20 Acts We Can’t Wait to See at Coachella

Gigi Perez will make her Coachella debut on Sunday night, just before Karol G and Young Thug take the stage. The singer-songwriter has been a favorite on the festival circuit since her hit “Sailor Song” took over TikTok. She’ll deliver her delicate acoustic tracks to cut through the Indio dust. Plus, since her performance was announced, Perez has also promised to bring back a Coachella staple: flower crowns. —Maya Georgi

A conservatory-trained pianist with a playful side, Rusowsky has emerged as one of the most beloved figures in Madrid’s music scene and within the rebellious IDK collective. After winning tons of new fans over with his debut album, Daisy, he’s heading to the desert to put more of his experimental side on display. —Julyssa Lopez

The xx will kick off their summer music festivals tour at Coachella on Friday night, marking the electronic experimentalists’ big return to the desert. Previously, the xx performed at the festival in 2009 and will now bring songs from 2012’s Coexist and 2017’s I See You. The band has yet to confirm new music since reuniting to perform live together, but it’s certainly a turning point for the trio. “This is the start of a next chapter together,” the xx wrote on Instagram when they announced tour dates in Mexico City. —M.G.

Fresh off Grammy wins for their latest album, Never Enough, and the single, “Seein’ Stars,” the Baltimore hardcore crew will hype up Coachella with their signature energy. The band’s 2022 Coachella appearance inspired giant mosh pits, and since they’ve been playing festivals abroad like Glastonbury and Primavera in recent years, they’ll no doubt have fresh ideas about how to get the crowd moving. —Kory Grow

Blink twice if you’re ready for BINI. On Friday, the eight-piece girl group will make history as the first Filipino group to perform at the festival. The set comes on the heels of their latest double single release, “Honey Honey” and “Unang Kilig.” BINI’s vibrant pop songs and animated choreography feel tailor-made for the kind of explosive visual spectacle that Coachella promises year after year. —L.P.

There is no hotter rock show right now than a Geese show. Maybe you’ve been riding with them since Projector, maybe you were blown away by Getting Killed, or maybe you just got on board when they played SNL — whatever the case, be prepared to witness the off-the-charts stage presence and outrageously tight band dynamics that have made Geese a live phenomenon. —Simon Vozick-Levinson

Earlier this year, Young Thug took to X to share the title for his next album, DBC. Though no release date or substantial details were shared, a since-deleted Instagram post revealed that the acronym stands for Day Before Coachella. If Young Thug follows through on his release plan, fans will have a whole slate of new music to look forward to hearing when he hits the stage on Sunday night. —L.P.

This art-rock legend has never stopped being a must-see live act in the decades since cutting his teeth in the 1970s at venues like CBGB — his onstage antics are practically a guidebook for how to entertain a festival crowd. The show that he put together for his most recent album, Who Is the Sky?, is no exception. Dancing in the desert to a set full of offbeat, philosophically minded, oddly catchy pop tunes, plus a few Talking Heads classics, sounds like heaven. —S.V.L.

Ever since they reunited in spectacular fashion for last year’s Let God Sort Em Out, Pusha T and Malice have been on a mission to remind everyone why they’re one of hip-hop’s top live draws. Precise and passionate, bar for bar, these guys know how to keep a crowd locked in. And you know that iconic “Grindin’” beat is going to sound even better when it’s ringing out across the Empire Polo Club grounds. —S.V.L.

Addison Rae has already made Coachella her own: Last year, she announced her self-titled album onstage during a surprise appearance at Arca’s set. Now, the rising star will make her official Coachella debut on Saturday night, just before the Strokes and Justin Bieber take the stage. Her own set will be sure to be filled with killer fashion looks, impeccable choreography, and lots of glitz. —M.G. 

Nearly 60 years since he co-founded the Stooges, Iggy Pop still takes his shirt off at every show, still wants to be your dog, still has a lust for life. His 19th and most recent album, Every Loser, came out in 2023, but recent set lists have drawn from Iggy and the Stooges classics and favorites from his solo career. —K.G.

