The afternoon rap sets, late-night bookings and reunions that make Korean music’s Coachella history worth revisiting.
The first South Korean act to play Coachella made their own costumes, videos and album artwork. EE arrived from Seoul in 2011, bringing an approach that PLATOON’s profile describes as equal parts music and visual art. The history begins with a duo who treated the stage as an extension of their studio.
Fifteen years later, BIGBANG finally reached the festival after a cancelled 2020 booking. In between came EPIK HIGH, Peggy Gou, a surprise 2NE1 reunion, BLACKPINK’s headline sets and DPR LIVE and DPR IAN sharing the Gobi. Some arrived with years of hits. Others were still introducing themselves. A few never appeared on the poster at all.
This guide to Korean artists at Coachella revisits 2011–2026 through festival records, contemporary coverage and the HiphopKR archive. The main timeline follows South Korean acts and selected Korean diaspora performers. Related K-pop appearances, including Thai soloist LISA and multinational group KATSEYE, are identified in context. Standalone bookings, showcase appearances and surprise guests are distinguished throughout.
Korean artists at Coachella: the timeline at a glance
These are the central appearances discussed below. The Korean American section adds further examples; this is a reported history, rather than a complete count of everyone with Korean ancestry who has appeared at the festival.
| Year | Artists | Showcases |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | EE | — |
| 2016 | EPIK HIGH; TOKiMONSTA | Keith Ape joined TOKiMONSTA during Weekend 2. |
| 2018 | Peggy Gou; Yaeji | — |
| 2019 | BLACKPINK; HYUKOH; JAMBINAI | — |
| 2022 | EPIK HIGH; Peggy Gou | 88rising featured BIBI, Yoon Mirae, CL and 2NE1 during Weekend 1; aespa appeared during Weekend 2. |
| 2023 | BLACKPINK; DPR LIVE + DPR IAN; LØREN; Yaeji | LØREN’s booking was for Weekend 1. |
| 2024 | ATEEZ; LE SSERAFIM; The Rose; Peggy Gou | Tiger JK, Yoon Mirae and BIBI appeared in 88rising Futures during Weekend 1. |
| 2025 | JENNIE; ENHYPEN; LISA, a Thai soloist and BLACKPINK member | JENNIE and LISA had separate solo sets. |
| 2026 | BIGBANG; TAEMIN; YOUNA; multinational group KATSEYE | EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI joined KATSEYE for “Golden” during Weekend 1. |
The year-by-year accounts below explain the bookings and link to the supporting reporting. Coachella also maintains its official archive of past festival lineups.
2011: EE, the first South Korean act at Coachella
EE called themselves a “Total Art” project. The married duo, Lee Yoon-jung and Lee Hyun-jun, worked across music and visual art, with the presentation of the act receiving as much attention as the songs. Their Coachella appearance drew on a Seoul underground quite different from the idol industry that would later attract so much festival coverage. PLATOON documented both their working methods and their 2011 booking.
Electronic music and experimental performance were there at the beginning of South Korea’s presence on the bill. EE’s appearance is easy to miss when the conversation jumps straight to the headliners. It deserves to be the opening chapter.
2016: EPIK HIGH’s early start—and Keith Ape’s guest spot
EPIK HIGH’s first Coachella booking came with a 1:30 p.m. Sunday slot. In an interview after their second weekend, the trio joked that they usually were not even awake at that hour. Tablo told the Dong-A Ilbo that their first-weekend audience had grown from fewer than 20 people at the beginning to thousands by the end.
The repertoire included “Up,” “Born Hater,” “Fan” and “One.” Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz had songs built for audience participation, even when some of that audience was encountering them for the first time. The early slot makes their debut a more revealing story than the milestone alone: they had a booking, and then they had a crowd to win over.
Keith Ape appeared that year, too. He joined TOKiMONSTA’s Weekend 2 set, as confirmed by his own announcement and a festival photograph dated April 24, 2016.
