Indonesia’s Debut at Coachella 2022 By Allegra Arundaya Sam, Year 6, Sekolah Cikal

Subheadline: For the first time Indonesian artists perform at Coachella

News: Coachella is an annual music and arts festival, with famous artists performing. In 1999 Coachella was co-founded by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen. Today in 2022 history is being made, as Indonesian artists perform at Coachella for the first time.

Two popular Indonesian artists NIKI and Rich Brian, performed at Coachella 2022. They both had separate performances, NIKI had a solo debut, whilst Rich Brian’s performance was a part of a lineup for their label 88rising.

Both NIKI and Rich Brian mentioned Indonesia on stage. NIKI said “This song is specifically for my family and my country,” while playing an acoustic guitar. Rich Brian said “For those who don’t know who I am, I am Rich Brian from Jakarta, Indonesia. And for those of you who know me, we will have an extraordinary night,” as his opening.

Moreover, both of these artists are less known than the usual artists performing at Coachella. They both have recognition in Indonesia and some worldwide. NIKI has gained a larger audience after her song ‘Every Summertime’ which currently has over 145 million streams on Spotify. NIKI also gained more attention being the first Indonesian female artist performing at Coachella.

“Of course, this is very historic, I am very grateful and lucky to be in this position. It is extraordinary,”

- NIKI -

NIKI and Rich Brian’s social media accounts got positive reactions, after posting about Coachella. After the night, Indonesian news websites exploded after their performances. People seem to appreciate that Coachella is including more artists performing.

Eventually, after seeing NIKI and Rich Brian perform, the media went crazy. Indonesian were proud to see their country represented in a popular festival. Coachella is one of the biggest music festivals, so seeing them include Indonesian artists was history being made. It’s safe to say that we can expect more diverse artists to be in Coachella 2023. Like many others, I was really surprised about the topic. As an Indonesian myself, more events such as The Met Gala, should include more global artists.

“Of course, this is very historic, I am very grateful and lucky to be in this position. It is extraordinary,”

- NIKI -