink-182.

Background

The dates for Coachella were announced on June 14, 2022, with pre-sale tickets going live on June 17.

Performance by Frank Ocean

On the final night of Weekend 1 of Coachella, there was uncertainty over whether headliner Frank Ocean would show up to the event. Despite his exclusion from the official YouTube livestream, Ocean began performing at 10:55 p.m., an hour later than his initial booking. He performed for an hour and a half, performing a rock version of his debut single " Novacane" (2011) that references Coachella, as well as reworked versions of several of his songs, such as "Bad Religion" off of '' Channel Orange'' (2012) and "White Ferrari" off of '' Blonde'' (2016). He then explained that his appearance was in honor of Ryan Breaux, his younger brother who died in a car crash in 2020. Ocean abruptly ended his performance with a cover of The Isley Brothers' " At Your Best (You Are Love)" (1976), once covered by

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

, informing the audience that it was curfew. The performance was done through large video screens; the screens obscured Ocean and his band and were poorly lit. During the middle of the set, a DJ—later revealed to be DJ Crystallmess began playing, leading many fans to believe the show had concluded, before Ocean introduced her 15 minutes later, teasing Ocean's radio show Homer Radio. Ocean's Coachella performance was harshly criticized from audience members, critics, and fans. ''The Festive Owl'', speaking to several sources, later stated that a group of people surrounding Ocean were intended to be ice skaters and had practiced for weeks. As Coachella set up the stage, Ocean ultimately decided that he wasn't a fan of the ice skaters, leaving the festival with no option but to deconstruct the ice rink—which had been planned for months—threatening to not perform if it was not done. Melting the ice rink caused the one hour delay in his performance. Additionally, Ocean's performance needed to be adjusted as he sustained an ankle injury during rehearsals that week, according to ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

''.

TMZ TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...

added that the injury occurred while he was riding bicycles artists and staff use to navigate the festival, and was reportedly serious enough that Ocean's doctors advised Coachella to change his production. Ocean announced that he had pulled out of Coachella on April 19 due to his injury, leaving Blink-182 and later Skrillex,

Four Tet Kieran Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting UK albums such as '' Rounds'' ( ...

, & Fred again.. to headline Weekend 2.

Lineup

The lineup for Coachella was announced on January 10, 2023. For the first time since the festival began in 1999, all three headliners— Bad Bunny, Blackpink, and

—were not Caucasian, with Blackpink being the first Korean headliners. Following Ocean's departure, Blink-182, as well as Skrillex,

, and Fred again.., headlined Weekend 2. Coachella 2023 also featured acts fully sung in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

and

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

artist Diljit Dosanjh from India for the first time; these initiatives were part of a greater effort by Goldenvoice—the organizers of Coachella—to feature more diverse artists. For the first time since 2019, Coachella 2023 hosted the Heineken House, a small venue sponsored by Dutch brewing company

Heineken N.V. Heineken N.V. () is a Dutch multinational brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. , Heineken owns over 165 breweries in more than 70 countries. It produces 348 international, regional, local and speciality be ...

, featuring American hip hop duo Method Man & Redman.

Coachella Stage

;Special guests * Bad Bunny: During the first weekend set, he was joined by Jowell & Randy,

Ñengo Flow Edwin Rosa Vázquez Ortiz (born October 15, 1981), known professionally as Ñengo Flow, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. He was born in the Río Piedras district of San Juan and grew up in Bayamón where he started in the music business. ...

, Post Malone and Jhay Cortez. During his second weekend set, he was joined by Arcángel, Grupo Frontera, Jowell & Randy, Ñengo Flow, José Feliciano and Jhay Cortez. *

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

: During the first weekend set, they were joined by

Thundercat Thundercat or Thundercats may refer to: * Thundercat (snowmobile), a series of snowmobiles produced by Arctic Cat * Thundercat (musician), stage name of Stephen Lee Bruner, an American musician * ThunderCats, a media franchise, featuring a fictio ...

Peven Everett "Gabriel" is a song by Roy Davis Jr. and Peven Everett. It was first released in the U.S. in 1996 on Large Records, titled "Gabrielle". It originally states on the record that the track was produced by Davis Jr., with Everett providing vocals an ...

