Spring is here, which means festival season in the US. One of the most well-known and popular annual music festivals is the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Coachella takes place over two weekends, from April 13th through April 22nd. As hundreds of talented artists gather to perform, one of the most iconic singers, Beyonce headlined this year’s festivities.
Beyonce, who was actually scheduled to headline at Coachella last year, cancelled due to her unexpected pregnancy. Now, after a healthy birth and some effective recovery time, Beyonce was able to perform this year and like Beyonce would, she blew the crowd away.
To many viewers surprise, Beyonce opened the performance with a Destiny’s Child reunion, as it has been a while since their last reunion. They performed their 90’s hits, “Say My Name”, “Soldier”, and “Lose My Breath”. Beyonce the performed her own solo songs, such as “Crazy in Love” and also performed “Drunk in Love” with her husband, Jay Z. A one and a half hour set of amazing guest performances, choreographies, and live vocals later, Beyonce was able to claim the title of the first black woman to headline the festival.
This led fans to rename Coachella “Beychella”, in honor of Beyonce’s achievements as a black woman in the music industry. Since Coachella’s inception, the headlining performers have been mostly males. Not only has her performance at the festival been deemed successful, but thousands of people around the U.S. watched her perform through livestreams, and #Beychella has been trending on Twitter and other social media platforms for over a week.
Jenny Park, a college student who went to the first week of Coachella speaks on her experience at the festival and her thoughts on the Beyonce performance. Park states, “It was amazing to see Beyonce perform at Coachella. I was really far from the stage since so many people were there, but I saw her perform with Destiny’s Child and she was so talented!”
As Beyonce set the bar high, it will be hard for next year’s headliner to top her two weekends at Coachella. More importantly, Beyonce’s impact on the music industry, especially as a black woman needs to be recognized as much as her ability to give people the ability to have fun and be inspired.
Erin Song, Grade 11
Academy of the Canyons
