After a two-year hiatus, this year’s edition of Coachella brought out mind-blowing surprises—including more performances from pan-Asian artists during its first weekend.
The iconic American music festival made its highly anticipated comeback over its first weekend (April 15 to 17), featuring both old and new music acts.
88rising artists NIKI and Rich Brian made history as the first Indonesian artists to perform at the show. As part of their “Head In The Clouds Forever” showcase, the New York-based music label’s showcase features K-pop legend and global icon CL, multihyphenate and GOT7 member Jackson Wang, Thai hip hop superstar MILLI, Japanese-American singer Hikaru Utada, South Korean singer BIBI, and Indonesian rapper-producer Warren Hue.
Keeping up the momentum of record-breaking milestones, MILLI made history as the first Thai artist to perform at Coachella. The 19-year-old singer and rapper made a splash with her performances of “Mirror Mirror” (which features F.HERO and Changbin of K-pop group Stray Kids), her remix of BIBI’s “The Weekend,” and delighting the audience by eating a bowl of the traditional Thai delicacy mango sticky rice on stage.
AD LOADING...
How MILLI Went From Student K-pop Fangirl To Thai Hip Hop Superstar–Exclusive Interview
CL also broke the internet when she brought out her fellow 2NE1 members Bom, Dara, and Minzy to the stage. Their performance of their 2011 mega-hit “I Am The Best” not only served as their Coachella debut but also marked their first live performance since 2015 and after their disbandment in 2017.
In an Instagram post, CL wrote her reasons for reuniting with her former groupmates: “After I got invited to Coachella, I really wanted to invite the members too because I wanted to see us reunite on our terms before it’s too late.”
“I wanted to relay my gratefulness to everyone who has been supporting and loving 2NE1 for the past 13 years through this stage performance. For that very reason, today was the most important and meaningful day for me,” she added.
AD LOADING...
The artists’ diversity got to take center stage, bearing a celebration of diverse Asian cultures at the widely celebrated musical event for the very first time. NIKI paid a moving homage to her home country by covering the classic 2006 Indonesian hit “Sempurna” (Perfect), along with other original hits like “Every Summertime” and “La La Lost You.”
Wang also made history as the first Chinese singer to perform at Coachella’s main stage, an event he commemorated with grand sets, which saw his first live performance of his latest single “Blow,” and a surprise performance of an unreleased new track for his fans.
South Korean hip hop trio Epik High also made history as the first Korean group to be invited back to the high-profile festival after they first performed in 2016. The veteran group performed alongside headliner Harry Styles, following up on their already groundbreaking year after the release of their latest album Epik High Is Here 下 (Part 2)last February 14.
AD LOADING...
Other Asian artists who made their debut at the festival include South Korean DJ Peggy Gou, Japan’s Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Pakistan’s Arooj Aftab, Mongolia’s The Hu, and more.
Coachella’s second weekend will be held from April 22 to 24.
