By Pauline Odhiambo
South Africa’s Tyla, Nigeria’s Seun Kuti and Rema, and Ghana’s Amaarae will be among those performing at Coachella 2025.
The Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, announced the lineup for the two-weekend event, taking place on April 11-13 and April 18-20.
Coachella is an annual music and arts festival renowned for its eclectic lineup of artists, stunning stage designs, and vibrant atmosphere.
The African lineup announcement was made six weeks early on Wednesday by Goldenvoice, the festival organiser, which usually drops the lineup at the beginning of each year in January.
Reacting to the news on X, an elated Tyla said that despite having multiple chances in the past to attend Coachella, she had vowed her first time at the festival would be as a performer.
A dream come true
“Had many opportunities to go but swore to myself that the first time I go to Coachella, I’ll be performing… and look now!” enthused the 22-year-old “Water” hitmaker.
Alile Phogele, a music teacher in Johannesburg where the Grammy Award-winning singer hails, told TRT Afrika, “Tyla is the definition of speaking dreams into reality. She has put in the work, prayed, and manifested her way to the top of the world’s music industry. She's absolutely fantastic.”
Coachella is a festival that annually transforms California’s desert landscape into a vibrant hub of music, art and culture.
Seun Kuti holds the distinction of being the first Nigerian to grace the Coachella stage back in 2012. Since then, Nigerian acts like Mr. Eazi, Burna Boy (2019), Ckay (2022), and Tems (2024) have carried the torch, putting Afrobeat on the global map.
Rema’s inclusion in the 2025 lineup further marks his first Coachella performance.
Known for his global hits like “Calm Down" and "Benin Boys,” he continues to push boundaries in the international music scene.
His hit song "Calm Down" became the first Afrobeats song in history to earn over one billion on-demand streams in the US, according to the music monitoring platform Chart Data.
History in the making
Ghanaian American singer and songwriter Ama Serwah Genfi, popularly known as Amaarae, is set to make history by being the first Ghanaian act to perform at Coachella.
It has been an exciting year for the “Angels in Tibet” crooner, who performed at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival in July.
Known for her fusion of R&B, pop, Afrobeats, and Alte, Amaarae became the first female Ghanaian artist to top one billion streams on all major music platforms.
Reacting to Amaarae’s scheduled performance, Ghanaian choreographer Akosua Frimpong told TRT Afrika, “Amaarae is a skilled performer and even better songwriter. I’m excited to see her perform at the next Coachella.”
With over 125,000 attendees, Coachella is widely regarded as the biggest music and arts festival in the world, showcasing performances from the biggest names across genres.
The 2025 headliners are Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone, and Travis Scott. Other performers include Missy Elliot, GloRilla, and Megan Thee Stallion, among others.
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