Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and Ye will headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California in April.
Among the dozens of acts in the line-up are Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat and Swedish House Mafia. Eilish’s brother FINNEAS is also set to perform.
Canada will be represented at Coachella by homegrown artists like Daniel Caesar, Carly Rae Jepsen, Ali Gatie, Caribou, Jessie Reyez, Orville Peck, PUP and Belly.
Coachella is scheduled for the April 15 to 17 and April 22 to 24 weekends. It returns to the desert after sitting out 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.
Some fans have expressed their disappointment that Styles, an outspoken LGBT ally, is headlining a festival owned by AEG, whose owner Philip Anchutz has donated to a number of anti-LGBTQ political organizations.
“the owner of coachella is right wing, capitalist, anti-lgbt, anti-climate change, and actively donates money to anti-LGBT organizations,” read one tweet. “how are these compatible @Harry_Styles?”
One fan shared: “Finding out Harry Styles is preforming (sic) at Coachella has made me lose respect for him. Preforming (sic) at a festival where the founder donates to anti LGBT+ organizations is homophobic. I was a fan of him for years and now it shows what his intentions are.”
whym I seeing people like Harry styles & phoebe bridgers headlining Coachella doesn’t it support anti lgbt “charities?”
— emma (@Ieavethecityy) January 13, 2022
@Harry_Styles if you want to support anti LGBT+ event then go ahead but just know you lost a fan.
— Lay²⁸ ×͜× Zayns Day ❤️ Sarah (@louissunharry) January 13, 2022
After what 12 years of supporting you, I am really disappointed in you. I thought you knew better but I guess not.
Another tweeted: “I really love harry styles, i do. i just dont understand why he is going to preform (sic) at a festival that is anti-LGBT. he is a big supporter of the community so it is confusing.”
One fan fumed: “Harry Styles headlining a festival run by a homophobic old man. I am sick to my stomach. It’s really sad that he just uses LGBT aesthetics for sales.”
At least one person suggested Styles’ presence at Coachella exposes a double standard.
“Same people who pretended to care about dababy's ‘homophobia’ are going to be front row at Coachella as if the founder isn't homophobic,” read a tweet. “yeah, the performative activism is nauseating.”
Styles has not responded to the backlash. After being criticized for performing at the 2019 edition of Coachella, Lizzo pointed out that "bigoted millionaires that donate to bigoted organizations" are everywhere so she chooses to "disrupt those spaces and spread my message to thousands of ppl."