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The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is known for elevating some of the best up-and-coming Latin acts in the industry — and this year will be no different.
Despite the downsize from last year’s historic 21 Latino performers, the diverse lineup, from música Mexicana stars to experimental pop singers, will pack a punch at the Empire Polo Club in Indio for the next two consecutive weekends. Most of the billed acts will be making their Coachella debut.
Here are some Latin artists we’re most excited to see at this year’s Coachella.
Rawayana
Coachella better crank up the festival cornetas for Venezuela’s Rawayana. The Grammy-winning tropical pop band gained international popularity following the release of its 2023 studio album, “¿Quién Trae las Cornetas?” — or “Who Brought the Speakers?” — as well as an electrifying 2023 “Tiny Desk” performance, which has garnered more than 8 million views to date. “We had to leave our country and start from zero, and I think it’s wild that now we are recognized by the Recording Academy,” said vocalist Alberto Montenegro earlier this year, just before his band won the Grammy for Latin rock or alternative album.
Rawayana will perform on Saturday, April 12 and April 19, at 11 p.m. on the Gobi stage.
The Marías
The L.A.-based indie-pop quartet, led by Puerto Rican singer María Zardoya, will return to the desert stage for a third time, following appearances in 2018 and 2022. This year they’re touring their sophomore album “Submarine,” a heart-wrenching ode to the breakup of founding members Zardoya and drummer-producer Josh Conway. As Zardoya told The Times in 2024, these are “crying in the club” songs.
While heartbreak would naturally set any band off-course, the emotional fallout has only propelled the Marías — which includes guitarist Jesse Perlman and keyboardist Edward James — to greater success. The album peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200, a new record for the band since its formation in 2016. “It was such a beautiful moment because we overcame so much together and it feels like a family now,” said Zardoya. “We’re stronger than ever.”
The Marías will perform on Friday, April 11 and April 18, at 8:20 p.m. at the Outdoor theater.
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso
Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso are bound to amp up the Coachella crowd with their captivating kooky energy and … pumped-up pecs?
Following the viral success of their “Tiny Desk” appearance, Catriel “Ca7riel” Guerreiro and Ulises “Paco Amoroso” Guerriero released a nine-track EP, “Papota,” titled after the Argentine term for anabolic steroids. Their Coachella debut comes at an exciting time for the longtime friends, who most recently performed a riotous set on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” “We’re going to use all our artillery,” Ca7riel told De Los of their Coachella performance. “All the magic tricks are going to be there, just like the crowd likes it, so it should not be missed!”
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso will perform on Friday, April 11 and April 18, at 9:30 p.m. on the Gobi stage.
Judeline
Soon to enchant the audience with her honeyed vocals is Judeline, the Spanish Venezuelan singer known for her heavenly electronic pop lullabies. She’s gotten praise from fellow Spanish star Rosalia, who boosted Judeline’s 2024 debut album, “Bodhiria,” on her socials, as well as J Balvin, who invited her to open his Que Bueno Volver a Verte tour in Europe. “If you need a little of Andalusia at Coachella, come to my set and unwind for a bit,” she recently told Teen Vogue. “It’s going to be fun.”
Judeline will make her U.S. debut at Coachella on Saturday, April 12 and April 19, at 3:50 p.m. on the Sonora stage.
El Malilla
With reggaeton Mexa on the rise, it’s only fair for the genre’s leading artist, El Malilla, to introduce the movement on the global Coachella stage. While drawing inspiration from Puerto Rican singers like Arcangel and eventual collaborators Jowell & Randy, the Mexico City bad boy also incorporated familiar elements of his own upbringing into the music, he told Rolling Stone.
“[Our sound] is different from Puerto Rico and Colombia because we use our own slang,” said El Malilla. “Using our ñerismo [cadence] and codes of our barrios.”
El Malilla will perform on Saturday, April 12 and April 19, at 9:50 p.m. at the Sonora stage.
Arca
The experimental Venezuelan music-maker Arca has previously worked as a producer and collaborator with such musical powerhouses as Kanye West, Björk, FKA twigs, Rosalia and Frank Ocean. This spring, Arca is taking her frenetic music to Coachella for the first time, nearly four years after the release of her most recent album, “Kick IIIII” — although she has recently cooked up remixes for Addison Rae and influential Japanese artist Hikaru Utada.
In a concert review from 2015, The Times’ August Brown noted Arca’s undeniably entrancing stage presence and energy. “Arca worked to push the boundaries of what art and life can feel like. ... When she climbed offstage and half-rapped, half-shouted over a bone-snapping kick drum, the crowd took her in as one of their own.”
Arca will perform on Sunday, April 13 and April 20, at 8:35 p.m. on the Gobi stage.
Junior H
A rising star from the corridos tumbados movement, Junior H is taking the main stage at Coachella this year, just one year after he appeared as a special guest during Peso Pluma’s 2024 set. The Mexican singer has collaborated with many of the heavyweights of the corridos tumbados, Latin trap and reggaeton world, including collaborations with Rauw Alejandro, Natanael Cano, El Alfa, Grupo Frontera and Peso Pluma.
Junior H’s meteoric rise was made evident through 2024’s streaming data. He finished the year at No. 5 on Spotify’s Top 10 Global Latin Artists list, behind only Peso Pluma for the title of most-streamed música Mexicana artist.
Junior H will perform on Sunday, April 13 and April 20, at 7 p.m. on the Coachella main stage.
Alok
According to DJ Mag, the Brazilian bass artist has been ranked as a Top 5 DJ worldwide consistently since 2020. Well-regarded in his home country, Alok had a breakthrough hit in the U.S. with his 2016 track “Hear Me Now,” which reached No. 20 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. He has worked with acts across the musical world, including Steve Aoki, Tove Lo, Seu Jorge, Kylie Minogue and Luis Fonsi.
Alok will perform on Saturday, April 12 and April 19, at 4:10 p.m. on the Sahara stage.
Ivan Cornejo
A native of Riverside, Ivan Cornejo got his first taste of fame after his song “Esta Dañada” went viral on TikTok in 2021. Whereas other música Mexicana acts have built massive audiences by singing about their more bellicose escapades, Cornejo has made a name for himself by focusing on matters of the heart.
“I feel like us Mexicans have always been romantic,” Cornejo told The Times in 2024. “I think the most romantic songs are in Spanish.”
Cornejo will perform on Saturday, April 12 and April 19, at 7:15 p.m. on the Mojave stage.
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