Coachella. Over the years, it’s become one of the biggest music festivals in the world. For some, it may mean a weekend of photo-ops and parties in the desert, but for others, it’s a gathering place to see their favorite musicians. 

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As Coachella just passed its 20th anniversary, it’s important to know the festival’s background. Coachella was originally a one-day rock festival but transitioned in 2007 to its current model of two weekends in April. Throughout the past decades, it’s stayed at the Empire Polo Club, in Indio, CA, a town in the Coachella Valley. The festival has gone from attendance levels of 32,000 to 125,000 tickets sold for 2022. It has certainly grown and expanded with the times, maybe too much. Coachella now advertises NFT’s on their website, something no one asked for or needed. However, nothing distracts from their star-studded lineup. 

When Coachella released their performer list, complete with three headliners, I couldn’t decide if they had truly succeeded at pulling together a strong group. However, they definitely succeeded as far as headliners are concerned. The festival managed to bring in award-winning artists such as Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and Kanye West. 

Styles, coming off a successful American tour, and surrounded by rumors of new music, is a perfect choice to start each weekend off. Eilish has been performing at different music festivals this past fall and has just kicked off an international tour. She is another smart pick for the festival. However, their selection of Kanye West is a complicated choice. “He [is] rude and inconsiderate and he shouldn’t be getting more opportunities for fame,” freshman Izzy Leibowitz said.

While West has certainly pulled off multiple iconic performances, we have to wonder what Coachella was thinking. In 2011, West performed arguably one of the best hip-hop sets in festival history. That year, he definitely went above and beyond, with a gargantuan stone background and synchronized ballerinas. 

Even years later, his performance was a chaotic, haphazard set. Branded as one of his Sunday Services, it was intended to be a transcendent, gospel performance. However, it was not executed as such. The setlist didn’t flow and the production appeared largely uncoordinated. After that performance and the substantial amount of drama he consistently finds himself in, it is confusing as to why Coachella would associate themselves with a contentious figure such as West. However, all we can do is wait till April and see what happens. “I think Coachella is cool . . . my favorite band is performing,” freshman Anna Jeyachandran said. 

With this being the first Coachella since TikTok reached its stratospheric level of popularity, it’s interesting to look at the program through that lens. Regarding the lineup, the effect TikTok has had on the music industry is evident. Artists who were propelled to fame on TikTok like Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Olivia O’Brien and Conan Gray all have spots at each weekend. It’s interesting to think about how a simple app has catapulted so many singers to fame, and what the music industry would look like without it.