Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is 19 years old and is one of the most important and influential festivals in the world. Although there is plenty of attention on What They Wore, Who Was There, and Gossip generally, Coachella is still a festival that celebrates the artists first and foremost. 2019 produced some exciting performances in the desert of Indio, CA. The women really stole the show, so here are the best performances.
Lizzo
Nobody got a bigger boost from the festival than Lizzo. “Welcome to the church of self love,” she started and then she proceeded to wow the crowd with a little bit of everything. She did this despite sound issues for both of her sets. After the second she finished her set a capella because of course she did. Oh and by the way, Lizzo plays the flute. She has a massive hit coming with the song “Juice” and she will be an enormous superstar by summer.
Ariana Grande with *NSYNC
*NSYNC has been building a lot of goodwill even without Timberlake, so it was no surprise that there was great excitement for their appearance with Ariana Grande. Let’s be honest and say that this is all about nostalgia, and the set was Ariana’s to own. She would’ve killed it without the 40-year old boy banders. However, the crowd had a great time with Ariana’s dancing to the band’s choreography, so that entire thing is worth a watch if you like pop music.
Billie Eilish
Three months ago a lot of people on this side of the Atlantic had never seen Billie Eilish; thanks to her Coachella set, that will never be the case again. Expectations for the young songstress could not have been higher, considering she rocked a number 1 album at just age 17. Eilish established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the vocal and visual department. There was some freaky stuff happening up on that stage, which seemed to evoke disturbing imagery from the horror genre. Vince Staples guested.
Janelle Monaé
It still seems like Janelle Monae is underrated and underappreciated. How have we let this happen, people? She’s an amazing singer, producer, songwriter, and oh yeah – she produces one hell of a stage show. Lizzo and Tierra Whack appeared during last summer’s buzzy “I Got the Juice.” She showcased her genius album Dirty Computer and brought the house down once again. And yeah, she and her crew are still wearing the pants from that “Pynk” song, in case you were wondering.
Rosalia
The 25-year old Rosalia is proof of why you never ignore the other stages at a big festival, because there are incredible performances everywhere. Coachella was Rosalia’s debut and sh crushed it. Rosalia is the face of modern flamenco, and you have to love that there’s a place for this talent in the music industry. Her choreography has its roots in flamenco, but also incorporates burlesque and modern dance elements. Her music is a combo of flamenco, R&B, trap and hip-hop.
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