I Researched One of the World’s Largest Music Festival: Coachella

Do you know about Coachella? If you’re into international culture, you’ve probably seen countless Instagram posts of celebrities dressed up in cute outfits, attending outdoor music festivals. That’s the Coachella Valley Festival. Held over two weekends for a total of six days in the desert of Indio, California, this festival attracts 250,000 people every year. It’s one of the largest music festivals in the world, featuring some of the hottest artists from around the globe.

For the past two years, Coachella was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it made a comeback this year after two years off. One of the biggest highlights was the surprise performance by Japan’s national treasure, Hikaru Utada! I thought, “Was Utada the first Japanese artist to perform at Coachella?” so I did some digging. It turns out, she wasn’t the first one. As I dug deeper, I discovered things I didn’t know, including other Japanese artists who have performed there. So, in this introduction to Coachella, I’d like to share what I learned about Asian artists making their mark on the world stage.

■ Was Blackpink Really the First Asian Artist to Perform at Coachella?

Many of you might know Blackpink, the famous K-pop girl group, who performed at Coachella in 2019, just three years after their debut, causing a huge buzz. Many people consider them the first Asian artists to perform at Coachella (I thought so too!), but that’s not true. While Blackpink was the first K-pop idol group to perform, they weren’t the first Asian artists to appear. Have you heard of Epik High, a Korean hip-hop group? They were the first Asians to perform at Coachella in 2016, and they’ve been invited back three times, making them the first and most frequent Asian performers. Definitely check out their performances!

Here’s a performance video, since I could only find blurry fan footage of Epik High’s Coachella set.

As expected, Blackpink’s Coachella debut was nothing short of spectacular.

■ Hikaru Utada Wasn’t the First Japanese Artist to Perform – It Was Actually Yasutaka Nakata!

As I mentioned, Hikaru Utada’s performance was a huge topic because it was her first time performing at a music festival. And of course, only Utada could make her festival debut at Coachella! While it stole the spotlight, there were other Japanese artists who performed at Coachella before her. Perfume performed in 2019, the same year as Blackpink.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was also invited in 2020, but since Coachella was canceled due to Covid-19, her debut was delayed until 2022. Both artists are produced by Yasutaka Nakata. His unique take on electronic music definitely stands out.

Perfume’s 2019 performance, blending music and projection, was fascinating.

This year, Kyary’s overseas fans dancing to “Pon Pon Pon” were absolutely adorable!

■ Why Did the Number of Asian Artists at Coachella Skyrocket This Year? It’s Thanks to One Record Label!

This year’s Coachella saw a massive increase in Asian artists. This was thanks to 88rising, a label based in the States that promotes Asian culture. They teamed up with Coachella to create a special stage called Heads in the Clouds, bringing many Asian artists to the lineup. Some of the featured artists included BIBI, Niki, Rich Brian, Warren Hue, Jackson Wang, Millie, CL, 2NE1, and aespa. Aespa became the second K-POP girl group to perform at Coachella. With YG and SMTown setting the stage, could we see other major Korean agencies like JYP joining next year? Twice, for example, might be next. Meanwhile, BTS fans (ARMY) are eagerly awaiting their Coachella debut after the group’s Grammy nominations.

Here’s the after-movie from 88rising’s Head in the Clouds.

Joji’s 2021 performance.

This isn’t from Coachella, but I just had to include this because BIBI is just too cute!

This time, I introduced Asian artists who have been making waves at Coachella, but as I researched, I found there’s so much more to dig into. I’ll be writing a second part, so stay tuned!