Coachella | Photo by Alan Paone via Wikimedia Commons
REPORT: Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna Turn Down Coachella Appearances
Music icons Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna have reportedly turned down offers to headline next year’s edition of Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival.
According to Bloomberg, co-founder of the festival and CEO of the production company Goldenvoice, Paul Tollet, explained he has been searching for headliners following the conclusion of this year’s festival. He has reportedly been looking for A-list stars to top the bill and curb low sales — something that plagued the festival this year.
While the publication noted Tollet wanted to lock-in Lamar and Rihanna for the festival to help bring-in sales, multiple sources told Bloomberg they both turned down the offer. No official reason was given for their refusal, though Lamar’s busy schedule may be to-blame; the rapper is already slated to headline the 2025 NFL Super Bowl LIX Halftime show and is rumored to stop in a series of stadiums next year. Rihanna, on the other hand, has spent years focusing on her business ventures and family — and hasn’t appeared on a tour in years despite rumors of a comeback.
Coachella 2025 kicks-off in just six months, and no artists have been confirmed for the lineup at this time. This year’s edition featured headlining sets from Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator, and Doja Cat, as well as a reuion set from No Doubt.
This year, it took nearly a month for tickets to sell out for the first weekend — marking the longest sellout for the first time in 10 years. According to data by SFGate, Coachella tickets for festivals from 2014 to 2022 were snatched-up incredibly fast, from anywhere between just 40 minutes to a little more than four hours. Fans would wait in virtual ticketing queues for hours to be able to score a spot at the Indio fest, yet this year, festivalgoers were able to still easily score tickets to either weekend directly from Coachella’s website.
The second weekend failed to sell out entirely, showing that the once-coveted event lacked interest for the first time in history.
