Coachella is always one of the biggest events of the year. It kicks off the US festival season and sets the agenda for the rest of the year. On top of that, it's made a name for itself with frequent surprise guests, a celeb-heavy audience and some of the biggest headliners the world has to offer. Just to work away at your FOMO, we've put together a list of why we think this year's Coachella is going to be a doozy.
'Guava Island' Premiere
It's been announced that Childish Gambino's film Guava Island will get its premiere this Saturday at Coachella, the night after his headline set. While it's being live-streamed around the world, a film premiere at Coachella is rare and the atmosphere is going to be electric. Our bet is that RiRi is going to jump on stage with Gambino at some point too.
The Surprise Guests
Speaking of surprise guests, it's what Coachella is known for and there are bound to be plenty. Last year, Khalid, Ariana Grande, Destiny's Child and more crashed the festival despite not being on the bill and we're betting this year will see some big ones too. Maybe Kanye West will jump up with Kid Cudi or A$AP Rocky will work his way into Tame Impala's set. Nicki Minaj could crash Ariana's set and Drake has a history of popping up anywhere unannounced.
Tame Impala's First Coachella Headline Set
Headlining Coachella is a massive deal, particularly when you're a band from Perth that only have three albums under their belt. Kevin Parker and co's Saturday night headline set is going to kick off the campaign for album number four. They have two new songs Patience and Borderline ready to unleash and it's likely we're also going to taste a little more of the fourth album too. If you want to know what to expect at Splendour In The Grass, tune in.
Ariana Grande's Victory Lap
Last year, Ariana crashed Kygo's set and performed No Tears Left To Cry for the first time. A lot has changed since then. She's released two album Sweetener and thank u, next, becoming the biggest popstar in the entire world. She's got more hits than she knows what to do with and her Coachella headline set is likely to be a worthy celebration of a difficult but monumental year for her.
The Sunday Service
Kanye West pulled out of Coachella at the last minute but he's found a way to jump back on board. On Easter Sunday, he'll bring his gospel-heavy Sunday Service to Coachella, opening it to the public for the first time. He's been putting on the church-like service all year for a family and celeb audience but this is likely to be a extraordinary moment of this year's Coachella and perhaps a redemptive move for Yeezy.
BLACKPINK's US Arrival
BLACKPINK broke the record for the most YouTube views in 24 hours for their new track Kill This Love so their US debut comes at a perfect time. The K-pop band have amassed a gigantic following around the world but Coachella will be their first real move into the US market. It's also the first time Coachella has really embraced K-pop. Expect their set to be one of the loudest of the weekend.
Gucci Gang's Debut
When the Coachella lineup dropped, there was confusion about the inclusion of a project called Gucci Gang. At first, people thought Gucci Mane's name had been misspelt but it's since been revealed that it's a collaborative project between Lil Pump, Gucci Mane and Smokepurpp. No word yet on what exactly they've got in store but it's definitely going to be interesting.
Africa's Coachella Takeover
Fans were disappointed last year when Nigerian artist Wizkid failed to show up for his Coachella set but this year two artists are representing for Africa. Burna Boy and Mr Eazi are both scheduled to play after having massive years that have seen them both release projects of their own and collaborate with Major Lazer.
Janelle Monáe Showing Why She Should Be A Headliner
The last two times Janelle Monáe was at Coachella she was crashing other sets - Outkast and Grimes. Now she's returning in her own right with the brilliant Dirty Computer under her belt. Her performances are among the most accomplished and stylish in the world and this is going to be one for the books. She's playing right before Gambino on Friday night and is likely to show why she should be a headliner.
Lizzo's Arrival
Lizzo just keeps getting better and this Coachella set comes as the hype around her is the biggest its ever been. Her last three releases Juice, Cuz I Love You and Tempo have caused a storm and her album Cuz I Love You is due to drop right between both Coachella weekends. She's going to have one of the biggest sets of the weekend and with any luck we're going to see Missy Elliott and the flute crash the set.
The good news for you is, Coachella is streaming both weekends this year on YouTube. We'll also be there weekend 2 bringing you all the action.
