When the Coachella lineup is revealed each year, most people only focus on the headliners. That’s something of a shame, as there is always a plethora of talent to discover on the poster, and this year is no different.
The 2023 edition of Coachella is full of solo musicians who identify as LGBTQ and groups that feature members who are open about their orientation. In fact, there are at least somewhere around two dozen acts that fit that description, and the real number may be much larger.
Frank Ocean is receiving much of the attention this time around from LGBTQ press, as he’s the biggest name from the community slated to perform and his appearance will be historic.
The crooner will become the first openly gay musician to headline Coachella, an honor that he was supposed to claim a while back, though that year the festival was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.
This year, the LGBTQ artists on the Coachella lineup run the gamut in terms of genre and style. There are solo acts and bands, and their music can be categorized as everything from pop to dance to a number of different styles of rock and even R&B and rap, which shows that LGBTQ musicians aren’t limited by any one type of art.
A quick look seems to suggest that Fridays will be the gayest of all. More than ten LGBTQ acts will play to fans across a number of stages throughout the day, with the lineup including such beloved musicians like Angele, Ashnikko, Doechii, Gabriels, Kaytranada, Lava La Rue, Muna, Uncle Waffles, Wet Leg, YUNGBLUD, and Yves Tumor.
When it comes to LGBTQ musicians and the Saturday lineup, only those who are deeply plugged into what’s next in music will know who to see. Up-and-coming talents like 070 Shake, Boygenius, Ethel Cain, Remi Wolf, Snail Mail, Umi, and Yaeji are all going to put on one hell of a show.
At first glance, Sunday may be the least focused on LGBTQ artists at this year’s Coachella, but that’s up for interpretation. While it appears that there are fewer LGBTQ artists performing on that day, Ocean will headline and close out this year’s event, which will be a huge moment for the community. Sunday’s schedule includes LGBTQ groups and soloists such as Christine and the Queens, Kali Uchis, Willow, and, of course, Ocean.
Coachella will kick off on Friday, April 16 and continue through both that weekend and the following, as the festival has been dominating two weekends for a few years now.
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