24-04-2025
ENHYPEN's Performance Was Otherworldly And D4vd Finally Landed His Backflip — Here's What I Learned From Coachella 2025
I'm Myke, a resident music festival fanatic, here to provide insight into one of the dopest events of the year — the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California.
Since 2015, I've attended festivals like Coachella, FYF, Life is Beautiful, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits. This year, I attended my 9th Coachella and witnessed some of the most career-defining sets for music artists from all over the world.
In recent years, Coachella has embraced international artists and genres that rarely existed in the same space. With an Aperol Spritz and Red Bull cocktail in hand, I roamed the Empire Polo Fields, rediscovering everything I loved about the polarizing festival.
Sure, the internet can't stop talking about Coachella, but what do the artists on stage think about it all? Curious, I put on my best cross-trainers, ran from stage to stage to catch some of my favorite performers, and went to work.
For the uninitiated, Coachella is comprised of various stages strategically placed across the field. The largest stages are the Coachella Stage and the Outdoor Theatre. Five tented stages are named after real-life deserts: Sahara, Mojave, Gobi, Sonora, and Yuma. And finally, there's the innovative art installation music oasis stage, Do LaB, and the newest stage, Quasar.
But these are no ordinary stages. The production behind every stage is unique and sets the bar incredibly high for similar festivals. I spoke with Dan Norman, a light designer from Silent House Studios who programmed shows at festivals like Glastonbury, Hyde Park, Lollapalooza, BottleRock, and Rolling Loud, about creating those unbelievable visuals.
For Travis Scott's headlining performance on the Coachella Stage, Dan said there were over 80 crew members involved, plus about 10 various departmental creative leads, 60 marching band members, 20 stunt performers, plus choreographers, creative directors, set designers, production managers, technical directors, pyro and flame designers, operators, laser teams, carpenters, welders, truck drivers, stage managers, audio crews, camera directors, video content creators, video server programmers.
While a decent amount of programming is applied, Dan and the lighting team also operate the systems and atmospheric effects live, adapting to constant updates in the live performance. And to think that's just for one of the almost 150 artists performing at the festival.
With almost 150 artists performing at Coachella this year, I had to find out what it's like to be on the other side of the festival experience. Luckily, I had the opportunity to ask music artists about their favorite moments at the festival, their biggest takeaways, and even their dream headliners.
Here's what 16 incredible artists who performed at Coachella had to say about the festival!
1. The K-pop group ENHYPEN — JUNGWON, HEESUNG, JAY, JAKE, SUNGHOOD, SUNOO, and NI-KI — performed at the Sahara Stage and reignited my admiration for boy bands. As an aspiring ENGENE (their fans), securing a front-row ticket to their Walk The Line World Tour might be my future.
Not to be a hater, but it was clear that once people saw how incredible the Weekend 1 performance was, the crowd size doubled for Weekend 2, and we went bananas in the audience.
Here's what ENHYPEN had to say about Coachella.
ENHYPEN's favorite moment from the fesitval:
JUNGWON: "We didn't expect so many ENGENEs in the U.S. to come out to the desert for two weekends, so it really surprised and touched us. 'Paranormal' was the song where we interacted with the audience for the first time during our set, and seeing all the banners as we walked around the stage really stuck with me. It was definitely one of the most memorable moments."
What ENHYPEN hopes audiences take away:
SUNGHOON: "Rather than just one moment, I hope people remember that ENHYPEN performed at Coachella and absolutely owned that stage."
ENHYPEN's favorite performance at Coachella?
JAY: "Green Day, for sure. They were one of the first bands that got me into rock music. Their raw sound and attitude definitely inspired me."
2. The iconic French electronic duo Polo & Pan performed at the Outdoor Theatre and took everybody on a colorful sonic journey that brought me to tears at one point, whether it was pure emotion or just the perfect timing of the wind.
When I heard their third studio album, 22:22, I knew we were in for a treat to witness this performance on one of Coachella's most dynamic stages.
Here's what Polo & Pan had to say about Coachella:
Polo & Pan's favorite moment from the festival:
Paul: "I really enjoyed playing our new song 'Summer Is Almost Over' from our last album, it's been very special to play it here at Coachella."
Alex: "We noticed and got feedback from our team that our audience on both weekends was mostly phone-free! We're so glad about it."
What Polo & Pan hope audiences take away:
"We hope they enjoyed the show and had a lot of fun. We tirelessly worked on this show with Coachella in mind; there's always a balance to find, a special chemistry between the music, the lights and the different performances."
Polo & Pan's favorite performance at Coachella:
"The Marias were amazing, we really enjoy their music and the scenography here was super elegant."
3. Sara Landry, who performed at the Sahara stage during Coachella, had my undivided attention from start to finish. I was jealous of Weekend 1, who had the chance to see her perform three times, including her surprise DoLab set and the Goldenvoice Surf Club, but her main set was fierce.
Sure, I needed extra ashwagandha in my coffee that morning to deal with the claustrophobia of Sahara's overcrowded audience, but it was worth it.
