Bad Bunny will be the first-ever Latin artist to headline the festival, while BLACKPINK becomes the first K-pop group to top the bill.

THE COACHELLA VALLEY Music and Arts Festival is heading into its 24th year with a set of history-making headliners. When the festival grounds welcome thousands of music fans back, first on the weekend of April 14 through 16 and again on the weekend of April 21 through 23, they’ll witness historic feats as Bad Bunny becomes the first Latin artist to headline Coachella and Blackpink becomes the first K-pop group to perform on the main stage. Frank Ocean, the ever-elusive singer and songwriter, will also make a grand return, rounding out the lineup as the third 2023 headliner.

Among the second-liners are the likes of Gorillaz, Rosalía, and Björk. Calvin Harris fills the “returning to the desert” spot that Swedish House Mafia took over last year.

Headlined by Bad Bunny, Friday will feature acts such as Kaytranada, Blondie, Becky G, Metro Boomin, Wet Leg, Angèle, MUNA, BENEE, and Yungblud. Day 2 with Blackpink at the helm will see Boygenius, the Kid Laroi, Charli XCX, Labrinth, Remi Wolf, 070 Shake, and Mura Masa. Meanwhile, Frank Ocean’s Day 3 will see Kali Uchis, Dominic Fike, Latto, GloRilla, Porter Robinson, Rae Sremmard, and Weyes Blood.

Blackpink became the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella when they took the stage in 2019. Now, the four-piece supergroup will break their own record-breaking feat as the first K-pop group to be named headliners in the festival’s 24-year history. Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo, and Rosé made their grand return in 2022 with their highly-anticipated sophomore studio album Born Pink.

On stage in 2019, Lisa looked over the Coachella crowd and asked: “Is this real or is this a computer effect?” Since then, Blackpink has only amassed more fans and broken more records as the most popular girl group in the world. Looking ahead at the future, Jennie told Rolling Stone last year, they only see their star shining brighter. “I don’t think Blackpink will ever end in my heart, as corny as that sounds,” she said. “Regardless of what I do, I will always be Blackpink. Even if we’re 70 and we have different lives, I’ll still feel like I’m Blackpink. I’m committed.”

She added: “Blackpink, to me, is more than whether we do music or not. It’s a part of my family. You can’t deny your family. There are ups and downs: You’re all busy, you see them a lot, then you don’t — you’re still family.”

cr. Rolling Stone