This weekend history will be made, or more accurately “herstory”, with Ariana Grande taking the crown and headlining the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. At just 25 years old, she will become the youngest headliner of all time and only the fourth female headliner in the festival’s history – following in the footsteps of Björk, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé.
This year she will headline alongside Tame Impala and Childish Gambino for Coachella’s 20th year in Indio, California. The two-weekend festival will run from April 12-14 and April 19-21, with Ariana performing on the 14th and 21st (15th and 22nd in New Zealand time).
Ariana first graced the Coachella stage last year when she surprised the crowd during Kygo’s set on the same day that she released “no tears left to cry”, her debut track from Sweetener. She performed the track for the first time in lavender attire, her signature ponytail dyed to match, and festival-goers and fans online dubbed the surprise appearance as #Arichella.
Since this iconic performance Ariana has released two albums, broken numerous records and is currently 10 stops into her Sweetener/thank u, next World Tour. Not only has this tour been selling out, the setlist is killer and we have it right here! With 29 tracks, plus interludes (including a Frank Ocean cover & “in my head”), she has hand-picked some of the best tunes from each album in her discography.
Just recently, Ariana claimed the top three spots on the Billboard Hot 100 which made her the first ever solo artist to do so. With “7 rings” at number one, “break up with your girlfriend, I’m bored” at number two and “thank u, next” at number three, it is likely she will perform these bops for everyone to sing along to in the desert. Although some fan favourite tracks did not make it to the tour, this is still the setlist of Arianator’s dreams and we can expect nothing less for her Coachella set.
After already surprising fans with 2Chainz and her bestie Victoria Monet while on tour this year, we can’t help but wonder if she will have any surprise guests pop up at Coachella. She could easily bring fellow Coachella 2019 performers Childish Gambino or electric house DJ Zedd on stage, having collaborated with them in the past. And we can imagine the crowd would definitely get hyped by surprise appearances from the likes of her past collaborators Pharrell, Nicki Minaj, the Weeknd or even ex-boyfriend Big Sean. (They were spotted together recently, could they have been discussing a surprise performance for us?!)
Ariana recently revealed that Versace custom-made her tour outfits so there is no doubt that she will be dripping in stunning looks, on stage and off.
As per Ari fashion we are expecting to see her winning trademark crop top, skirt and knee-high boots combo make an appearance + that magnificent high ponytail!
Alongside fire outfits, the Sweetener/thank u, next tour has insane visuals and one extremely unforgettable stage setup.
Ariana sings “NASA” every night on tour and, with the help from a gigantic moon-like sphere, fans are transported into space. While it may be difficult to bring a moon to the middle of a desert festival, if anyone can do it in 2019, it’s Ariana Grande.
By the looks of her tour we can very safely envision that #Arichella 2019 is going to be a smash and as Shangela said, “one small step for woman, one giant leap for woman-kind.”
Ariana Grande Fan HQ are throwing a private Ariana Grande Coachella Viewing Party, but if you missed out on a double pass you can catch the livestream of her performance on YouTube, Monday April 15th at 5:30pm NZ time. They will also be live tweeting her set, so make sure to follow their account for updates and to join in on the party!