, Jamie Principle, Bootie Brown,

slowthai Tyron Kaymone Frampton (born 18 December 1994), better known by his stage name Slowthai (stylised in lowercase), is a British rapper. Raised in Northampton, he rose to popularity in 2019 for his gritty and rough instrumentals and raw, politica ...

Del the Funky Homosapien Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972), better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien (sometimes stylized as Del tha Funkee Homosapien) or Sir DZL, is an American rapper. Music career 1988–1997: Early life and beginnings Born in O ...

and

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...

. During the second weekend set, they were joined by

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

, Thundercat, Bad Bunny,

Moonchild Sanelly Sanelisiwe Twisha (born 1987), known professionally as Moonchild Sanelly is a South African musician and dancer. She is known for her signature blue-coloured hair and her self-created music genre called "Future ghetto punk". Originally from P ...

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is an eight-piece, Chicago-based brass ensemble consisting of eight sons of the jazz trumpeter Phil Cohran. Their musical style ranges from hip hop to jazz to funk and rock, including calypso and gypsy music. They call t ...

, Yasiin Bey, Bootie Brown, Little Simz, Del the Funky Homosapien and De La Soul. * Becky G: During the first weekend set, she was joined by Marca MP, José Ortiz Paz of

Fuerza Regida Fuerza Regida is a Mexican American regional Mexican band from San Bernardino, California. The band consists of lead vocalist Jesús Ortíz Paz, backing vocalist and twelve-string guitarist Samuel Jaimez, rhythm guitarist Khrystian Ramos, sousaph ...

and

Peso Pluma Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija (born 15 June 1999), known professionally as Peso Pluma, is a Mexican musician and singer. Learning to play the guitar during his teens, he developed his craft by writing songs inspired by regional Mexican music. ...

. During the second weekend set, she was joined by Libianca and Natti Natasha. *

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...

: He was joined by

Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...

during the first weekend set. * Rosalía: During the first weekend set, she was joined by Rauw Alejandro. During the second weekend set, she was joined by

Tokischa Tokischa Altagracia Peralta Juárez (born 17 March 1996) known mononymously as Tokischa, is a Dominican rapper, songwriter and sexual content creator. After working for the renowned photographer Raymi Paulus, she was offered to enter the musi ...

. * Charli XCX: She was joined by

Troye Sivan Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter, actor and YouTuber. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his thi ...

during the first weekend set. * Kali Uchis: She was joined by Tyler, the Creator,

Omar Apollo Omar Apolonio Velasco (born May 20, 1997), known professionally as Omar Apollo, is an American singer and songwriter. After signing a record deal with Warner Records, his debut album, ''Ivory'', was released in 2022 to positive reviews for his ...

and

Don Toliver Caleb Zackery "Don" Toliver ( ; born June 12, 1994) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He released his first major label mixtape, ''Donny Womack'', in August 2018. He is known for his singles "No Idea (song), No Idea" and "After Party ...

during the first weekend set. *

Porter Robinson Porter Weston Robinson (born July 15, 1992) is an American DJ, record producer, musician, and singer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Robinson began producing music in his childhood. He signed to Skrillex's record label Owsla, OWSLA at the age o ...

: He was joined by Madeon and

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Orlando Tobias Edward Higginbottom (born 7 March 1986), known professionally as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (or TEED), is a British electronic music producer, DJ and singer-songwriter based in the United States. Early life Orlando is ...

during both weekend sets. *

GloRilla Gloria Hallelujah Woods (born July 28, 1999), known professionally as GloRilla, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. She rose to prominence after releasing her 2022 song " F.N.F. (Let's Go)" (with Hitkidd), which was nominated for Best ...

: She was joined by

Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper and singer. He is the lead member and founder of the collective and record label Only the Family (OTF). Durk garnered a cult following with the ...

and

Moneybagg Yo DeMario DeWayne White Jr. (born September 22, 1991), known professionally as Moneybagg Yo, is an American rapper. He is signed to fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti's record label, Collective Music Group (CMG), in a joint venture deal with Interscope ...

during the first weekend set.

Outdoor Theatre

Special guests *

Kaytranada Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of mixtapes, remixes, ...