The Strokes will rock Coachella for the first time in more than a decade on Saturday. It’s the first stop on a jam-packed summer for the band, which includes stops at multiple music festivals like Outside Lands and Shaky Knees. For their Coachella return, the Strokes will be sure to bring their singular energy and electric songs. Here’s hoping they debut a couple tracks from the newly announced LP Reality Awaits, their first album in six years. —M.G. 

The British singer-songwriter and producer will hit the Coachella stage on Saturday with an arsenal of hits at her disposal. “Stateside,” her explosive collaboration with Zara Larsson, is currently sitting at Number Eight on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s her highest-charting single since she tapped Ice Spice for “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” in 2023. There are plenty of special guests PinkPantheress could welcome to the stage during her set, but the spotlight will shine even brighter on her latest release Fancy That. —L.P.

The collaboration of Nine Inch Noize, in which the members of Nine Inch Nails join forces with electronic producer Boys Noize (Alex Ridha), has been the centerpiece of NIN’s Peel It Back tour over the past couple of years. The musicians would perform favorites like “Closer,” newer songs like “She’s Gone Away,” and “As Alive as You Need Me to Be,” the Tron: Ares soundtrack song that launched the collaboration. The Peel It Back set was only four songs at each gig, so who knows what they’re planning for a full-on set at Coachella. —K.G.

FKA Twigs is making a stop in the desert on her acclaimed Body High Tour. The artist has been on the road for a few weeks now in support of Eusexua and Eusexua Afterglow. Coachella marks Twigs’ final U.S. dates on the run, which recently included a stunning Madison Square Garden debut. Eusexua,Twigs has said, represents the “sensation of being so euphoric that you transcend human form.” Sunday’s performance will showcase whatever new form Twigs has morphed into this time. —L.P.

Karol G will make history as the first Latina artist to headline Coachella on Sunday night. The Colombian singer first took the stage in 2022 and made sure to honor Latin music icons with a medley of pop classics. Now, Karol is rising to the challenge with a spectacle that’s been in the works for months. “It feels like there’s a really high bar for the show I need to reach,” she told Rolling Stone in September. “I want to deliver something from my heart that represents my love for my community and my fans.” —M.G. 

All eyes will be on Katseye when the global girl group takes the stage on Friday. Speculative theories have surrounded the pop act leading up to the festival. It’s their first major stateside appearance since Hybe and Geffen Records announced that Manon Bannerman, one-sixth of the lineup, would be taking a hiatus. Though they’ve been on the world stage for almost two years, Katseye is still only just getting started. Coachella is a major step in their trajectory — but will Bannerman be there to take it with the rest of the group? We’ll have to watch and see. —L.P.

In 2024, Sabrina Carpenter dazzled the Coachella main stage just as “Espresso” was becoming an inescapable hit that skyrocketed her career. Even though she wasn’t a headliner, the singer still delivered a memorable, and even prophetic performance. Carpenter wore a white t-shirt that read “Jesus Was a Carpenter” as she promised, “Coachella, see you back here when I headline.” It’s going to be a treat to see how the singer reimagines Man’s Best Friend for the desert — and which power move of hers she’ll predict next. —M.G.

Bieberchella is almost upon us. Justin Bieber will make his debut at the festival as Friday night’s headliner. Leading up to the big night, Bieber hosted a special preview performance at the Roxy in Los Angeles, where he performed a 25-song setlist largely built around his latest albums, Swag and Swag II. It marked his first major appearance since delivering an endearing, stripped-back version of “Yukon” at the 2026 Grammy Awards. The singer reportedly negotiated the terms of his Coachella performance himself, another marker of the independence and creative control he’s embraced over the past year. Fans are still wondering how far back he’ll go into his discography, but even if the set doesn’t linger too much on where he’s been, it’ll be a definite display of where he’s going. —L.P.