Every year for the past twenty years, people flock to Indio, CA, to experience one of the most iconic music festivals in the United States. Coachella brings together hundreds of artists and thousands of music fans from all over the world. But you don’t have to break the bank to discover new artists through Coachella. You don’t even have to leave your couch. Here’s how to make the most of your Coachella 2019 or Couchella experience the minute the lineup drops.
THE COACHELLA 2019 LINEUP
Coachella announces its lineup around the same time every year. After sending out some well-spaced teaser tweets featuring some of the lower-billed artists, Coachella dropped the lineup on January 2nd, 2019, at 8:28 pm local time. This was an excruciating 11:28 pm for those of us on the east coast! Nevertheless, fans scanned the list for artists they would hope to see.
Almost as soon as the lineup is out, it seems that some superpower dude on Reddit categorizes it into genres. This list is an excellent place to start if it is a bit overwhelming and you want to focus on the music styles you already like. Here is a look at this past year’s lineup by genre.
COACHELLA PLAYLISTS
There will be so many playlists available after the lineup comes out. Apple Music and Spotify will curate extensive playlists featuring all of the artists. This style can also be overwhelming, and you only get to hear about one song per artist. You can like or add them to your own Coachella playlist and then check out the rest of the artists’ discography from there.
The Coachella app is another easy way to discover new artists all in one place. I tried to go through every artist and listen to at least one of their songs. If I liked something, I would add it to my playlist and look up the rest of their music. It did take some time, but I found a lot of the artists that I wanted to see by doing this. You can always go back to the Reddit list if you aren’t finding what you like.
THE ARTISTS
Now, this is the fun part. Discovering new songs and artists makes you excited, even if you are watching Coachella from home. There are plenty of videos and full sets that you can find on YouTube to relive Coachella 2019. Here are some buzzworthy artists that I hope to help you discover if you missed them this Coachella/Couchella season.
COACHELLA 2019 BEST NEW ARTISTS
DERMOT KENNEDY
I have no idea how I didn’t know about Dermot Kennedy before January. It’s okay, though, because Coachella does a great job of booking the “up-and-coming” artists before they blow up. Go listen to his song “Power Over Me,” and you will not be disappointed. Dermot Kennedy is a highly talented Irish singer-songwriter with an Ed Sheeran vibe. His voice has a little more of that rock-style grittiness to it. I listened to his discography before Coachella, and his songs always seem to outdo themselves. “After Rain,” (see related post here), “Couldn’t Tell,” “Glory,” and “Young & Free” are goosebump-evoking for sure.
Dermot played to a packed Gobi Tent with Irish flags flying and fans singing every word. It was just like being at a sold-out show. Speaking of, I’m so excited that I just snagged tickets to his SOLD-OUT show in Chicago for his first headlining tour in NA!
The only downside to his set was that Lizzo played at the same time. She is killing it with back-to-back sell-out shows in the area. She recently performed at The Ritz, Raleigh, in May, only to announce a much larger show this September at Red Hat Amphitheater. I hope to catch her this round. *Prays to the StubHub gods.* Good news for Couchella viewers is that you don’t have to deal with scheduling conflicts. You can flip through the performances and see who you like.
Check out Dermot’s new music video for his current single, “Outnumbered,” below.
YELLOW DAYS
Well, I’m glad I looked more into this artist because I was about to start by saying, “This band….” Nope, wrong! I stand corrected. This. Solo. Artist. Is. Absolutely. Phenomenal. I’m not sure how I didn’t realize that Yellow Days (George van den Broek) was a solo act, but that makes him all the more intriguing. You can also cheat and preview an artist’s previous set on YouTube before Coachella to see who you want to check out. Weekend 2 ‘Chella goers have the luxury of doing this during weekend 1. Yellow Days has an alluring selection of live performances, like this one, that will give you an idea of what to expect.
He is one of those artists whose voice sounds exactly like the track when he does live shows. His show has such a chill vibe and was perfect for a Friday afternoon in the Polo Fields. You fall in love with his songwriting and style of delivering each song. Fan-favorite numbers were “That Easy,” “A Little While,” and “How Can I Love You.” He just released a few new singles, with the latest one being July 10th. Check out “It’s Real Love” below.
MAGGIE ROGERS
This girl is everywhere! I heard a little from Maggie Rogers before the lineup came out, but it seems that she is checking off bucket list boxes left and right. Her success makes absolute sense, as her major-label debut album, Heard It in a Past Life, was released in January. By this point, you’ve probably seen her on one of the many morning or evening talk shows. You can catch her on the TODAY show this Friday, July 14th!
Maggie has so much energy and is a great songwriter, performer, and artist. She sets herself apart from pop songwriters by adding some edge. Though you may have heard her referred to as the ‘Janis Joplin’ of this era, the singer reminds me of Coeur de Pirate in her musical style. Maggie also seems appreciative of every moment she is experiencing in her career. She was beaming on the Gobi Stage at Coachella and seemed overwhelmed by the crowd. A favorite moment was overhearing a fan say, “Maggie is soooo hot right now!” While he may have been referring to her appearance, it’s also true that she is currently on fire in the music scene. Many fans have had “Burning,” “Retrograde,” and “Fallingwater” on repeat for months.
MANSIONAIR
Mansionair snuck up on me too little too late. I was getting into their music around the time of Coachella. If you want a soothing vocal to add to your relaxation playlist, “Waiting Room” is the one. Don’t stop there, though, as they have many more magnetic tracks. I should have paid more attention to the rest of their music because I regret not making a point to catch their set. They have a similar sound to Year’s & Year’s, SAFIA, or Joji. They are worth the listen for sure!
CHVRCHES: Jonathan’s Pick
CHVRCHES is pretty much the ultimate festival band. They’ve played Coachella about 5x. Yes, I knew who they were before Coachella, but I hadn’t seen them live. My husband says, “he didn’t listen to their music,” even though he inadvertently did. We both agree; they killed their set! They could have been on the main stage before Khalid and Ariana Grande, which would have saved a lot of fans running back and forth. CHVRCHES is also playing at HOPSCOTCH here in Raleigh this September. Check out the lineup here.
I apologize for the untimeliness of this post, but it’s never too late to discover new artists or discuss past and future Coachella lineups.