Another weekend of the iconic music festival in the desert, Coachella, has ended with its token boho-style outfits, headlining artists and musical hits. Artists like Lana Del Rey, Tyler, the Creator and Doja Cat headlined Coachella with additional performances from Kid Cudi, Le Sserafim and Ateez.
Doja Cat made history as the first female rap artist to headline Coachella. Her setlist included “ACKNOWLEDGE ME,” “Shutcho,” “Demons,” “Tia Tamara,” “F*** the Girls (FTG),” “Gun,” “OKLOSER” and more. With her bold avant-garde style and flashy performance, I enjoyed watching her perform. In her song “Demon,” she wore an outfit of white fur, and her background dancers were completely covered in white fur as well, making the performance very eye-catching. Overall, I think she incorporated lighting, background dancers and her outfit very well, making her stand out. Personally, my favorite performance was “Tia Tamara,” where fire lit up the stage because I find the song really catchy and the presentation and performance elevated the song for me.
Lana Del Rey played “Without You,” “West Coast,” “Doin’ Time,” “Summertime Sadness,” “Cherry” and more. This weekend, Lana also made her entrance on a motorcycle, wearing a beautiful black dress and veil. She looked ethereal during her performance and my favorite part was when she sang “Ocean Eyes/Video Games” with Billie Eilish. They sang together in front of a lavender and black backdrop and it was really calming to watch them perform together. Lana exuded a powerful aura with her glittery blue dress and boots.
Tyler, the Creator performed his popular songs “IGOR’S THEME,” LEMONHEAD,” WUSYANAME,” “LUMBERJACK,” “I THINK” and more. He captivated the audience once again with heavy pyrotechnics on stage and his signature style. There was also a guest appearance by Earl Sweatshirt, part of Tyler’s hip-hop group called Odd Future.
Other than the headlining artists, a few others caught my eye. In the middle of singing “Best Memories,” Kid Cudi ejected himself off the stage and broke his foot. He later took to social media saying that he was okay but would have to cancel his tour, “Insano World Tour.”
After intense criticism from viewers about their vocals, Le Sserafim was accused of lipsyncing at Coachella this weekend, even though Coachella bans backtracks and lipsyncing. This criticism came from Le Sserafim’s lackluster vocals during week one which were a reflection of the training practices of their record label, HYBE. HYBE is a Korean entertainment company that emphasizes training their idols’ dancing skills, stage presence and visuals instead of vocals, which is why many of their artists display similar performances in the vocal department. Concerns stemmed from the times during the performance when Le Sserafim was seen singing while their mics were away from their face. During the song “ANTIFRAGILE” Chaewon, a member of Le Sserafim, removed her mic from her face, but the sound kept playing, igniting allegations online.
Ateez also made history as the first K-pop boy band to perform at Coachella. They sang “Say My Name,” “HALA HALA,” “Guerrilla (rock ver),” “Crazy Form,” and more, making their mark with catchy lyrics and impressive choreographies onstage.
Overall, I really enjoyed watching these artists perform and I was captivated by everyone’s stage presence and songs. This weekend had its ups and downs but it was an amazing watch and surely an unforgettable experience for those who attended.
