LOS ANGELES — The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has found its replacement for former headliner Kanye West: Swedish House Mafia and the Weeknd, organizers revealed Wednesday in a tweet from the event’s official Twitter account.
The EDM supergroup and the R&B superstar star will collaborate for the Sunday shifts at the desert festival on April 17 and April 24, taking the stage after the event’s other headliners, Harry Styles and Billie Eilish. Swedish House Mafia was originally set to perform on Friday but will instead join its “Moth to a Flame” collaborator as a co-headliner for the Sunday shows.
West, now known as Ye, pulled out of the festival earlier this week amid a spate of personal issues and left organizers less than two weeks to find another headliner. He was booked for April 17 and April 24. Travis Scott was reportedly going to join the rapper but will no longer perform either.
The Weeknd, whose hits include “Take My Breath” and “Blinding Lights,” had been rumored to replace Ye as promoter Goldenvoice scrambled to secure a new headliner before Coachella’s first weekend.
The edgy pop-soul auteur previously played the festival in 2012 and 2018 and has since headlined another high-profile event: the 2021 Super Bowl halftime show. He made headlines last year by boycotting the Grammy Awards — a protest also backed by Ye and Drake.
The Swedish House Mafia trio performed at the event in 2012, bringing their “big, thumpy stuff” sound to the festival’s main stage.
Other top-billed acts this year include Lil Baby, Daniel Caesar, Phoebe Bridgers, Big Sean, Grupo Firme, Louis the Child and Baby Keem on Friday. The Saturday lineup features Flume, Megan Thee Stallion, Disclosure, 21 Savage, Danny Elfman, Stromae, Giveon and Anitta.
And on Sunday, newly minted Grammy winner Doja Cat is among the top acts, along with Joji, Jamie xx, Run the Jewels, Karol G, Maggie Rogers, Ari Lennox and Banda MS.
Returning after the 2020 and 2021 editions were canceled amid the pandemic, Coachella takes over the Empire Polo Club in Indio for two weekends, April 15-17 and April 22-24.
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