Here's what Sara Landry had to say about Coachella:
Sara's favorite moment from the festival:
" My favorite moments? I'm so sorry, I can't choose just one! From Weekend 1, stepping out on stage, seeing the production and the full Sahara tent for the first time was such an incredible feeling and I was shaking like a leaf! Then on Saturday, our Blood Oath B2B moment under the full moon with all the girls was so special, that set filled my heart with so much joy.
Weekend 2, I just really loved that set and I felt like it went off without a hitch. My family was there too which was amazing. Reflecting on it now, it was also the first time in a really, really long time I've gotten to go to a music festival and actually enjoy the whole music festival. I was able to see a bunch of different acts, spend time with friends and dance in front of the speakers for once instead of being behind them, it was just such a special time overall. It's so hard to choose one highlight when the whole thing felt like a highlight, it was incredible."
What Sara hopes audiences take away from her performance:
"You know, I don't think of myself as just a DJ. I really am moving into this new era of being an artist and it's so important for me to create these special, memorable experiences for the people who attend my shows. I had so much fun developing ETERNALISM, working on building something where we thought about every possible point of the experience. I just loved it, I loved that immersion. I want people to expect more of that creativity from me and I hope I continue to surprise and delight. It is my greatest joy and honor to be lucky enough to share these moments with my audiences, I am so grateful."
Sara's favorite performance at Coachella:
"Oh that's hard. It's so hard to choose just one, but I'm going to have to say Charli, her sets were amazing. It was so cool to watch her do her thing on that stage, just her, and she threw down. The crowd loved it and it felt like such a cultural moment. It was amazing to see her win, I had a blast during those sets."
If Sara could see anyone perform at Coachella, she said, "For me that's Lady Gaga and we got to see an incredible show from her, so my heart is totally happy. It was such a beautiful set to witness I'm so glad I got to be there. It was super cool to run into Amelie Lens in the crowd and vibe with her there too, that was a really fun moment."
4. Guyanese-American singer SAINt JHN performed at the Mojave stage beside the VIP Rose Garden, and it was the perfect setting for his music. His Coachella debut reminded me that he's not new to this, he's true to this.
I'm not going to lie. I was watching his set so hard that I started leaning to the side, just like that giant cross on the stage.
Here's what SAINt JHN had to say about Coachella:
SAINt's favorite moment from the festival:
"I think my favorite moment was standing on top of the cross, seeing thousands of people hold their phone up as I was doing Roses and hearing them sing it back. That's probably my favorite moment. Watching other people other perform is really cool, but nothing tops that, 'cause that's why I started. That was one of my first songs that I thought was gonna be huge, and it took a long time, but it worked, and it was proof that what I believed in was real. So, to see it at the biggest stage in my life, still being real, like the song came out yesterday morning. Unbelievable, unforgettable."
What SAINt hopes audiences take away:
"If there's anything I wanted someone to take away from my performance at Coachella, it's my self-belief. My undying commitment to give it my all. No one sees the tribulations or the difficulties building up to getting to the stage, and that's not their job or their responsibility to see. They're just supposed to see the result of the hard work. But my bleeding heart or my honesty, the truth that I leave on the stage, I think it's hard to miss."
SAINt's favorite performance at Coachella:
"I really like Benson Boone and I really loved Missy.. And Gaga was insane. Wow."
If SAINt could see anyone perform at Coachella, he said, "It'd be crazy to see Michael Jackson."
5. Spanish singer Judeline performed at the Sonora stage during Coachella, and it was the perfect blend of eerie R&B and traditional Latin music. I couldn't take my eyes away from her poetic interactions with dancer Héctor Fuertes.
I couldn't fully explain what was happening on stage, but I know it was my type.
Here's what Judeline had to say about Coachella:
Judeline's favorite moment from the festival:
"Lady Gaga was so special for me as I have admired her for so long. I was crying the whole show."
"Also, my second weekend show was one of the most special shows I have ever done. My Miley Cyrus cover had a really special reaction from the crowd."
What Judeline hopes audiences take away:
"I would love them to feel that they are seeing something special that is going to be big. There's a lot of love and dreams in the work we did to prepare the show. I hope people can see it."
Judeline's favorite performance at Coachella:
"Lady Gaga of course... mother."
If Judeline could see anyone perform at Coachella, she said, "I imagine Britney Spears… or Héctor Lavoe, it would be crazy!"
6. Singer-songwriter d4vd performed at the Gobi Stage, and although he killed it both weekends, his second performance landed a little better than his first. I can't wait to put his debut album, WITHERED, on repeat.
Here's what d4vd had to say about Coachella:
d4vd's favorite moment from the festival:
"Favorite memory would have to be not landing the backflip from week 1 but then landing it in week 2. It led to so many laughs and funny memes which I always love."
What d4vd hopes audiences take away from his performance:
"The energy, the diversity of the set & the emotion behind not just the sad songs but also like "Leave Her" where I just get lost in the beat every time."
d4vd's favorite performance at Coachella:
"CLAIRO!"
If d4vd could see anyone perform at Coachella, he said, "Maybe SZA?"
7. UK DJ and producer Eli Brown performed at Yuma during Coachella Weekend 2, and he brought down the house. There's a reason they call him a sonic architect: the way he constructed his set completely reconfigured my brain.
