April 12, 2024 7:29AM

25 Acts We Can’t Wait to See at Coachella

From Tyler to Doja to Lana and others

By TOMÁS MIER, ETHAN MILLMAN

With Coachella just a few days away, festival season is officially upon us once again. Coachella is looked at as the tone-setter for the rest of the year, and the 2024 festival is shaping up to be another historic showcase, featuring headlining sets from Tyler, the Creator, Lana Del Rey, and Doja Cat, as well as comebacks from the likes of No Doubt and Sublime. But as anyone who’s ever been to Coachella knows, what makes this festival special is its impressive undercard.

There’s a little something for everyone, from legacy rock to emo rap to EDM, alt-country, and Punjabi hip-hop. Featuring over 150 artists spread across more than a half dozen stages on 78 acres of land, it can be overwhelming to decide who to watch. Luckily for you, we’ve got a guide of some of the acts we’re most excited to see over the next three days.

From Rolling Stone US

Regional Mexicano star Carin León is in the midst of a flawless foray into American country music, and his Coachella set will provide a great spotlight for his ambitious culture-bridging vision. He recently tapped soul man Leon Bridges on “It Was Always You” and Nashville mainstay Kane Brown for a couple of Spanglish singles. Expect to see some cowboy hats in the crowd, and a few Mexican flags as well. —T.M.

On her excellent track “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl,” Chappell Roan says we should “never waste a Friday night on a first date.” Well, her set Friday will be far from a waste as she transforms the stage into a queer-pop explosion. Her appearance follows an opening slot on Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts world tour and the breakout success of her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. She’ll also have the catchy new single “Good Luck, Babe” to perform. —T.M.

Le Sserafim will help forward the K-pop girl-group legacy at Coachella following Blackpink’s headlining slot at the festival last year. The experimental group — comprised of members Sakura, Chaewon, Yunjin, Kazuha, and Eunchae — is coming off the success of the earworms “Easy” and pop-amapiano track “Smart.” Le Sserafim will be repping South Korea on this year’s lineup, along with rock band the Rose and boy band Ateez. —T.M.

Listening to “Genesis” and “Oblivion” in one of the Coachella tents sounds to us like a must-happen. This year’s festival sees the avant-pop star return to the desert after her 2016 performance, during which she brought out Janelle Monáe to sing “Scream” with her. This time, she’ll likely be joined by her new boyfriend (and DJ) Anyma, who’s also featured on the Coachella lineup, to perform their song “Welcome to the Opera” and some of the new music she’s been teasing. —T.M.

The Latino gang will be in full force at Coachella, and Young Miko will be in the lead, taking the torch for a new generation of Latin trap stars. She’ll be performing her debut album, Att., which dropped April 5, in front of a live audience for the first time. And it’s sure to be wild. “I opened my heart like never before,” she told Rolling Stone about the project. We’ll want to hear the new songs, along with “Riri,” and other highlights from her 2022 EP Trap Kitty. —T.M.

Jaguar II in the desert is going to be something special. Victoria Monét will hit the stage at Coachella after a massive year following the success of her breakout 2023 album and its lead single, “On My Mama.” Monét will bring the R&B vibes with hits like “We Might Even Be Falling in Love.” We’re already visualizing the thick clouds floating over the crowd during “Smoke.” —T.M.

For years, Faye Webster has been beloved in indie circles, but the alt-country darling is currently on the precipice of a mainstream breakthrough, and her latest LP, Undressed at the Symphony, is an early contender as one of the best albums of the year. We’ve got one question heading into her Friday set: Will she bring out her childhood friend and fellow Coachella artist Lil Yachty to perform their delightful, unexpected duet “Lego Ring?” —E.M.

The last time Kevin Abstract was on a Coachella stage, he and the rest of hip-hop boy band Brockhampton were playing two of their final shows as a group before calling it quits after a prolific eight-album run. Two years later, Abstract has entered a new chapter, and he’s back in the desert for his solo Coachella debut. We expect a dynamic set that weaves seamlessly between hip-hop, R&B, pop, and rock. Our reporter will be holding a sign on his phone begging him to play “Peach.” —E.M.

When Jack Antonoff isn’t helping shepherd the biggest albums in pop music, he’s making Springsteen-esque Eighties rock with Bleachers. It’s a fun change of pace for one of music’s most influential producers. Will a certain A-list pop star and her Super Bowl-winning boyfriend be in attendance this year as the tabloids are expecting? Stay tuned. —E.M.

Brittany Howard is still best known as the frontwoman for the defunct Alabama Shakes, but she comes into Coachella this weekend fresh off releasing her excellent second solo album, What Now, some of the best music she’s ever made. Howard’s range is limitless, and her voice commands attention. You won’t regret giving it to her. —E.M.

Will this be the start of J Balvin’s comeback? The Colombian reggaetonero’s Coachella performance comes three years after he last dropped an album. His set this year may end up serving as a reminder of what the “Ginza” star is made of and the reggaeton icon status he’s held for years. Plus, we hear his set is going to be out of this world. We’ll leave it at that! —T.M.

How does a young rap superstar follow up a major breakthrough year that included a smash EP, five hit singles, and four Grammy nominations? A prime booking at Coachella is a good start, as Ice Spice comes into the weekend as one of the highest-billed hip-hop acts at the festival. Will we get a preview of her much anticipated debut album, Y2K, this weekend? The munchkins want to get fed. —E.M.

