Six Acts We Became Huge Fans of At Coachella

The excitement around Coachella often revolves around gigantic stars pulling out all the stops during major performances, and this year was no exception. Headliners Bad Bunny and Blackpink both made history — Bad Bunny as the first Latino artist and Blackpink as the first female K-pop band to hit the mainstage during the festival’s most coveted time slots. Frank Ocean’s set, meanwhile, built up plenty of anticipation and drama, especially after his chaotic show the first weekend and once news hit that he was dropping out of the second weekend. Elsewhere at Coachella, artists like Becky G, Metro Boomin, Kali Uchis and Labrinth made news for sharing the spotlight with equally big names, the Weeknd, Zendaya, and Tyler the Creator among them. 

But smaller stages were also filled with huge talent. Coachella has always been a place to discover music, and a lineup from rising stars around the world offered fans a chance to check out who’s breaking into the scene. From Conexión Divina, the all-girl sierreño group strumming their way into the future, to British indie rock rapper Bakar adding some punk energy to his set, here are just a few of the rising artists we became fans of at the festival this year.

Angèle
The pop sounds of Angèle fill arenas in Europe, but she’s still gaining recognition stateside. At the Mojave stage, casual attendees flocked to her set and discovered the Belgian star. “It’s hard for me to realize that this is really happening,” she told Rolling Stone. — T.M.

Conexión Divina
Música Mexicana is a historically male-driven world, which is part of what makes Conexión Divina such a refreshing addition to the genre. The all-girl sierreño band made their Coachella debut this year, playing a set that showed off their masterful guitar skills and the strength of their vocals — all things that hopefully push música Mexicana closer to a future that’s female. — J.L.

Magdalena Bay
Mica Tenenbaum and Matt Lewin, the electronic duo behind Magdalena Bay, have been putting out “mini mixes” since 2019. Though their lo-fi soundscapes and retro-futurist aesthetics have garnered them an earnest TikTok following, their Coachella debut held a distinctly DIY aesthetic that dug past the glittery veneer of what Gen Z thinks the Y2K era was like. — S.A.

Benee
New Zealand singer Benee’s infectiously energetic set proved that she’s graduated from the mellow pop sound of her 2020 TikTok hit “Supalonely.” A little more raw and a little more punk-feeling, the sheer power in her vocals was only topped by a moment when she proudly flew the flag of her home country, handed to her by a couple in the crowd. We can’t wait to join in on Benee’s next party. — S.A.

Bakar
Twenty-nine-year old British indie rock-rapper Bakar’s soothing set featured laid-back jams like “The Mission” and “1st Time”, which were the perfect balm for our sun-soaked, after-partied-out souls. If you haven’t listened to him yet, his biggest single “Hell N Back” will be featured in the Pixar movie Elemental coming out this June — just don’t be surprised if it blows up as the song of the summer. — S.A.

Paris Texas
The raucous hip hop duo from Los Angeles has been taking the festival circuit by storm and leaving a throngs of unruly new fans in their wake. At Coachella, the group kept its momentum going, filling around the stage to songs like “PANIC!!!” and encouraging the crowd to scream for more. — J.L.