Coachella 2024 guests: We're expecting Megan Thee Stallion, Kali Uchis and...Taylor Swift?
The anticipation is palpable — for both festivalogers receiving their wristbands in the mail and locals dreading the impending crowds.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will descend upon the desert April 12, and this year's lineup features an ecclectic mix of international artists on the rise, along with many who have been in the business for decades.
As we prepare for three weeks of back-to-back festival coverage, the main question on the Desert Sun staff's mind is: will we get more special guests this year? We sure hope so.
Here are our predictions for who could pop out as a surprise guest at Coachella this month.
PinkPantheress
One of the catchiest songs you've likely come across your endless scroll of TikTok videos is PinkPantheress and Ice Spice's "Boy’s a liar Pt. 2." This easy-listening certified bop had a chokehold on every "get ready with me" and "day in the life" video, so it would come as no surprise if PinkPantheress shows up to support her pal Ice Spice during her Coachella set. Editor's Note: PinkPantheress is currently on tour and doesn't have a show during Ice Spice's Coachella Weekend 1 set, but she will be performing in Nashville during the Weekend 2 set. — Ema Sasic
Leon Bridges
The genre-blending musical trio Khruangbin are great to listen to on their own, but their collaborations with Leon Bridges are truly something special. The Grammy Award winner could join the band's whole set — they have multiple songs together, such as "Mariella," "Texas Sun" and "Chocolate Hills" — and we wouldn't be mad about it. Plus, we know Bridges will be in the area as he's set to perform at Stagecoach on April 27. — Ema Sasic
Kali Uchis, Odd Future reunion
Tyler, the Creator has lots of options for special guests. The Southern California rapper could see Colombia American singer Kali Uchis return the favor from last year, when Tyler showed up to play their hit collaboration “See You Again” at her Weekend 1 set. Tyler could also bring out different guests each weekend, as Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny did as a headliner last year. Could we see a reunion of some members of Odd Future, the early 2010’s rap collective? Tyler, Domo Genesis and Syd (among others) appeared at an anniversary show for Earl Sweatshirt last year, so here’s hoping they keep the nostalgia going at Coachella. — Tom Coulter
Anitta
Brazilian icon Anitta tore up the main stage at Coachella 2022, bringing out her own slew of special guests Weekend 1, including Snoop Dogg, Saweetie and Diplo. She was so well received, we're wondering if she'll hop on stage with star Mexican singer Peso Pluma to sing their collaboration "BELLAKEO." He recently showed his appreciation for her by surprising her with a birthday cake onstage at the 2024 Tecate Pa’l Norte festival on March 30 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, so maybe it's time for Anitta to return to favor and do something sweet for her collaborator. — Niki Kottmann
Sia
I was listening to Bleachers the other day in anticipation of their Coachella set, and I was reminded of their song "Like a River Runs," which is a collaboration with Sia. Sia, of the black and white eyes-covering wig, turned in one of my favorite Coachella performances of all time in 2016 when she wowed the main stage crowd with a visually creative, music and dance spectacle. Sia also is no stranger to the Coachella pop-in. In fact, just last year she and Maddie Ziegler jumped up to perform "Thunderclouds" with Labrinth. Sia never disappoints, so I'm hoping for another Sia sighting ... at least as much as you can actually see of Sia. — Shad Powers
Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion has accomplished quite a lot since her 2022 performance on the Coachella Stage. She's hit the silver screen in movies such as "Dicks: The Musical" and the recent gen-z revival of "Mean Girls," and she's taken a stab at voice acting on the TV show "Big Mouth" — all of which might explain why we haven't seen a new record from her since 2022. However, she was most recently heard on Coachella 2024 performer Reneé Rapp's "Mean Girls" single "Not My Fault," which she joined Rapp onstage (by popping out of a cake, let's not forget) to sing on "Saturday Night Live" earlier this year. The pair clearly have a ball performing together, and I wouldn't be surprised if Megan takes Rapp up on a potential offer to sing "Not My Fault" at Coachella. — Niki Kottmann
Blake Shelton
On the one hand, Coachella guest appearances don't get much more obvious and low hanging than a band's lead singer bringing out her famous husband to perform one of their growing list of popular duets. On the other, this ain't Stagecoach, those duets are with Gwen, not her band, and a self-proclaimed redneck doesn't exactly seem like a natural addition to No Doubt's anticipated reunion (even if we've all finally gotten used to Gwen and Blake being married). So, will Gwen and the boys let Blake join them onstage to Fire Up the Night? It's genuinely hard to say. But given that Shelton teased No Doubt's upcoming Coachella set when Gwen joined him onstage at his show at Acrisure Arena last month, it seems only fair that she'd let her hubby get in on the fun at the polo grounds. — Paul Albani-Burgio
Taylor Swift
Swiftwatchers everywhere have been riding a roller coaster of speculation about whether the world's most famous musician would make her first-ever appearance at the festival ever since it became clear she had left a blank space in her Eras tour dates that would coincide with it. Those hopes would've seemed to die suddenly when the Coachella lineup was unveiled in January with her oh-so-famous name nowhere to be seen, if not for the fact that the lineup included not one, not two but three of Swift's closest musical friends and collaborators: singer Lana Del Rey, rapper Ice Spice and producer and musician Jack Antonoff, who is performing with his band, Bleachers.
Things picked up further when, in a span of a week, Swift accepted a Grammy onstage with Del Rey and Antonoff, only to be shown on television in a suite at the Super Bowl with Del Rey and Spice days later. Then things were really thrown for a loop when US Weekly cited an anonymous source this week who said that Swift would be coming to the desert with famous beau, Travis Kelce, not to join any set but to watch Del Rey and Antonoff. That may be her plan as of now, but we think it's possible the star won't be able to resist hopping on a polo grounds stage for the first time since she performed at Stagecoach as a young country singer all the way back in 2008 (especially because her new album comes out April 19). — Paul Albani-Burgio and Shad Powers
The Weeknd
Could the vocal giant, who himself headlined the festival in 2022, crash a collaborators' set for the second straight year? If that Lana Del Rey-Taylor Swift Super Bowl suite reunion isn't in the cards, the "Blinding Lights" singer could add plenty of blockbuster star power of his own to one of Lana's Friday night headlining sets. After all, the chartopping powerhouses have not one but two songs together: the dreamy "Stargirl Interlude" and sexy "Lust for Life." If Lana doesn't invite him up, he could also show up on stage with Doja Cat, who he collaborated on the song "You Right" with. — Paul Albani-Burgio
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella surprise guests: Anitta, Taylor Swift and more predictions
