Coachella 2023: Bad Bunny and BLACKPINK are Making History With Their Performances
Coachella Music and Arts Festival returns to Indio, California in April 2023, and some big-name artists are slated to headline the massive music festival. Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, and Frank Ocean were given top billing at Coachella this year, with all three acts having massive global reach and past experiences performing at the festival. Bad Bunny and BLACKPINK in particular are making history with their performances this year.
Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, and Frank Ocean are headlining Coachella 2023
Coachella returned in 2022 after a two-year hiatus with Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, and Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd headlining the festival both weekends. Now, with festivals back in full swing after two years of pandemic lockdowns, Coachella 2023 is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever.
The official lineup for the festival was revealed in January 2023. In addition to headliners Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, and Frank Ocean, fans will have the opportunity to see a wide range of artists. Other performers include Rosalía, The Kid Laroi, Charli XCX, Becky G, Kaytranada, Burna Boy, Kali Uchis, GloRilla, Flo Milli, and Remi Wolf.
Bad Bunny and BLACKPINK are making history with their Coachella performances
Bad Bunny and BLACKPINK have become household names in recent years. Bad Bunny rose to prominence as a reggaetón star in his native Puerto Rico in the mid-2010s. He achieved widespread recognition in 2018 with “I Like It,” his collaboration with Cardi B and J Balvin that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; he released his debut album X100pre later that year. In 2020, he performed alongside Shakira at an iconic all-Latin Super Bowl halftime show, and went on to release three albums that year: YHLQMDLG, Las Que No Iban a Salir, and El Último Tour del Mundo. In 2022, he smashed records with his fourth album, Un Verano Sin Ti, and announced a historic role in the upcoming Marvel movie El Muerto, making the rapper the first Latin star to lead a Marvel movie.
BLACKPINK have followed a similar trajectory, setting new records along the way and earning the title of the biggest girl group in the world. They are the highest-chart female Korean act on the Billboard Hot 100 with their 2020 song “Ice Cream” reaching No. 13; their 2022 album Born Pink peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and is the best-selling album by a Korean girl group of all time. Their music videos for their hit songs “Kill This Love” and “How You Like That” each set records for the most-viewed music video within the first 24 hours of release; “How You Like That” broke three Guinness World Records and set two.
Both Bad Bunny and BLACKPINK are blazing new paths with their Coachella performances. Bad Bunny is the first Latin American and first Spanish-language performer to headline Coachella, while BLACKPINK is the first K-pop act to headline the famous festival. With Frank Ocean rounding out the headliners, Coachella 2023 marks the first time there are no white headliners in the festival’s history.
Beyoncé made Coachella history with her ‘HΘMΣCΘMING’ performance
Beyoncé similarly made Coachella history with her famous Beychella performance in 2018, which was the subject of her 2019 concert film and live album HΘMΣCΘMING. She was the first Black woman to headline Coachella.
