I LOVE Coachella. Well, I’ve never been, but I love the idea of it. I grew up watching Emma Chamberlain on YouTube, which made me romanticize the festival and all it represented in the mid-2010s: tangible coolness, internet fame and the best vibes ever.Â
Traditionally, Coachella has released its lineup in January. However, in recent years, the announcement has come earlier and earlier. The 2025 lineup dropped before Thanksgiving, and this year’s lineup dropped just after Labor Day. So, who knows when the list of performers for 2027 will be public? Until that day comes, we can play the guessing game. As someone who saw Bieberchella coming from a mile away and clocked Frank Ocean’s re-appearance in 2023, headliner predictions have become a personal tradition. This year, I thought it would be fun to lay out my guesses, and circle back to check my work after the lineup drops.Â
Safe Bets: Dua Lipa, Tame Impala, BTS
HITS Daily Double is a music culture site that has a Wix.com-esque interface, no shade. However, it’s historically pretty dang accurate with its Coachella predictions. Last year, the site accurately forecasted Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G as headliners and two years prior, correctly named Lana del Rey and Tyler the Creator. The site didn’t predict Bieberchella like I did though, just putting that out there. This year it alleges that Dua Lipa, Tame Impala and BTS are all in communication with Goldenvoice, Coachella’s parent company. I have these three on my list, because of how buzzy they are right now. Dua Lipa’s album is top 10 on Spotify right now, Tame Impala is fresh off a tour and BTS is and will always be iconic. I would be genuinely shocked if at least one of these three isn’t a headliner.
Ok, Like Maybe: Drake, Harry Styles or Miley Cyrus
Now, we’re moving into uncharted territory. These three are huge artists. I don’t have to make a case for why they might be selected. However, I feel they’re less likely to be selected (or they’ll turn it down).Â
Drake, for all we know, could be touring during the festival weekends. He dropped a hat-trick of albums back in May and the FOMO project in September which hinted at a pending tour.Â
Harry is actively rocking Madison Square Garden. He’s the least likely performer of the three as he has concerts lined up in California in April that would violate Coachella’s radius clause. But, who knows? Maybe Goldenvoice would make an exception for dear old Harry.Â
Out of these three, Miley would be a first-time headliner and, really, I only have her on this list as a formality. Don’t get me wrong, she would put on an amazing show, but I think she’s doing the Super Bowl because of this peculiar Instagram post. I think that if anyone has the capacity to perform at the Super Bowl and headline Coachella in the same year, it’s Miley, but that would be unprecedented.
Keep Dreaming: SZA, Chappell Roan, Beyonce
We’ve officially left uncharted territory and flown straight to la-la land. There aren’t social media whisperings about these artists or conversations about them performing. These are just my personal delusions. But I also thought I was delusional for believing Phoebe Bridgers would drop an album this year, and guess who dropped? I doubt that we’ll see any of these three headline this year, but a girl can dream, can’t she? Oh, and might as well add Noah Kahan to this list.
Coachella, The Icon That You Are
That was fun…for me, at least! Hopefully, you enjoyed reading this. Not to get all philosophical, but I find Coachella so interesting. As a kid, I saw it as a musical utopia, out in the desert with fun outfits and whatnot. And as an adult, I still kind of see it that way, but the mask is slipping just a hair. It still seems like a fun time, just maybe not my cup of tea (unless a brand wants to send me for free). If it seems like your cup of tea, tickets are already sold out unfortunately, but you can join the waitlist here. If you’re like me and totally cool with Homechella, take a stab at your own headliner predictions or use this app to see what your “perfect” Coachella looks like!Â