Coachella Must-Sees | Top 10 Artists

By: NoémiFri, 04/06/2018

Tags: Rap Indie Top 10

COACHELLA 2018: Friday, April 13 to Sunday, April 22, 2018

Hidden gems and timeless all-stars

Times they are a-changin’ and music is constantly evolving. Coachella began as one of the best festivals for rock, indie, underground hip-hop, electronic, and avant-garde artists outside the realm of commercialized music monarchy. For the first time in history, Coachella is running without a single rock headliner (this year's headliners: The Weeknd, Beyonce, and Eminem) and not everyone is stoked about it. Musical tastes aside, one can experience the production value and scale that comes with huge artists paired with the authenticity and accessibility of smaller acts. Keep reading for our top 10 must-see artists worthy of all the attention.

HAIM

The drums are sticky and sneak into the mix, and the synth tone washes over the rhythm, permeating each crack in the sound. A trip into the bubbly part of HAIM’s brain. As charming as it is immediate, and as familiar as it is wrenching, HAIM smiles at you, then hugs you. Danielle Haim’s smooth voice somehow sounds light and genuine at the same time. They consistently show the instinct needed to stand out as an indie pop creation. Track after track, their music wins.

KYGO

Kygo’s harmonizing skills fall in the eccentric and hella catchy category. He crafts beautiful and spacious sonic beds that manipulates his guest singers’ voice into something gorgeously melodic over low-key shapeshifting synths. With rumbling drums and throbbing bass pushing his music onward, we look forward to his exotic and synthetic tracks.

ST. VINCENT

st vincent.PNG

It’s been wonderful seeing St. Vincent gracefully transition from one-hit wonder to poptimist icon over the past couple years. She’s pulled off the impressive feat of appealing to both the holdover die-hards and her newfound niche admirers, keeping her upbeat sound while expressing her deep and gripping emotions. The “female Bowie” is this decade’s next cult artist.

TYLER, THE CREATOR

The 26-year-old rapper’s name has become synonymous with controversy. The beats and raps come fast, with the raw confidence of a guy who’s been selling out stadiums for years. He’s experimented, and he got results. Tyler, the Creator knows what works and what doesn’t, and blends both without a care in the world. Get hypnotized and catch his set on day 2!

He was also our #1 of 2017 ? : Top 10 | Best Songs of 2017 part II

BEYONCÉ

Queen B = an exquisite emotional outburst. The perfect musical microcosm. Her music occupies a controlled, tranquil space where the turmoil always within grasp — like watching a storm while underwater. Beyoncé asks massive questions on the nature of love, empathy, empowerment, and womanhood, and finds the perfect answers. This is going to be a good one.

EMINEM

“Put your moth--rf----g hands up and follow me!” Marshall Mathers’ name holds an unconventional amount of weight in the music industry. Needless to say, Marshall comes to the table with an impressive portfolio, and his latest album Revival is no exception. Eminem is a beautifully layered human being with stylishly slick productions and steadily increasing musical range. No track of the ‘00s captures the duality of human emotion and daily hustle like “Lose Yourself”.

“I been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage / But I kept rhymin' and stepwritin' the next cipher”

ALVVAYS

Alvvays are the urbanite cynics we need. They are genuine and sarcastic, cerebral and unpretentious, complex but uncomplicated. Their unique lyrical takes are a pastiche of forces pulling against one another in eternal contradiction, a reflection of our fractured world. They can drop hometown references with off-the-cuff cleverness and straight-up indie full of catchy and memorable hooks, and how often do we get one of those anymore?

SZA

St. Louis hip-hop soul goddess SZA will be appearing at Coachella, and her presence alone is worth attending the festival! SZA’s glowed up in 2017 and continues to flourish and knock out with heavy jams. With vocal influences including Ella Fitzgerald and Lauryn Hill, the young singer is creating the R&B of the future. It’s rumored that Kendrick might make a surprise appearance alongside SZA at Coachella (*coughs “All The Stars” *coughs*). But with or without Kendrick, this unstoppable woman is important so do not miss her performance!

THE WAR ON DRUGS

Dense, meticulous, and proudly indie, The War on Drugs is genius. The band is ideologically confusing, fragmented often at the same time as being beautiful, and one of the best heartland rock bands in ages. They constantly break the rules to achieve an authentic sound. If you’re into genre-breaking, iconic, and great music, make sure to check them out on day 1!

MØ

MØ is a moment of mystery, so beautiful and human, stuck in an infinite loop to be pondered, examined, and dwelled in. She performed at Coachella in 2015 and goes up on day 2 of this year! Get ready to dance all night and experience the future of pop music!

In the meantime, get your ears ready for this year's Coachella on Stingray Music!

Stay on the pulse of the most recent news in music. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.