That was a little over a year after “It G Ma.” HiphopKR covered the original video in January 2015, when Keith Ape, JayAllDay, Loota, Okasian and Kohh appeared together on the track. His Coachella guest spot belongs in the same timeline as EPIK HIGH’s booking, even though it cannot be recovered simply by reading the poster.
2018: Peggy Gou and Yaeji bring the club into the story
Peggy Gou and Yaeji both appeared on the 2018 Coachella lineup. It was a particularly good year to encounter either artist: Gou released “It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)” in 2018, while Korean American producer and vocalist Yaeji had released “raingurl” on EP2 the previous November.
Gou’s singing and Yaeji’s movement between Korean and English carried those records into clubs far beyond Seoul. By the time they reached Indio, both had tracks that could introduce them before a listener knew their names.
Both became returning performers. Gou appeared again in 2022 and 2024; Yaeji returned in 2023, as recorded in Coachella’s lineup archive.
2019: BLACKPINK, HYUKOH and JAMBINAI on the same bill
BLACKPINK became the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella in 2019, four years before their return as headliners. HYUKOH and JAMBINAI also appeared on the 2019 bill.
HYUKOH brought indie rock, while JAMBINAI worked traditional Korean instruments into post-rock. The two bands deserve time in any account of that weekend. Put them next to BLACKPINK on a listening list and the differences become the point: different instrumentation, different pacing, different ideas about what a live set can do.
For readers who first encountered Korean music through BLACKPINK, HYUKOH and JAMBINAI are especially worthwhile next stops.
2020: A BIGBANG booking that never became a performance
BIGBANG were announced for Coachella in 2020, but the festival was cancelled. Their actual debut came six years later.
2022: 88rising, 2NE1’s reunion and a connection from the HiphopKR archive
Coachella’s 2022 return gave 88rising’s Head in the Clouds Forever showcase a major role in this story. EPIK HIGH and Peggy Gou had their own bookings, while the showcase assembled a changing cast across the two weekends. Bandwagon’s Weekend 1 report documents BIBI, Yoon Mirae, CL and the surprise 2NE1 reunion.
CL brings out 2NE1
Near the end of CL’s performance, Bom, Dara and Minzy joined her for “I Am the Best.” It was 2NE1’s first performance together since 2015, before their 2016 disbandment. Pitchfork’s reunion report records the appearance during Weekend 1.
A song from 2011 became the vehicle for a reunion in 2022. The title did much of the talking. CL’s own backstage film offers another way into the moment, following the preparations behind an appearance that reached the audience as a surprise.
Watch: CL + Coachella 2NE1 — Chapter 1, a backstage documentary published by CL Official Channel.
BIBI, Yoon Mirae and aespa
BIBI brought Yoon Mirae out for “The Weekend” during Weekend 1. Their connection went back years. In HiphopKR’s interview with BIBI, she recalled meeting Yoon Mirae and Tiger JK through SoundCloud when she was 18. Seeing them share a Coachella stage puts that earlier conversation in a different light: an artist HiphopKR had interviewed near the beginning of her career was now performing alongside one of the people who helped her get there.
aespa appeared in the following weekend’s showcase, performing four songs including the then-new English track “Life’s Too Short.” Glamour’s interview with the group documents their April 23 debut.
For EPIK HIGH’s perspective on their return, watch Coachella’s official 2022 interview with the trio.
2023: BLACKPINK headline, DPR take the Gobi
BLACKPINK’s second Coachella appearance
Four years after their debut, BLACKPINK returned as Coachella’s first K-pop headliner. Their Saturday set also made room for the members’ individual material: Jisoo performed “Flower,” Jennie “You & Me,” Rosé “Gone” and “On the Ground,” and Lisa “Money.” Rolling Stone’s performance report details those solo turns within the group’s headline production.
Watch: BLACKPINK — “Typa Girl,” live at Coachella 2023, published on BLACKPINK’s official channel.
DPR LIVE, DPR IAN and LØREN
On Sunday, DPR LIVE and DPR IAN shared a late-night Gobi set. HiphopKR’s Weekend 2 report preserves the setlist: LIVE opened with “Legacy,” moved through tracks including “Neon” and “Martini Blue,” and joined IAN for “No Blueberries” and “Boom.” IAN’s section included “So Beautiful,” “Mood” and “Nerves,” before closing with “Ballroom Extravaganza.”