: During the first weekend set, he was joined by Kali Uchis and

Aminé Adam Aminé Daniel (born April 18, 1994) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He first gained notability for his commercial debut single, "Caroline", which peaked at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Aminé released hi ...

. During the second weekend set, he was joined by

H.E.R. Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson (born June 27, 1997), known professionally as H.E.R. (pronounced "her", an acronym for "Having Everything Revealed"), is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actress. She has received several awards includin ...

, Tinashe and

Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...

. * SG Lewis: During the first weekend set, he was joined by

Channel Tres Sheldon Young (born May 26, 1991), known professionally as Channel Tres, is an American rapper, singer and record producer from Compton, California. Tres is best known for his singles "Controller" and "Topdown". Early life Young grew up in sou ...

. During the second weekend set, he was joined by Tove Lo.

Sonora Tent

Special guests * The Breeders: They were joined by

The Linda Lindas The Linda Lindas is a rock band from Los Angeles. The all-girl group comprises Bela Salazar, Eloise Wong, and sisters Lucia and Mila de la Garza. History In January 2018, Eloise Wong's father Martin Wong was contacted by an acquaintance, askin ...

during the first weekend set. * BRATTY: They were joined by Cuco during the first weekend set.

Gobi Tent

Special guests *

Tobe Nwigwe Tobechukwu Dubem "Tobe" Nwigwe (born March 8, 1987) is an American rapper, singer and actor. As of 2022, Nwigwe co-stars in the Netflix television series '' Mo'' and received a nomination for Best New Artist at the 65th Grammy Awards. Persona ...

: He was joined by

Coast Contra The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

Chamillionaire Hakeem Temidayo Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire (), is an American rapper. He was the founder and an original member of The Color Changin' Click from 2001 until the group split in 2005. He began his ...

and Olu of EarthGang during the first weekend set. *

Chromeo Chromeo is a Canadian electro-funk duo from Montreal, formed in 2002 by musicians David "Dave 1" Macklovitch and Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel. Their sound draws from blue-eyed soul, dance music, rock, synth-pop, disco and funk. , the band has rele ...

: They were joined by La Roux during both weekend sets. *

Fousheé Britanny Fousheé (born August 1, 1992), known professionally as Fousheé, is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Jersey. She came to wide notice when the vocals for her song "Deep End" were used on a hit song by rapper Sleepy H ...

: She was joined by Steve Lacy during the second weekend set.

Mojave Tent

Special guests * FKJ: He was joined by

June Marieezy June Marieezy, also known as ((( O ))), is a Filipino-American singer and songwriter. The artistic moniker ((( O ))) is unpronounceable. The creative syntax symbolizes the artist's energetic presence. It also makes searching for her online more di ...

and

Bas Bas may refer to: People * Bas (name), a given name and a surname * Bas (rapper) (born 1987) Chemistry * Boron arsenide (BAs), a chemical compound * Barium sulfide (BAs), a chemical compound Other uses * ''bas'' (French for "low"), as in bas- ...

during the first weekend set. * Blondie: They were joined by

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

during the first weekend set. *

Wet Leg Wet Leg are a British indie rock band from the Isle of Wight, founded in 2019 by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. They debuted with the single "Chaise Longue (song), Chaise Longue" in 2021. Their Wet Leg (album), self-titled debut album deb ...

: They were joined by

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...

during the second weekend set. *

MUNA Muna may refer to: Places * Muna (Mikulovice), a World War II POW camp and ammunition factory in the Czech Republic * Muna, Estonia, village in Rõuge Parish, Võru County, Estonia * Muna, Iran, village in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Mu ...

: They were joined by

Boygenius Boygenius (stylized in all lowercase) is an American indie rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in 2018 by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. Their self-titled debut EP ''boygenius (EP), boygenius'' was written and recorded at ...

during both weekend sets. * BENEE: She was joined by

Gus Dapperton Brendan Patrick Rice (born March 11, 1997), better known by his stage name Gus Dapperton, is an American singer and songwriter from Warwick, New York. History Dapperton has received particular attention for his fashion style, consisting at som ...

during the first weekend set. * DOMi & JD BECK: During the first weekend set, they were joined by

and

Mac DeMarco MacBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco (born Vernor Winfield MacBriare Smith IV; April 30, 1990) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. DeMarco has released six full-length studio albums, his debut ''Rock and Roll Night C ...