Blur didn’t play any U.S. dates last year as the Brit-pop icons promoted The Ballad of Darren, and the chances of any stateside shows seemed even less likely after Damon Albarn said last December that the band was once again going on hiatus. It’s been nine years since Blur have played a U.S. gig, and while a proper tour is ideal, we’ll take what we can get. Blur last played Coachella when they headlined in 2013 for a show that Rolling Stone described at the time as “intimate yet epic, lurching with a ragged glory that felt fully rock & roll.” —E.M.

Coachella organizers are going to have to pretend they can’t hear everyone screaming for Shakira’s Bizarrap session. There were reports that the festival passed on having the Colombian star headline, but her presence will definitely be felt during the Argentine DJ’s set. His performance is sure to be filled with guests, and he has nearly 60 artists he’s worked with over the years to choose from, including Young Miko and Peso Pluma, who are also performing this weekend. —T.M.

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Few artists have had a breakthrough year like Reneé Rapp, who skyrocketed to fame after dropping her album, Snow Angel, in 2023. Along with fan favorites from her debut (including “Pretty Girls” and “Poison Poison”), we hope she’ll perform her Regina George-channeling collab with Megan Thee Stallion from Mean Girls, “Not My Fault.” What’s Megan doing that weekend, BTW? —T.M.

Coachella continues to become an increasingly international show, and few artists on the bill encapsulate that trend more than AP Dhillon. The 31-year-old singer and rapper is the second Punjabi act to play Coachella, following Diljit Dosanjh’s set last year. Fresh off a new single with British grime rapper Stormzy, Dhillon told Rolling Stone last week that “fans should expect trap, pop, to rock. You go around the world in 45 to 50 minutes, it’s a new sound, man.” —E.M.

Sabrina Carpenter is already used to playing for big crowds. Fresh off opening for Taylor Swift on the international dates of the Eras Tour, she’ll land in the desert to deliver the same pop realness we heard on her great 2022 album, Emails I Can’t Send. Will we get a look at the new music to come? Who knows. But we’re looking forward to hearing her clever outro from “Nonsense” at the festival. —T.M.

A last-minute surprise addition for the weekend one lineup, Vampire Weekend make their return to the desert just a week after dropping their excellent fifth record, Only God Was Above Us. There was a time in Coachella history where a millennial-era indie-rock outfit like Vampire Weekend was the epitome of the festival’s aesthetic and crowd draw. While Coachella has since become a more mainstream cultural event, we’re happy to see any remnants of that era getting some love. —E.M.

Seven years after making his Coachella debut, Lil Uzi Vert is returning to the festival as one of the biggest hip-hop acts of the weekend. Pink Tape was one of the bestselling rap records of 2023, and “Just Wanna Rock” was one of our favorite songs of the year. The punk-rap icon is set for a high-octane show, we’re ready to mosh. —E.M.

Esto es para los mexicanos. Coachella continues its four-year streak of prominently featuring música Mexicana acts: Los Tucanes de Tijuana in 2019, Grupo Firme in 2022, and Becky G last year. Peso Pluma was just blowing up when he performed “Chanel” as part of Becky’s 2023 set. This year, he’ll take a second-liner slot and will likely give fans a taste of Éxodo, the new album he announced in his Rolling Stone cover story. —T.M.

No Doubt aren’t the only classic ska-punk outfit making a return to Coachella this weekend, as Sublime are set for a buzzy Saturday slot. With the original group dissolving after Bradley Nowell’s tragic death nearly 30 years ago, Nowell’s now 28-year-old son Jakob is taking the reins, and a Nowell-led Sublime playing “Santeria” as the sun sets in the desert just feels right. —E.M.

Coachella has a reputation for over 20 years as a host for high-profile reunion shows from bands including Jane’s Addiction, Rage Against The Machine, The Pixies, and Blink-182. This year, No Doubt is keeping that tradition alive, playing their first show together in nearly a decade. The Gwen Stefani-fronted ska-punk group last performed at KAABOO in Del Mar, California in 2015, and with no indication yet on whether Coachella will be a launching pad for a full-fledged reunion tour, these two weekends might be your only chance.–E.M.

“Coachella — Woodstock on My Mind” is going to hit different when Lana Del Rey returns to the desert as a headliner more than a decade since she last performed at Coachella in 2012. Now she’s an icon with nine albums under her belt. She teased a country album titled Lasso for later this year, so perhaps she’ll give fans a preview of what’s to come. —T.M.

Doja Cat delivered one of the most exciting, jaw-dropping sets at Coachella 2022 when she transported fans to Planet Her. She did rocky renditions of her pop hit “Say So” and even brought out Rico Nasty. Now, she’s returning on the heels of her fiery, arachnid-themed Scarlet tour. We’re expecting giant spiders and trolly antics for her headlining set; maybe she’ll even manifest an appearance by Courtney Love for a “Celebrity Skin” duet. —T.M.

Tyler, the Creator’s headlining set is a well-deserved and overdue full-circle moment for one of rap’s most captivating acts. First playing the festival with Odd Future in 2011, Tyler grew up with his Coachella sets, coming back in 2015 for his first solo show, then again in 2018 after he shedded his shock-rapper skin with Flower Boy. Since that performance, he’s won two Grammys, released two Number One albums, and solidified himself among hip-hop royalty. Tyler’s live shows are notoriously high energy, and especially if you missed him on the Call Me If You Get Lost tour in 2022, he’s a must-watch. —E.M.

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