Recap | Coachella 2023 combined famous artists, interesting outfits, and drama for a sensational music festival
Arts Reporter Grace Westergaard breaks down this year’s Coachella festival; the annual art and music festival held in Indio, California. This year’s headliners included BLACKPINK, Bad Bunny, Calvin Harris, and Frank Ocean. Most were well received, but Frank Ocean’s set caused a circulation of drama among fans.
April 25, 2023
With over 150 artists scheduled to play, this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was one of the largest of all time. From the two weekends of the festival from April 14-23, some of the biggest names in the music industry headed to Indio, California, for an unforgettable pair of weekends filled with influential and unforgettable performances.
Famous singers such as Willow Smith, Metro Boomin, Bad Bunny, Labrinth, Boygenius, The Kid LAROI, BLACKPINK, Kali Uchis, Becky G, A Boogie, Frank Ocean, and many others gave exciting performances. Each day I was excited to learn the newest Coachella buzz.
This year’s headliners were Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, Calvin Harris, and Frank Ocean. Each gave show-stopping performances of fan-favorite songs. However, there was a tense controversy surrounding Frank Ocean this year. Frank Ocean didn’t attend Coachella in 2022, so fans of his were excited to see him perform live again.
Frank Ocean sustained a leg injury the week before the festival, which meant he would have to change his set of songs for the festival’s first weekend. Fans found his new set disappointing. He ended up skipping the second week of Coachella entirely, unsurprisingly. I was saddened by this news as a Frank Ocean fan and would have loved to watch videos of him perform.
The outfits of Coachella are famous for being outlandish every year. I look forward to seeing them each time this event rolls around.
Billie Eilish, a Coachella headliner in 2022, made a guest appearance to sing “Never Felt So Alone” with Labrinth. This performance was in light of the release of a new version of the popular song, as Labrinth and Eilish sing together. Eilish wore a tasteful all-black outfit, complete with an oversized puffer jacket and black baseball cap.
The Weeknd, who performed alongside Metro Boomin during the first weekend, teased a new song during their performance together. I am looking forward to hearing this song come out in real time.
I particularly enjoyed Camila Cabello’s outfit for this year, a brown “Canadian tuxedo.” A Canadian tuxedo is denim-on-denim — like Morrone’s look — but it isn’t normally brown. I found this take refreshing and new.
Phoebe Bridgers played in Boygenius in this year’s festival. Bridgers wore a complete tuxedo while performing. It was an interesting stylistic choice that worked well alongside the band’s performance.
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Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber both attended but dressed casually, breaking the norm of over-the-top Coachella outfits. Both wore jeans and a more comfortable-looking top, paired with a jacket. I feel as though they were underdressed for the event.
I think this year’s Coachella lineup was impressive, despite all the drama and controversy that occurred. However, I believe no Coachella can top 2022’s festival. It is extremely difficult to top an event with headliners like Billie Eilish and Harry Styles.