The Best Surprise Performances at Coachella This Year

The first weekend of Coachella 2024 wrapped on Sunday, capping off a jam-packed few days filled with A-list performances and surprise guests. In addition to a stacked lineup that featured tons of acts we were counting down to see, some of pop music’s biggest stars made the festival even more memorable by popping in for unexpected appearances onstage: Shakira shocked the crowd and announced a gigantic world tour during Argentinean producer Bizarrap’s set; Olivia Rodrigo pulled up to belt out “Bathwater” with Gwen Stefani during No Doubt’s spectacular reunion; and 21 Savage, Teezo Touchdown, and A$AP Rocky all came out when Doja Cat shut things down on the last night of Weekend One.

There’s still another whole weekend coming up, but here are some of the best surprise moments that have made Coachella 2024 particularly unforgettable so far.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish once credited Lana Del Rey as someone who “changed music for girls” and was able to join the headliner on Friday night. The pair sang each other’s breakthrough hits together: Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes” and Del Rey’s “Video Games.” Eilish also made an appearance at the DoLab stage, where she launched into a DJ set for fans and played a snippet of her upcoming album.

Shakira

Shakira joined Bizarrap, the Argentine DJ and hitmaker instrumental in her massive comeback, for her first-ever Coachella appearance at the Sahara Tent. She also broke some big news onstage: She’s embarking on a world tour to promote Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran starting in November.

A$AP Rocky

Though he wasn’t on this year’s line-up, A$AP Rocky showed up for two of this year’s three headliners. On Saturday, he performed “Potato Salad” with Tyler, the Creator. Then on Sunday, he and Doja Cat debuted “URRRGE!!!!!!!!!!”

Justin Bieber

During Tems’ set at the Mojave tent on Sunday, she invited Wizkid and Jusin Bieber to join her and perform their megahit “Essence” together. Bieber had been part of the remix, which was named Rolling Stone’s Best Song of 2021.

Olivia Rodrigo

Noted No Doubt stan Olivia Rodrigo joined the band to sing “Bathwater,” off the group’s 2000 album Return of Saturn. The 21-year-old sported an outfit reminiscent of singer Gwen Stefani’s early 2000s fashion.

Becky G

Becky G popped into Peso Pluma’s explosive set on Friday to sing their 2023 ballad, “Chanel.” It was a full circle moment for the two artists: Last year, Becky G had invited him to her Coachella performance just as he was getting buzz for his song with Natanael Cano, “PRC.”

Sky Ferreira

Before Kevin Abstract took the stage, Sky Ferreira opened his set. She sang a solo cover of Lady Antebellum’s hit “Need You Now.”

Nelly Furtado

The star joined Dom Dolla to sing their collaboration “Eat Your Man.” She also performed a bit of her megahit “Maneater.”

Paris Hilton

One of the more unusual guests this weekend was Paris Hilton, who showed up to play cornhole with Vampire Weekend during their Saturday set. After she completed a game, an Abraham Lincoln impersonator took over.

Will Smith

Will Smith — in character as his iconic Men in Black character, Agent J — made a surprise cameo during J Balvin’s set in a performance of the actor’s 1997 “Men in Black” theme. Smith ended the cosmic boogie by flashing his neuralyzer, a.k.a. the memory-wiping secret gadget seen in the film franchise.

Junior H

Peso Pluma invited his longtime friend and collaborator Mexican singer-songwriter Junior H onstage. The two of them joined forces to perform the massive hit “El Azul,” their collaboration from last year.

Torres Martinez Cahuilla Bird Singers

Blur honored the indigenous tribes of the Coachella region by inviting the Torres Martinez Cahuilla Bird Singers during their set. Alongside the Britpop legends, the Bird Singers performed a traditional piece titled “Bird Song” and then provided backing vocals on “Death of a Party” and “Tender.”

Wizkid

Tems has already started working her way through the opening verse of “Essence” during her set when Wizkid hit the stage, putting a grin on the singer’s face. The pair traded lyrics back and forth before Bieber emerged from the shadows to rumbling applause. 

Willow

Jon Batiste invited Willow on stage to debut a new song titled “Be Who You Are.” Willow belted out with her guitar while Batiste played drums for her.

Jowell & Randy and De La Ghetto

Reggaeton icons Jowell & Randy  brought their cheeky antics to J Balvin’s performance with 2023 EDM-reggaeton track  “Colmillo.” Even more reggaeton royalty joined them onstage: Puerto Rican veteran De La Ghetto joined the intergalactic celebration and added some of his classics to the set.

Nile Rodgers

K-Pop group Le Sserafim performed their 2023 track “Unforgiven,” and made sure to spotlight guitar master Nile Rodgers (whose signature Strat is featured on the song) as they graced the stage.

Juvenile

 Jon Batiste played a packed set on Saturday, but he had a few special surprises up his sleeves: The crowd roared when he welcomed hip-hop legend Juvenile for “Back That Azz Up.”

Arcángel

The Puerto Rican reggaeton and trap star Arcángel hopped out with Peso Pluma to perform the self-referential single, titled “Peso Completo,” or “Heavyweight.” The song will appear on Peso’ upcoming album, Éxodo.

Kesha

After the cast of The L Word introduce Renée Rapp, the singer also brought up Kesha . Together, they performed Kesha’s breakthrough hit “Tik Tok.” Instead of singing “Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy,” the pair screamed “Fuck P. Diddy” to cheers from the audience.

21 Savage

Rapper and January Rolling Stone cover star 21 Savage, joined Doja Cat to perform their 2024 track, “H. N. I. E.” off his latest LP American Dream. Bashfully wielding a bouquet of baby’s breath, Teezo Touchdown also joined Doja for a live debut of their new song “Masc.”

From Rolling Stone US.