. During the second weekend set, they were joined by Thundercat and

. *

Labrinth Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. After initially pursuing a career in music production, Simon Cowell signed him to his record labe ...

: During the first weekend, he was joined by Billie Eilish. During the second weekend, he was joined by

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

and Zendaya. *

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

: They were joined by Yung Lean during the second weekend set. *

Mura Masa Alexander Crossan (born 5 April 1996), also known by the stage name Mura Masa, is a Guernsey-born electronic music producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Crossan is best known for his song "Lovesick (Mura Masa song), Lovesick", which ...

: During the first weekend set, he was joined by

Cosha Cassia O'Reilly (known professionally as Cosha and formerly known as Bonzai) is an Irish singer-songwriter and music producer. Background O'Reilly was born in Indiana, United States, and raised in Ireland, between County Wicklow and Dublin. Her ...

Shygirl Blane Muise (born May 4, 1993), better known by her stage name Shygirl, is an English rapper, DJ, singer, songwriter and co-head/founder of record label and collective Nuxxe. Shygirl's music incorporates elements of hip house, industrial hip-ho ...

Bayli Bayli Mckeithan, known professionally as Bayli (stylized all caps), is an American pop and R&B singer. Career The Skins Bayli was the lead vocalist of Brooklyn-based rock band The Skins, which she formed as a teenager with her siblings Re ...

Isabella Lovestory Isabella Rodriguez, better known as Isabella Lovestory, is a Honduran pop and reggaeton singer based in Montreal, Canada. Her music has been described as perreo-pop. She has collaborated with Mura Masa and has played at the Pop Montreal festiv ...

and Gretel Hänlyn. During the second weekend set, he was joined by Cosha, Gretel Hänlyn and NAO. *

WILLOW Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

: She was joined by Jaden Smith during both weekend sets. * IDK: He was joined by

Rich the Kid Dimitri Leslie Roger (born July 13, 1992), professionally known as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper. He released his debut studio album, '' The World Is Yours'', on March 30, 2018. His second studio album, '' The World Is Yours 2'', was relea ...

during the first weekend set.

Sahara Tent

Special guests *

Metro Boomin Leland Tyler Wayne (born September 16, 1993), professionally known as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer, record executive, beatmaker, and DJ. He is known for his dark production style and its influence on modern hip hop and trap. R ...

: During the first weekend set, he was joined by John Legend,

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

21 Savage Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two m ...

, The Weeknd and Diddy. During the second weekend set, he was joined by The Weeknd, Future, Don Toliver and

Offset Offset or Off-Set may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Off-Set", a song by T.I. and Young Thug from the '' Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' * ''Offset'' (EP), a 2018 EP by singer Kim Chung-ha * ''Offset'' (film), a 200 ...

. * Two Friends: They were joined by Bebe Rexha during the first weekend set. * The Kid LAROI: During the first weekend set, he was joined by Fivio Foreign. During the second weekend set, he was joined by

. * A Boogie wit da Hoodie: He was joined by Tyga and YG during the first weekend set. *

Jackson Wang Jackson Wang (; ko, 왕잭슨; born 28 March 1994) is a Hong Kong rapper, singer, dancer, record producer, fashion designer, and music video director. He is the founder of record label Team Wang and is the creative director and lead designer ...

: He was joined by

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

during the first weekend set. * Latto: During the first weekend set, she was joined by TiaCorine,

Lola Brooke Shyniece Thomas, known professionally as Lola Brooke , is an American rapper. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Brooke released her breakout single " Don't Play with It" in 2021, which became popular the year after its release through its ...

and Saweetie. During the second weekend set, she was joined by Mello Buckzz.

Yuma Tent

Reception

Goldenvoice was hit with a fine for breaking the event's curfew; the performances by

, Bad Bunny, and Scottish DJ

contributed to the fine.

Notes

References

{{Reflist 2023 music festivals April 2023 events in the United States 2023 festivals in North America