The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia Headline Coachella, Replace Kanye West
Coachella has announced their replacement headlining act to fill Kanye’s slot for the biggest night of the festival: The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia.
The Party & The After Party pic.twitter.com/8gT2bF3x5j
— Coachella (@coachella) April 6, 2022
Swedish House Mafia was supposed to play Friday night, but will now perform Sunday, April 17 and 24. The crooner and the house music group released the song “Moth to a Flame” together, released just this year. Listen below:
Kanye West backed out of the festival with less than two weeks before showtime, amid reports that he was seeking professional help. “For the sake of the kids, Kanye has told Kim he’s not making any public appearances or inflammatory social media statements, and he will go away somewhere to get better,” a source enclosed.
As we earlier suggested, The Weeknd was a perfect replacement for Kanye. Take a look below:
10 Artists That Could Replace Kanye At Coachella
1. Drake
INDIO, CA – APRIL 15: Drake performs on the Coachella stage during day 2 of the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival (Weekend 1) at the Empire Polo Club on April 15, 2017 in Indio, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Coachella)
Since Drizzy and Ye are at peace, we don’t think the Donda creator would mind Drake taking his place at Coachella. The “Certified Lover Boy” announced last month that he will be setting up “highly interactive shows” for his fans in New York and Toronto so maybe he can use Coachella as a warm up? Drake previously was the headliner for the festival back in 2015.
2. The Weekend
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 23: In this image released on May 23, The Weeknd performs for the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, broadcast on May 23, 2021 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for dcp)
The Weeknd, who is set to go on tour with Doja Cat soon, previously was a headliner for the festival back in 2018. The R&B crooner just picked up his first Grammy for his feature on “Hurricane” from Ye’s Donda Sunday night (April 3) so after a quick mic check, we believe the Dawn FM singer will be all set to go.
3. Jay-Z
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 06: Producer Shawn Carter AKA Jay-Z attends “The Harder They Fall” World Premiere during the 65th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 06, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for BFI)
Jay-Z shows no sign of slowing down as the rapper just won another Grammy Sunday (April 3) for his feature on Ye’s “Jail” for “Best Rap Song” at this year’s ceremony. Although it’s been over 10 years since Jay headlined a set a Coachella, we’re sure the GOAT can pull it off.
4. Kendrick Lamar
INDIO, CA – APRIL 13: Kendrick Lamar performs onstage with SZA during the 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Field on April 13, 2018 in Indio, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Coachella)
Fans are anticipating Kendrick Lamar to drop his last album under Top Dawg Entertainment and what better way to do that than to headline Coachella. The Compton rapper previously headlined the festival back in 2017.
5. Nicki Minaj
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 16: Nicki Minaj performs onstage during the Meadows Music and Arts Festival – Day 2 at Citi Field on September 16, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)
Nicki Minaj is having a good year when it comes to continually giving her fanbase what they want: more music. The Pink Friday creator has collaborated with Lil Baby, Coi Leray, and Fivio Foreign already this year and fans would jump at the chance to hear her perform those songs live. Nicki has never headlined for Coachella before but has performed there with frequent collaborator Ariana Grande back in 2019.
6. Doja Cat
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 22: In this image released on November 22, Doja Cat performs onstage for the 2020 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 22, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp)
After being snubbed at last year’s Grammys, the Planet Her creator picked up her first Grammy for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” for her song “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA. The Los Angeles singer/rapper is also heading on tour with The Weeknd this year as well performing at this year’s Coachella, on both Sunday nights. Since the rising star will already be there why doesn’t Coachella bump her up to the headlining slot? It feels like it’s her time.
7. Megan Thee Stallion
AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 01: Megan Thee Stallion performs onstage during Austin City Limits Festival at Zilker Park on October 01, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Megan has continuously proven her ability to rock a crowd after being recruited for several festivals over the years. Her most recent collaborations have been with Dua Lipa on “Sweetest Pie,” Shenessa on “Lick,” and BTS on “Butter.”The Houston Hottie is making her Coachella debut this year on the Saturday night shows, but she could easily be moved to the headlining slot on the Sundays.
8. Lil Baby
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JULY 23: Lil Baby performs on stage during Rolling Loud at Hard Rock Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
You can’t mention hip-hop in the past year and not include Lil Baby. The ATL native is the “Collab King” on top of releasing his own top-charting records. The My Turn rapper is making his Coachella debut this year on the Friday night lineup, but we can definitely see him taking over that headlining spot.
9. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 13: (L-R) Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The duo we always need! Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg would be perfect replacements for Ye’s headlining set at Coachella. The pair previously headlined the festival in 2012 and as we saw in this year’s Super Bowl Halftime performance, the two most definitely still got it.
10. Travis Scott
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 06: Recording artist Travis Scott performs during a stop of his Astroworld: Wish You Were Here tour at T-Mobile Arena on February 6, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Talk about a turn of events! If Travis Scott were to take the stage at this year’s Coachella fans would go insane. The Houston-bred rapper was initially supposed to be a headliner for this year’s festival but due to the tragedy that took place last year at his hometown event Astroworld, the rapper was dropped from the festival. However, Ye promised that Scott would be able to perform on his set so it’s possible that Coachella could possibly change their mind and give him the headlining spot.
