Crowd at Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival 2019
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella
Breaking Down The Coachella 2022 Lineup: Headliners Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Ye Are Just The Beginning Of An Epic, Long-Awaited Return
After two long years off, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is finally set to return at the Empire Polo Club on April 15-17 and 22-24.
Goldenvoice, the producers of the festival, announced the long-awaited lineup for Coachella’s 2022 installment on Jan. 12, and there’s plenty for festgoers to be excited about.
GRAMMY-winning pop hero Billie Eilish returns, moving from the second lineup row in 2019 to the coveted top billing, becoming the youngest-ever Coachella headliner at 20. Fellow GRAMMY winners Harry Styles, Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) and GRAMMY-nominated EDM supergroup Swedish House Mafia share headliner status, closing out each night of the desert extravaganza with pop, rap, dance, plenty of fanfare, and surprise guests.
Doja Cat, Big Sean, 21 Savage, Disclosure, Karol G, Anitta and Banda MS are just a handful of the other heavy hitters on the bill, which covers just about every corner of music (even The Nightmare Before Christmas composer Danny Elfman will make an appearance).
The Coachella lineup announcement is always a major moment in the industry, as it unofficially marks the beginning of festival season. Its roster traditionally includes a mix of music’s hottest hitmakers and promising rising stars, making for a real-time reflection of what's happening now and next.
What goes down at Coachella is even more monumental, setting music, festival and fashion trends for the year ahead. Performers use the Coachella stage as a testing ground to try new elements of their live show, debut unreleased songs, reunite with collaborators, and deliver plenty more headline-worthy moments (who could forget when Billie first met Justin Bieber?).
Beyond the buzz of the biggest names, there's countless noteworthy acts on the 2022 Coachella lineup. Read on for six major takeaways from this year's stellar offering.
Rap & R&B Continue Their Reign
Hip-hop and R&B led the (ultimately canceled) 2020 lineup, with some of those artists making their way to 2022. Not only does Ye return to close out both weekends of the fest (he did a special Sunday Service set on Easter in 2019), the lineup is a treasure trove of rap talent.
Women represent, with Megan Thee Stallion, City Girls, Doja Cat, Sampa the Great and Princess Nokia all ready to throw down bars and vibes. Vince Staples, Big Sean, Lil Baby, Denzel Curry, J.I.D, Run the Jewels, Isaiah Rashad, BROCKHAMPTON, Cordae and 2022 Best New Artist nominee Baby Keem also represent a solid selection of rappers continuing to shake up the game.
As for R&B, showcasing some of the sweetest sounds coming out of the current alt-R&B wave, Amber Marks, Ari Lennox, Snoh Aalegra, Steve Lacy, Daniel Caesar, Emotional Oranges and Pink Sweat$ are sure to make listeners swoon.
Read More: 2021 In Review: 8 Trends That Defined Rap
Latin Representation Expands Beyond The Superstars
As Rolling Stone writer Tomás Mier noted, this might be "the most Latino lineup in Coachella history."
It offers an exciting sample of the breadth of Latin music, with Mexican regional bands Grupo Firme and Banda MS, from Tijuana and Mazatlán, respectively, receiving prime billing in the second tier. Other Latin music acts include Brazilian popstars Anitta and Pabllo Vittar, Colombian reggaetonera Karol G, Argentine rappers Nathy Peluso and Nicki Nicole, Mexican corrido trap artist Natanael Cano and Mexican alt-folk singer/songwriter Ed Maverick.
Mexican-American alt genre benders Cuco and Omar Apollo, both of whom sing in Spanish and English and serve up an infectious blend of influences and styles with pop and rock, will make their Coachella debuts.
Meet the Band: Banda MS On How Their Snoop Dogg Collaboration Is Introducing Banda Music To New Audiences
The Roster Spans The Globe
In addition to the rich Latin music offerings from Mexico, South America and the U.S., Coachella attendees can also hear an eclectic mix of sounds from the rest of the globe.
You'll be able to get lost in the funky Turkish psych-rock of Altin Gün; the energetic, bright and super kawaii J-pop of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu; the hair metal rock of Italian band Måneskin; and the sublime French nu-disco of L'Impératrice. South African house music legend Black Coffee and rising Benin-born, Brooklyn-based DJ/producer AMÉMÉ will each command the dance floor with their sublime, sultry African-infused beats.
The Desert Rave Happens Day And Night
Dance music has never been lost on Coachella, as the fest's legendary Yuma Tent — an enclosed (and air-conditioned!) disco ball-glittered and laser-streaked stage — brings the underground dance club energy to the middle of the desert. And with this year’s roster of dance and electronic acts, it’ll clearly be bumping all weekend.
Beloved EDM trio Swedish House Mafia return to the fest 10 years after their first headline set there, since breaking up in 2013 and reuniting in 2018. Major dance acts Fatboy Slim, Jamie XX, Flume and Disclosure will also get the dance party going.
As with rap, women are also holding it down in the dance category, with TOKiMONSTA, Ela Minus, Jayda G, Logic1000, ANNA, Sama' Abdulhadi, DJ Holographic, Honey Dijon and The Blessed Madonna, the latter two whom are billed together, ready to serve up house, techno and beyond. Black Coffee, Channel Tres, The Avalanches, DJ Koze, Hot Chip, Dixon, Caribou — who's also performing as his DJ alias Daphne, ARTBAT, Damian Lazarus, Richie Hawtin, Tchami, Madeon, Purple Disco Machine and more round out the dance acts.
Alternative Acts Are Aplenty
Sunshine plus alt and indie acts always make for a perfect festival mood. While Coachella has served up a larger rock menu in the past, there are plenty of indie rock and alternative genre blenders to see this year, including Phoebe Bridgers, Maggie Rogers, Japanese Breakfast, Omar Apollo, Caroline Polacheck, girl in red, Nilüfer Yanya, and the Wallows.
Amyl and the Sniffers and IDLES will serve up some punk energy, while the always-masked crooner Orville Peck will deliver his artsy, queer brand of country. Ed Maverick, The Marías and Chicano Batman represent Latinx artists making beautiful music across the alternative spectrum from their life experiences.
Pop Doesn’t Stop At The Headliners
What's Coachella without some big popstar headliners (Beyoncé in 2018, Ariana Grande in 2019) to serve us everything we need and more?
Harry Styles and Billie Eilish will wear the crowns this year, but beyond their mega-glow, there's plenty of alt-pop acts we can't wait to see. Billie's big brother FINNEAS will make his solo debut at the fest, and Conan Gray, Cuco, Alec Benjamin, Joji, Still Woozy, and hyperpop boundary-pushers 100 gecs will also keep things poppy.
Yet again, women are well-represented on the lineup in the ever-evolving pop genre. Carly Rae Jepsen, Kim Petras, Beabadoobee, Arlo Parks, Bishop Briggs, Japan-born, London based art-pop queen Rina Sawayama and Indonesian 88-rising act NIKKI bring so much to the art form and will bring that energy to Coachella 2022.
For the full Coachella 2022 lineup, visit coachella.com, where you can also join the weekend one waitlist and register for the upcoming weekend 2 presale (taking place this Friday, Jan. 14).
