Coachella’s 2023 Lineup One Day Later: Highlights, Lowlights, Surprises, and Omissions
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Well, yesterday was fun. On Tuesday, January 10th, three major US festivals released their respective 2023 lineups: Boston Calling, Bonnaroo, and Coachella. As usual, Coachella’s deeply curated lineup is sure to be the marquee American festival in 2023 — but, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s one of the most non-American lineups in recent memory.
Coachella 2023 will be headlined by Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, and Frank Ocean (!), with Calvin Harris appearing in the new “Returning to the Desert” slot and Gorillaz, Rosalía, and Björk filling in as subheadliners. Of those seven, only one is native to the Unites States — and that’s Frank Ocean, who hasn’t performed since 2017 and is set to be making a significant return this year.
Originally appearing on the 2020 lineup (which was cancelled due to the pandemic), Frank Ocean was heavily rumored to reprise his headlining slot for last year’s lineup, but deferred to 2023 after grieving the death of his brother in 2020.
With one headliner essentially confirmed by Coachella organizer Paul Tollett via an LA Times article last year, all bets were on for the other two names. Bad Bunny emerged as a “no-brainer” choice, especially given his gargantuan streaming numbers, sold out stadium tour, and growing icon status. BLACKPINK, on the other hand, are coming off the release of 2022’s Born Pink, which became the first album by a K-Pop group to top the Billboard 200.
Coachella Reveals Historic 2023 Lineup
But numbers aside, both Bad Bunny and BLACKPINK topping the bill is a testament to Coachella’s mission of global allure; over the last five years, Coachella has been adamant about booking international artists that bring a wider range of fans and celebrate their culture with style and substance. Having two out of the three headliners for the biggest festival in North America be non-native English speakers, with wildly different aesthetics and cultural backdrops, is a major success on Coachella’s part, and it reflects our modern community of music lovers: global, distinct, and genreless.
The global allure is just one part of Coachella’s whirlwind lineup, with plenty of surprises wedged into the second lines and undercard. The trio of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker will unite for a special boygenius performance, electronic legends The Chemical Brothers and Underworld appear on the bill, and enigmatic songwriter and producer Jai Paul is set to make a major return.
Ahead of Coachella 2023, we’re breaking down this year’s artists line by line. Plus, check out the full lineup below.
The Best Bookings:
Frank Ocean
Oh, Frank, how we’ve missed you. As the release of 2023’s lineup delayed further and further, and considering Frank Ocean’s inconsistent performance history, it was easy to jump to the conclusion that he had dropped off the lineup. Seeing his name as Sunday’s headliner was a relief, and hopefully, signals that a follow-up to 2016’s Blonde is imminent. He’s got the rarity factor, the critically acclaimed output, and the live chops necessary to make his headlining performance a legendary moment in the festival’s history.
Frank Ocean, photo by Philip Cosores
The Chemical Brothers
As Coachella has doubled down on electronic music over the last decade, The Chemical Brothers always seemed like a logical addition. They last played in 2011, but Coachella seemed to miss them every year… until now. The English duo fit in perfectly with this lineup, and alongside Eric Prydz, Underworld, and 2manydjs, they’re set to be a major electronic highlight for fans of both old and new.
The Chemical Brothers, photo by Lior Phillips
Björk
Björk may have headlined back in 2007, but 15 years is too long without the queen of art pop appearing at the Polo Fields. Coming off the release of her spellbinding tenth album Fossora, as well as an appearance in Robert Eggers’ The Northman last year, Björk will be pulling out all the stops for her performance this year. Expect to be intrigued, challenged, and in awe as she takes the stage.
Björk on Later… with Jools Holland in 2018
Blondie
Coachella likes their legends, and classic New York rock band Blondie deservingly gets the slot this year. With so many reminders of New York City’s extensive post-punk and rock scenes flying around (looking at you, Meet Me in the Bathroom), it’s always good to celebrate the bands that paved the way on the biggest stages.
Blondie, photo by Ben Kaye
The Forgettable Bookings:
The Kid LAROI
While he certainly has a justifiable singing voice, The Kid LAROI is a bit of an unimaginative second line booking. He’s played virtually every other major US festival in the last year, and while his rise has been impressive, his catalog isn’t deep (or rewarding) enough for such a marquee set. If he switches out the barebones production for a live band, then maybe we’d be having a different conversation.
The Kid Laroi, photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
FKJ
Look, the man is undeniably talented. But his 2019 performance was a bit of a snooze. I’m all for the possibilities of combining jazz and electronic music, but sometimes FKJ’s smooth jams feel a little too inseparable from a “Vibes Playlist,” even with the cool live looping he pulls off. With such a high billing, it’s clear they’re showcasing him a bit this year — let’s hope his performance is a little more vibrant and memorable this time around.
