ANAHEIM, Calif. — The lineup for the 2023 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival arrived Tuesday, and with headliners Bad Bunny, Blackpink and Frank Ocean at the top of the bill it’s clear the global drift of Coachella in recent years is here to stay.
Puerto Rican rapper-singer Bad Bunny, whose “Un Verano Sin Ti” held No. 1 on the Billboard charts for 13 weeks and was the top-selling album of 2022, becomes the first Latin artist to headline at Coachella when he plays both Fridays in April.
K-pop girl group Blackpink, who in 2019 packed the Sahara Tent at Coachella when they became the first K-pop act to play the festival, now return as the first K-pop headliners. They play Saturdays both weekends.
Long Beach singer-rapper Frank Ocean is the sole homegrown artist to headline this year, but he’s a bit of a unicorn too, having not played live since 2017, though he was originally booked to headline Coachella for the pandemic-delayed 2020 edition. He’ll finish up Sundays.
Based on headliners alone Coachella 2023 has a different look than other large festivals this year. Bonnaroo also announced its lineup on Tuesday with Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters and Odesza as headliners for the Tennessee festival. BottleRock in Napa dropped its lineup Monday with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lizzo and Post Malone its top-billed artists.
And Coachella hasn’t just booked Bad Bunny and Blackpink – the lineup is packed with eclectic acts from around the globe from top to bottom.
We’ll take a deeper dive before the festival opens on April 14 at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, but now we’ll take our first pass at running the lineup through our ought-to-be-patented InstantLineupAnalyzer and see what six themes for 2023 the music machine kicks out.
1. It’s a big world: K-pop and Latin music get the headliners here and the headlines all year long of late, but Coachella 2023 features artists from beyond those two admittedly huge genres, booking acts from six of the seven continents. (Better luck next year, Antarctica!)
Nigerian singer Burna Boy, who first played Coachella in 2019, returns as the third-billed artist on Friday, the same day the South African DJ Uncle Waffles performs. France’s Christine and the Queens is another returnee while Belgian electropop singer Angèle provides another chance to test your lingering high school French comprehension.
Spanish flamenco-pop singer Rosalía also played 2019 and returns this year as the second-billed performer on Saturday. Hong Kong’s Jackson Wang, a standout at 2022’s Head In The Clouds, plays Sunday. And, of course, the EDM acts represent countries from Germany (Boris Brejcha) to Brazil (Mochakk), Italy (Tale of Us) to England (Nia Archives).
2. Rock (if you look for it): The days of indie rock guitar bands at Coachella are no more, but if you poke around the lineup you can still find some of that loud electric music. Hardcore and punk are one of the larger categories this year with acts such as Sleaford Mods, Soul Glo, Knocked Loose and Scowl on the bill.
But there’s softer rock, too, here and there. Phoebe Bridgers returns to the desert with the sad-girls super group Boygenius which also includes Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. Weyes Blood, Ethel Cain, and Snail Mail also perform in a similar vibe.
And Wet Leg, one of four acts on the bill who are currently Grammy nominees for best new artist – the others are Tobe Nwigwe, Domi and JD Beck, and Latto – are a particularly charming rock band and must-see.
3. Lady rappers: As always, rap has a strong presence at Coachella, though this year what stands out most is how many of the rap artists are women. Sure, there are male performers such as Pusha T and Rae Sremmurd performing this year, but the woman are on top with artists including Latto, Flo Milli, Noname, GloRilla, Ashnikko, and Doechii to name just a few.
4. Familiar faces: If you’ve gone to Coachella for years, or maybe just in years past, a lot of these names might seem unfamiliar. Relax, we’ve got a few acts that will fit you like a pair of fluffy slippers and a cuppa tea on a cold and rainy day.
Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk is the second-bill act on Sunday, performing right before Frank Ocean. New Wave legends Blondie play on Friday, and alt-rockers the Breeders appear on Saturday. Classic electronic rockers are represented via the Chemical Brothers, Underworld, and Sasha and Digweed.
5. Local heroes: Southern California-based musicians are also scattered across the bill. Orange County’s the Garden made the second line on Friday. Santa Barbara-bred reggae rock band Rebelution plays Saturday. Los Angeles’ teen punk rockers the Linda Lindas also play Saturday.
Others include Palm Springs’ Danny Lux, who recently headlined Viva! Pomona, and Sudan Archives, the performing name of violinist-singer Brittney Parks, whose “Home Maker” was one of President Barack Obama’s 25 favorite songs of 2022. (Maybe keep an eye out for Barry on the festival field. He also included tracks by Bad Bunny, Rosalia, Ethel Cain and Burna Boy in his Top 25.)
6. Desert delights: You never know what unexpected surprises will turn out to be the best moments of the fest. Still, there are intriguing names here and there that might be well worth your time to check out this year.
House music producer Eric Prydz is presenting HOLO on Saturday, an innovative, visually spectacular show that features 3D holographic images. EDM star Calvin Harris returns for the first time since 2014; his name is floating separate from the rest of the lineup on Sunday, suggesting that he might play a post-headlining show after Frank Ocean, and given his star-studded collaborations that could be a very big deal.
Marc Rebillet isn’t a well-known name, though the chronically online know him better as Loop Daddy for the viral videos of him mixing improvised R&B/dance music, often in his boxer briefs, from his bedroom, hotel room, wherever. His Saturday set should be a fun one.
Actor Idris Elba returns this year to DJ and make the fans’ knees go weak. Hopefully they’ll put him on a bigger stage this time. Last time, the Zuma tent was a packed madhouse for the star’s turn behind the decks.
And Los Bitchos, who have an unfortunately early set on Sunday, might be the perfect band for Coachella 2023. Four women based in London but originally from Uruguay, Australia, Sweden and England, playing mostly instrumental psychedelic-cumbia-surf rock? Doesn’t get more global than that.
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