Bad Bunny, Blackpink, Frank Ocean to headline historic Coachella

Los Angeles (AFP) – Bad Bunny, Frank Ocean and Blackpink will headline this April’s Coachella, the California desert festival that kicks off the summer concert circuit, organizers announced Tuesday.

It’s set to be a history-making weekend, with Bad Bunny — the world’s most-streamed artist — as the first Spanish-language and first Latin American artist to headline.

And K-pop group Blackpink of South Korea is the first Asian act to receive a top billing at the festival.

Both acts debuted at Coachella in 2019 to great fanfare, teeing up an eventual headlining slot.

Ocean was originally booked as a headliner for the 2020 edition, which organizers postponed and eventually scrapped due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Coachella returned in 2022 after a three-year hiatus.

The reclusive R&B singer Ocean, who hasn’t released an album since 2016’s “Blonde,” is anticipated to debut new work at this year’s festival.

Also slated to play sets are Spanish phenomenon Rosalia, Iceland’s Bjork and Nigeria’s Burna Boy.

English virtual band Gorillaz will also perform, as will New Wave pioneers Blondie and the American indie rock supergroup boygenius, which includes Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker.

France’s Christine and the Queens, who has been performing under the name Redcar, will also return for the mammoth event, after wowing audiences there in 2019.

Domi and JD Beck, the rising jazz duo comprised of a French keyboardist and American drummer, will also take the stage, months after they’re slated to compete for a prestigious Best New Artist Grammy in early February.

Coachella will take place over two three-day weekends, from April 14-16 and 21-23.

Organizers of Bonnaroo, a June festival in rural Tennessee, also announced their lineup Tuesday, with headliners including Kendrick Lamar and Foo Fighters.