FKJ, photo by Emilie Svensson
YUNGBLUD
YUNGBLUD is a wildly charismatic vocalist, and his live shows aren’t bad. But this lineup doesn’t feel anywhere close to his lane. There are so many more interesting rock acts with commercial appeal — even booking someone like Avril or Paramore would make his addition look a little more logical. WILLOW is probably the only comparable act, but her music is certainly less predictable than YUNGBLUD’s, and is a much better fit for Coachella.
Yungblud, photo by Amy Harris
The Biggest Surprises:
boygenius
boygenius, the acclaimed project from Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, is a major surprise; after being on the Woodstock 2019 lineup (a festival that was ultimately cancelled), the trio stepped away from boygenius and back into their respective solo projects. They reunited for a benefit concert in late 2021, but their appearance here — with the potential for new music, special guests, or other surprises — will be an unmissable set.
boygenius, photo by Will Oliver
Jai Paul
This was certainly a shocking name to see on the lineup. No, Jai Paul is not the long lost brother of Jake and Logan Paul — he’s more like a long-lost songwriter who dropped some bangers on the internet in the early 2010s and then disappeared off the face of the earth. He reemerged back in 2019, but there was no word of a live show — just a cameo appearance on Atlanta last year. His debut performance at Coachella will be a significant reveal of Paul’s artistry outside the internet, and hopefully will contain some new tunes.
Jai Paul, image via XL Recordings
Dinner Party
Dinner Party is a collaborative project between musicians Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, and 9th Wonder. They released a self-titled EP back in 2020 and played a few festivals here and there, but there’s been no new music since. With each member being so adept at jazz, composition, collaboration, and production, Dinner Party is looking like a major win for Coachella already.
Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington (Debi Del Grande), and Robert Glasper
The Omissions:
Rihanna
I’m sure Coachella tries to book Rihanna every year, but this is the year it actually could have happened. With plans to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February, her first slice of new music arriving late last year, and the promise of a new Rihanna album for the first time in seven years, Coachella would have been an even more definitive comeback for her, and she’d have an opportunity to treat fans to a career-spanning set more comprehensive than the Super Bowl.
Alvvays
The same could be said about much of last year’s indie rock stars: no Big Thief, Mitski, Soccer Mommy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Phoenix… the list goes on. But Alvvays feels like the biggest miss out of all of them. With Blue Rev, Alvvays have asserted themselves as one of the leading bands in their genre, and usually, that move is rewarded with a Coachella performance. Perhaps their 2023 tour routing didn’t make sense for it, and they’ll be in for next year — regardless, this festival is just slightly lighter than usual on indie rock this year, and Alvvays would have been a welcome addition.
Alvvays, photo by Ben Kaye
Paramore
For some reason, Coachella has always been resistant to booking Paramore. Sure, in the days of Hot Topic and MySpace, Coachella would have rightfully said no to Paramore, because both of their brands had such different identities and fanbases. Fast-forward to 2023: Paramore have evolved to be a revered band in their generation, they’ve switched up their style to anxious indie rock, and they’ve played dozens of major American festivals at top billing, including Bonnaroo and Boston Calling. In short, this was a big missed opportunity.
Paramore, photo by Kris Lori
SZA
SZA looks like a shoe-in for multiple festivals this year, so there will certainly be more opportunities to see her in the coming months. But S.O.S. was such a colossal statement from SZA, and she’s such a gifted performer, that a Coachella appearance seemed like icing on the cake. Perhaps she’s big enough to headline now, and wouldn’t accept anything less — a potential 2024 name to keep an eye on.
SZA // Photo by Natalie Somekh
The Takeaways:
As always with Coachella, there’s a little bit of everything on this lineup. The fact that The Breeders are booked to play in 2023 — and are billed on the fifth line — is proof that anything can happen at this festival, anyone can be selected.
Zooming out even further, there is once again an increased emphasis on electronic music at Coachella. This year feels particularly EDM/house/dance-centric: Fisher and Chris Lake teaming up for a set, Eric Prydz bringing his dazzling HOLO show, Alison Wonderland reviving an old moniker as Whyte Fang. There’s a large consideration of old and new electronic fans; for the old heads, The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, and even acts like Gorillaz and Björk fit into that demographic; for the newer fans, Porter Robinson, Two Friends, Jai Wolf, Mura Masa, and SG Lewis.
Hip-hop and indie rock seems relatively light this year — with genre-specific fests like Rolling Loud and Just Like Heaven entering those spaces, less of those artists are being booked for Coachella. Beyond that, it’s a big deal to have the first K-pop and Latin pop Coachella headliners in history.
Coachella has a certain kind of unpredictability that makes it so magical. The guest list for the weekend is sure to be significant, and with a lineup so diverse and globally-focused, there are going to be dozens of different cultures of music represented in the California desert.
Oh, and Frank Ocean is back. What more could you want?
Coachella’s 2023 Lineup One Day Later: Highlights, Lowlights, Surprises, and Omissions
Paolo Ragusa
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