Vanessa Su
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Recently, annually-held music festival Coachella announced the long-awaited lineup for its 2020 festival, which featured a plethora of talented headliners and performers. With musicians such as Rage Against the Machine, Travis Scott, and Frank Ocean headlining the performance, there’s been much exciting buzz on the Internet as fans anticipate attending the renowned music and arts festival.
Originally stemming from a large-scale concert by American rock band Pearl Jam in 1993, Coachella had its first proper festival in 1999 and was headlined by Beck, Tool, and none other than 2020 headliner Rage Against the Machine. The festival has since grown to expand its taste to include various genres of music from hip-hop, rap, electronic dance music, K-pop, etc.
For many musicians, the festival symbolizes an opportunity to further expand their popularity amongst California natives, who are the main demographic attending the festival, according to StubHub. The festival presents a musical opportunity for many smaller artists and is very welcoming to lesser known indie bands, SoundCloud artists, and busking musicians.
Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival faced negative reviews earlier in November 2019 after fans eagerly awaited the surprise headliner to be Frank Ocean, but instead were disappointed to find out the mystery performer was Drake. Perhaps influenced by his fans’ eagerness to see him perform, Ocean agreed to be amongst the headliners for Coachella 2020.
The first line-up in a while without female headliners, Coachella 2020 boasts a wide range of artists from Japanese artist Kyary Pamyu Pamyu to Korean boy band BIGBANG, showcasing the festival’s willingness to cater to a recent increase of interest in Asian artists and music due to the popularity of Asian cultural arts such as anime and K-pop.
Other notable performers include Joji, NIKI, and Rich Brian, who all performed at the 88rising Festival. Another sign of recognition of the Asian music industry, Coachella’s decision to expand their lineup to include international artists is a smart one that will surely encourage more fans to attend the three-weekend long festival.
The festival is known to be a popular place for endless Instagram posts, YouTube vlogs, and opportunities to engage in social media as the passes for all weekends of the music festival are usually sold out within a week of the release dates. Although high in demand, the passes are known to go for high prices when re-sold so music fans often scramble to purchase tickets right when they’re released online.
Albeit overwhelming, Coachella embodies a special moment in music and arts when various artists get to share their art with people who may not usually listen to them. The large crowds every weekend allows for a full experience for devoted fans despite the high costs involved in travelling and living costs. The festival embraces the American culture of mixing international arts and music together for the audience to have an unforgettable festival experience.