This past weekend, people from all over the country headed to Indio, California for the Coachella Music Festival. The festival features artists from many genres of music, including rock, pop, indie and hip hop. The artists are split into two weekends because of the mass attendance rates. Coachella showcases popular, well-established musical artists as well as emerging artists and reunited groups.
Coachella is one of the largest and most famous and profitable music festivals globally with general admissions tickets just over $400 and VIP tickets around $1000. Even though we can’t be there, we can still appreciate the music. After all, that’s what music festivals should be about, right? Here are five artists performing this year worth checking out:
1. Tame Impala
A surprise headliner this year, this Indie artist boasts over 8 million monthly listeners on Spotify and has sadly only released EPs and singles since his Grammy-Nominated 2015 album “Currents.” I have enjoyed some of his more popular songs, including “The Less I Know the Better” and “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards.” Besides his award show recognition, his transcendent tunes have earned him a spot amongst some of the best performers this year. He has also collaborated with Travis Scott, SZA, Lady Gaga, A$AP Rocky and more.
2. Khalid
One of my favorite artist since his 2017 debut album “American Teen,” this twenty-one year old hailing from El Paso, Texas is set to make his Coachella debut and will perform both weekends of Coachella. I have always come back to his music and haven’t gotten bored from an album that came out over two years ago. I have also enjoyed listening to his music style evolve with his subsequent albums. If you’re already a Khalid fan, some of my underrated favorites are “Keep Me,” “Winter” and “Suncity.” He is inspired by fellow artists like Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper and Lorde. If I have yet to convince you to check him out, maybe his almost 50 million other monthly listeners (currently ranked number four on Spotify) can convince you otherwise.
3. Bad Bunny
If you're into any Latin Trap or Reggaeton music, you've definitely heard of Bad Bunny. Similar to Khalid, Bad Bunny has enjoyed an explosive climb up through the charts after only releasing a handful of music. You may have heard him on his smash hit with Cardi B and J Balvin (both Coachella alums) “I Like It” or his song with Drake “MIA.” He also has some solo music out on his first album “X 100PRE,” and the catchy beats with fast vocals make for an exciting album. Originally from Puerto Rico, this headliner will definitely continue selling out shows all over the world, and I hope he releases new music soon.
4. The 1975
The popularity of this group during the 2010’s does not seem to be slowing down because it is still making waves with its 2018 album “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships.” Arguably the most popular hits “Somebody Else” and “Chocolate” will definitely be played during this year’s Coachella set. This British band has evolved from casually playing together at school in 2002 to touring all over the U.S. before the next album hits May 2019.
5. Mac DeMarco
While I’m fairly late to listening to this already well-established artist, I have loved discovering some of his old hits like “Chamber of Reflection,” “Another One” and “Still Beating.” Again, if you don’t like indie Coachella vibes, you probably won’t enjoy Mac DeMarco because he is the epitome of the calm, chill indie genre. This Canadian artist has a distinctive, laid back style, which contributes to his popularity amongst festival goers and music lovers alike.
Honorable Mentions:
If you’re more into pop music, Ariana Grande, one of my favorite artists of all time, is also headlining this year, and I encourage you to check out some of the music on her older albums if you are already tired of “Thank You, Next.”
Also, I know nothing about country music, and it is definitely a genre I listen to the least, but Kacey Musgraves is a Grammy-winning country artist, who would be pretty cool if you like country!
These two ladies never disappoint the audience with the show they put on and have incredible songs out.