Eli's a valid link between the underground and mainstream of electronic music, and Coachella was the perfect stage to execute his master plan.
Here's what Eli Brown had to say about Coachella:
Eli's favorite moment from the festival:
"What a weekend, this was my first time visiting Coachella - let alone performing - and it totally lived up to the hype."
"Both weekends were great but my Weekend 2 performance in the Yuma was definitely my highlight. It's hard to describe why Weekend 2 topped Weekend 1, but I guess doing it second time around everyone is a bit more settled in and I definitely felt a bit more loose. I had my whole family out with me for the first time ever in my career, so having them there to share that experience with me made it all the more special."
What Eli's hopes audiences take away from his performance:
"I wanted to turn the Yuma into a rave, and by that I mean capturing the essence and energy of a warehouse rave. Heads down, high energy club music that keeps you captivated and lost in the moment. I hope that the people who set foot in the Yuma for my Saturday closing set walked away feeling that energy whether they knew me or my music, or if it was their first time hearing my sound."
Eli's favorite performance at Coachella:
"Hands down Post Malone's closing set on Sunday night. I don't often get the time or chance to explore festivals, but for Coachella I managed to spend both weekends here taking in a lot of DJ sets and live performances. Weekend 1, I loved seeing Missy Elliot, she had banger after banger and really took me back to my childhood. Weekend 2, I finished the festival watching Post Malone and wow, the stage set up, his performance and energy really left a mark on me and I found it super inspiring. Other performances to note were Sam Fender, a UK singer songwriter who I love and was lucky enough to see on Saturday afternoon."
If Eli could see anyone perform at Coachella, he said, "For me, Michael Jackson. His music left the biggest impact on me, it was the soundtrack to my upbringing and I can only imagine what a show he would bring to that Coachella Mainstage."
8. Berlin-based DJ and producer Yulia Niko made her Coachella debut in the Yuma tent. Her genre-defying sound was the perfect soundtrack to the dark, strobe-lit, air-conditioned atmosphere and polished floors of Yuma.
It's one of my greatest pleasures to discover new favorites at Coachella, and Yulia is definitely in that category.
Here's what Yulia Niko had to say about Coachella:
Yulia favorite moment from the festival:
"On the second weekend, I finally got the chance to see Lady Gaga's performance. From the moment the lineup came out and I knew I'd be in the desert, she was at the top of my list for who I wanted – and needed – to see."
"I've always felt so connected to her, and her Coachella performance was truly the best performance I've ever seen in my life. The whole performance reminded me of theater, there was so much happening – it gave me goosebumps from the second she stepped on stage. After we saw that, I went home, there was nothing else I needed to see."
What Yulia hopes audiences take away from her performance:
"I always want my audience to have a lifetime experience. I really try to express the energy the music gives and the incredible vibes performing gives me. I have received, and cherish, some really amazing feedback from people who've discovered me for the first time in the Yuma – it was such a magical moment, playing Coachella is such a huge achievement for me and I wanted my happiness for this moment to be expressed in my set. The energy is so special, when people come to see you play – it's magical, almost indescribable."
Yulia's favorite performance at Coachella:
"Outside of Lady Gaga, in my own genre, I saw Mau P for the first time at Sahara both weekends, and I was really impressed. I had the chance to meet him yesterday as well before his DoLab secret set, and he's genuinely one of the kindest people I've ever met."
If Yulia could see anyone perform at Coachella, she said, "Since the beginning, I've always been the biggest fan of Sade – but I've never had the chance to see her live. I think for Coachella, for this kind of set up, it would be so amazing to see her perform– I would really love it!"
9. House DJ and producer Kaskade performed an epic back-to-back set at the Quasar stage with Idris Elba, and it felt like I was in the middle of a blockbuster action movie. Watching Kaskade from the balcony of the Red Bull Mirage was a life-altering experience.
Kaskade was the first electronic DJ to headline Coachella in 2015, and it was a special moment because that was my first time attending the festival.
Here's what Kaskade had to say about Coachella:
Kaskade's favorite moment from the festival:
"Playing with Idris was absolutely my favorite moment. There were times in the set where I was brought back to my earliest days not knowing what was about to come next, as he and I haven't spent a lot of time together. But it's that shape shifting that makes a b2b fun. There's no phoning it in, he kept me on my toes."
What Kaskade hopes audiences take away:
"The reality that we were up there feeding off what they were giving. We didn't have anything pre-planned, it was very in the moment. I love having the crowd be part of the performance, and they were calling the shots. That audience really showed up for us, it was a blast."
Kaskade's favorite performance at Coachella:
"I'm going to be straight here and say what all of us are thinking: ENHYPEN is probably not from planet Earth. These guys are to boy-bands up to now what a tin can and string are to iPhones. The amount of talent and stamina and tenacity it must take to participate in their production is extraordinary. What can I say? I'm getting with K-Pop still."
If Kaskade could see anyone perform at Coachella, he said "Sade. Always Sade."
Until next time, Coachella!
Mychal Thompson
If you could see anyone perform at Coachella, who would it be? Share your responses, and doesn't matter if they're living or dead, popular or underground.
