Coachella, the annual celebration of global music held in the valleys of California, is back. Coachella 2022 has already begun on 15th April and will go on till 22nd April. The music festival is held at Empire Polo Club in Coachella Valley in the Colorado desert. The festival has witnessed many iconic performances from artists from all over the globe. Not just this, many big names from the industry are present at the festival as a spectator too. This very hip music festival has become sensational, and K-Pop music has left its impression too. Back in 2011, a now-disbanded group called EE were the first K-Pop artists to have performed at Coachella. Then in 2016, the hip hop group Epik High were in attendance too as performing artists. But in 2019, when the girl group Blackpink took over the stage at Coachella, it was a groundbreaking moment.
In this article, we will talk about all the K-Pop artists that have attended the music festival and the ones who are doing an amazing job at performing this year. Feel free to put up your favorite artist’s music while you read this. Let’s look at the 2022’s lineup first.
Also, it is worth noting that all the performances by Asian artists at Coachella were brought out by 88rising. 88rising is a music company that has many Asian artists under its label, and its motivation is to make Asian music visible to a global audience.
Epik High
The popular hip-hop trio Epik High first made its debut at Coachella in 2016. The group consists of Tablo and Mithra Jin as vocalists and DJ Tukutz. The group functions under the label of YG and Woolim Entertainment. Epik High has an independent record label under their name, Map of Soul Inc. The group has been active in the music industry since 2001, but during those time, their type of music wasn’t that popular. The group rose to popularity between 2006 to 2011. They previously had joined hands with YG Entertainment but left in the year 2018. The group is also a Billboard-charting band, with their EP ‘Sleepless In’ charting at number 6 on the Billboard US World Album chart.
The group had a record-breaking crowd at the event. It is worth noting that the group is the only South Korean group to be invited twice to Coachella. The group was already on its leg of the North American tour when they got invited to Coachella. They ended the tour with their performance at the event. They might not be the convention K-Pop group, but it is definitely an honor for a South Korean artist to be invited twice.
2NE1
Probably the most talked-about group that performed at Coachella this year. The day the news dropped that 2NE1 are coming back together for Coachella, the internet was on fire. Let me tell you that the girls came together as a group after six years. The JYP entertainment group was an iconic one and was active between 2009-16.
After their disbandment, CL, the former member, has a very successful solo career. After her solo performance at Coachella, unexpectedly, the other members appeared on stage too, and the fans got their much-awaited reunion. The pictures and videos from the event proved that 2NE1 is still as loved and popular as they used to be. They trended on the internet for their performance and the group’s unity after all this time. It truly must have been an emotional moment for the fans since such reunions are usually rare. You can check their performance out here.
Jackson Wang
We all are familiar with the “Hey it is Jackson Wang from China”. Well, our former GOT7 member has become the first Chinese origin singer to perform at Coachella. If you are very much into K-Pop, I know you have seen the sexy stage that Mr. Wang put up.
The very popular GOT7 disbanded a while ago, and Jackson just had had a successful solo career even while being a part of the group. The LMLY singer really put the stage on fire with his hotness at the already scorching Coachella. He dropped a new song for the fans, and it’ll be an understatement to say he rocked it. He came and ate up the entire thing. Jackson is probably the only proper K-pop idol artist that made their Coachella debut this year. His presence only increased the glamour and hype regarding K-Pop music since Jackson was already so popular. We honestly love seeing our favorite K-pop artists at Coachella. If you haven’t seen his performance, please do check its clips out on 88rising’s Twitter page.
BIBI
The soloist sensation BIBI performed at Coachella this year. She was first discovered through Soundcloud by the rapper Yoon Mi Rae. Since then, there has been no looking back. She has only gotten more successful and popular within the industry. Furthermore, BIBI has sung for a lot of K-Drama OSTs, too, the latest being from Twenty Five Twenty One.
On the Coachella stage, she was joined by the one who found her in the first place. Yoon Mi Rae and Bibi gave a stellar performance together. BIBI began her set with ‘Bad Sad Mad’ and ‘Kazino’. Following that, she invited the veteran rapper queen Mi Rae to perform together. BIBI finished her set with her song ‘Best Lover’.
88rising, the company that made these performances possible, also has a number of artists under its wings. It has popular Indonesian singers Niki and Milli, who performed at Coachella this year. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that Asian music totally ruled at Coachella 2022, ’cause it truly did. Most of the performances and artists were trending on Twitter, and everyone talked about the powerful performances each artist put up.
K-Pop Artists That Have Previously Performed At Coachella
Fans really look forward to seeing their favorite idols performing on a global stage. The group BIGBANG was also rumored to be performing at 2022 Coachella since their 2020 appearance at the event got canceled due to the pandemic. However, fans have to wait for more as they were just rumors. BIGBANG won’t be performing at Coachella, but fans can rejoice as they have made their much-awaited comeback.
Fans wish to see their faves at the music festival and they might even attend the event sometime in the future. K-Pop stans really want BTS, Stray Kids, and NCT to perform at Coachella some day. But for now, here are the K-Pop artists who performed at Coachella previously.
Epik High
As previously stated, Epik High is as epic as its name. They had performed at Coachella in 2016 and were invited again to perform. This only proves how popular they are among the audiences. Their unique hip-hop music is different from the regular K-Pop music scene. Probably that’s what heightens their appeal on a global level. The group has been there in the music scene since 2001, and their popularity has only risen extraordinarily.
BLACKPINK
The biggest girl group BLACKPINK was also a part of the lineup of Coachella. They were invited to the 2019 event. The girls absolutely killed it with their performance on live music versions of their hit songs, ‘DU-DU-DU’ and ‘Kill This Love’. The quartet had an impressive set of 11 songs for their two days appearance at the music festival. All the four girls looked drop-dead gorgeous, and their Coachella looks are part of the history books of K-Pop stage fashion.
Apart from this, the event not only gave us great performances from the girls but also interactions between them and artists like Ariana Grande, DJ Khalid, and actor Will Smith and his family. This event was noteworthy since they were the first K-Pop girl group to have performed at Coachella. Also, BLACKPINK is a phenomenally talented bunch of girls, and they are really popular among young people. BLACKPINK’s appearance only benefitted the K-Pop music, which is already being led ahead and highly popularized by the boy group BTS.
Although BLACKPINK didn’t perform at Coachella this year, the group’s leader, Jennie, was in attendance on the first two days of the event. Fans went crazy at this news and just wanted a glimpse of their favorite idol. Jennie looked absolutely gorgeous with her new ginger hair, and netizens complimented her styling at the festival.
With 2022’s Coachella outing, it can be said K-Pop music is getting more and more popular each day. The artists put in a lot of work, and they deserve to be noticed. Not just mainstream Korean pop music but also R&B and Indie music are getting their share of popularity, thanks to artists like BIBI and Epik High. We can expect performances from more K-pop artists at Coachella from here on.
Also Read: BTS To Make Their Comeback In June 2022
