From left: Rose, Jennie Kim, and Lisa of Blackpink perform at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio on April 12, 2019. Blackpink will headline at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

By PETER YOON, Rafu Shimpo

Coachella, the annual music and arts festival held in California’s Indio Valley, has announced its headliners for this year’s event, and fans are buzzing with excitement.

For the first time in the festival’s history, the headliners are an all-people-of-color lineup, featuring Blackpink, Bad Bunny, and Frank Ocean, according to the Coachella website and Twitter page.

Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, and songwriter known for his unique blend of reggaeton, Latin trap, and hip-hop. He has become one of the most successful Latin artists of recent years, with multiple hit songs and collaborations with some of the biggest names in music.

Bad Bunny speaks at the Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation at CinemaCon 2022 in Las Vegas on April 25, 2022. The Puerto Rican rapper will headline at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Blackpink, the all-female K-pop group from South Korea, has taken the world by storm with its catchy pop tracks and dynamic performances. The group made up of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa has amassed a huge following and has broken multiple records in the music industry. Their Coachella performance will be a highly anticipated event, as it marks the first time a K-pop group has headlined the festival.

On Sunday, Ocean will be closing out the festival on the main stage. The R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer, known for his introspective songwriting and psychedelic aesthetic, will be performing for the first time at Coachella.

Frank Ocean attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” exhibition on May 2, 2022, in New York. Ocean will headline at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Coachella has come under criticism in the past for lack of diversity in its lineups, but this year’s roster is a positive change. The festival organizers have recognized the importance of representing different cultures and communities, and the inclusion of Blackpink, Bad Bunny, and Ocean as headliners is a reflection of that.

This year’s Coachella is shaping up to be one of the most exciting events yet, with a diverse and talented lineup of performers.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *