Coachella’s first weekend featured lively appearances, a diverse lineup of Latino artists and an indie rock revival, as well as the barely-there fashion of the premier desert festival with a heavy dose of Americana.
Shakira, Peso Pluma, J Balvin… this year’s edition of Coachella was decidedly dominated by Latin American artists from a wide variety of countries and a wide spectrum of genres.
Latin representation has increased significantly in recent years at Coachella, and another strong showing in 2024 indicates that such bookings are becoming less of an anomaly than the norm as Latin music continues to dominate global charts.
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Last year, Coachella made history when Bad Bunny became the first-ever Spanish-language headliner.
And this year, Argentinian star producer Bizarrap surprised fans by bringing out collaborator Shakira for a wild performance, while Peso Pluma took to the main stage with his unique blend of regional Mexican ballads mixed with Latin rap and reggaeton.
Young Miko from Puerto Rico, Cimafunk from Cuba, Hermanos Gutierrez from Ecuador and a handful of Mexican artists, including Son Rompe Pera, Carin Leon and Girl Ultra, were among the long list of Latin artists represented at the festival.
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And Balvin brought out… Will Smith, who wore dark glasses and a suit to perform, you guessed it, the “Men In Black” theme.
Before Coachella, rumors swirled about a possible Taylor Swift appearance: She’s collaborated on music with Lana Del Rey, Jack Antonoff, and Ice Spice, and Swifties thought maybe one of those groups would invite her on stage .
She didn’t perform but she performed anyway, watching rock band Bleachers — its longtime producer Jack Antonoff is the frontman — from the backstage corner and Bronx rapper Ice Spice from the VIP section.
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Swift and her beau Travis Kelce, the NFL tight end who recently won the Super Bowl, twirled, swung and kissed as they enjoyed the show, for once, as fans.
Next weekend, she will still be able to take the stage to promote her album which will be released on April 19, the date on which Coachella will have more or less the same line-up.
And while she was the most talked about, Swift was far from the only celebrity spotted at Coachella, a playground for the rich and famous.
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Billie Eilish – who joined Del Rey on stage on Friday – was spotted in Tyler, headlining The Creator the next day, also making her own unscheduled performance at the festival’s Do Lab, debuting three new tracks from her upcoming album “Hit Me Hard And Soft.”
Olivia Rodrigo showed up for No Doubt, with other cameos including Ke$ha and Katy Perry.
Music and media company 88rising, which rose to prominence as a platform and label primarily dedicated to promoting Asian American artists, hosted a special showcase for the second time, featuring performances by the groups by J-pop Yoasobi, ATARASHII GAKKO! and Number_i, Japanese hip-hop artist Awich, Korean-American rapper Tiger JK, Chinese pop star Xin Lu and Korean rapper Yoonmirae.
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ATARASHII GAKKO! and Yoasobi also performed their own sets.
This year, another history-maker took the stage, albeit virtually: screaming fans turned out for famous Japanese singer Hatsune Miku – a vocal bank from Vocaloid software whose impersonation is a teenager with turquoise braids.
Alien Memory Neutralizer Smith was the keystone of the return to the 1990s, after Saturday’s Coachella lineup offered a blast from the past in the form of alternative rock, harkening back to its roots.
No Doubt — the band led by Gwen Stefani — played together for the first time in 15 years, playing a lengthy set that included 1990s hits including “Just a Girl” and “Don’t Speak.”
Blur also took the stage, as did Sublime, the stoner reggae rock band now fronted by Jakob Nowell, son of the band’s late frontman Brad.
Vampire Weekend – hits like “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” also returned to the desert for a surprise performance, bringing none other than Paris Hilton on stage during a 15-minute honky tonk mash-up.
Hilton wasn’t the only one at Coachella getting into cowboycore: Western hats and boots were all the rage, as were fringe, studs, vests, and even the occasional assless legging.
Denim, big buckled belts, airy white tops and lace-embroidered dresses complete the Americana theme that comes as much from country pop, led by none other than Beyoncé whose country album skyrocketed searches for cowboy-inspired fashion.
1990s punk and skater fashion, including goth-lite leather, plaid and lace, was also all the rage, in keeping with the alt-rock nostalgia evident on stage.
Of course, much of the desert fashion at Coachella involved wearing as little as possible—sheer girdles on bikinis and mesh pasties were common, as were thongs peeking out from low-rise jeans in a vision straight out of the year 2000.
The throwback to the early 2000s also applied to eyewear: Coachella attendees viewed the world through wraparound, rectangular, rimless pink glasses.
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