The shared billing gave each artist room for his own catalogue, with their collaborations holding the set together. The late-night slot suited a show that moved from LIVE’s rap and R&B into IAN’s darker pop material.
LØREN also performed during Weekend 1. FLOOD’s backstage photo feature documents his appearance. Yaeji returned to the festival that year as well, adding another electronic booking to a year widely remembered for BLACKPINK’s headline slot.
2024: ATEEZ, LE SSERAFIM, The Rose—and the hip-hop veterans
ATEEZ, LE SSERAFIM and The Rose all made their Coachella debuts in 2024. Peggy Gou returned. ATEEZ became the first K-pop boy group to play the festival, while LE SSERAFIM brought Nile Rodgers out for “UNFORGIVEN” during Weekend 1. The Rose performed at the Outdoor Theatre. K-Pop Concerts’ festival report covers those appearances.
The same report documents Tiger JK, Yoon Mirae and BIBI in the Weekend 1-only 88rising Futures showcase at the Mojave. Tiger JK and Yoon Mirae performed “MONSTER” and “VOoDOo BOogie”; BIBI previewed “Feeling Lucky” with Jackson Wang. The veterans and newer acts shared the festival without needing to share a genre or a career stage.
Watch: ATEEZ’s official Coachella short. For the longer backstage account, the group also released ATEEZ in COACHELLA #1 | “Say My Name”.
2025: JENNIE and LISA return solo; ENHYPEN make their debut
JENNIE and LISA returned with separate solo bookings in 2025, two years after headlining with BLACKPINK. LISA played Friday, ENHYPEN made their debut on Saturday, and JENNIE performed Sunday. Reuters covered both BLACKPINK members’ solo appearances.
LISA is Thai; she is included here as a BLACKPINK member and a solo artist within the wider K-pop story. Japanese group XG also performed in 2025.
ENHYPEN performed with seven members. GQ’s festival coverage records that lineup and the group’s custom Prada stagewear. The group’s official Coachella backstage episode is a companion to the performance rather than a full-set recording.
Watch: LISA — “Lifestyle,” live at Coachella 2025, published by LLOUD Official.
2026: BIGBANG finally arrive, alongside TAEMIN and YOUNA
BIGBANG’s delayed debut
G-DRAGON, TAEYANG and DAESUNG made BIGBANG’s Coachella debut in the group’s 20th-anniversary year. Their Outdoor Theatre set included “Bang Bang Bang,” “Fantastic Baby,” “Haru Haru” and “Lies,” and closed with “Still Life.”
“It took us a long time to get here,” G-DRAGON told the crowd, according to The Korea Herald’s performance report. After the abandoned 2020 booking, the remark needed little elaboration.
Watch: Coachella’s official BIGBANG performance excerpt, titled “Welcome back @BIGBANG.”
Official photos: Coachella’s BIGBANG gallery from April 20, 2026.
View BIGBANG at Coachella 2026 on Coachella’s official Instagram
TAEMIN and YOUNA
TAEMIN debuted as the first male K-pop soloist to perform at Coachella. The distinction is specific to K-pop soloists: Korean rappers and other male musicians had appeared years earlier.
Korean-born, Dubai-based DJ YOUNA also made her debut, playing the Sahara. In her Korea Times interview, she traced her interest in DJing to hearing house and techno after moving to Dubai. Her route to the festival belongs beside the idol and band histories covered here.
Watch: Coachella’s official TAEMIN excerpt, titled “It boy @taemin_xoalsox.”
Official photos: YOUNA at Coachella, published by the festival.
View YOUNA at Coachella 2026 on Coachella’s official Instagram
KATSEYE’s guests: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI
During Weekend 1, multinational group KATSEYE brought out EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI for “Golden.” They are the real singers behind the fictional HUNTR/X in KPop Demon Hunters. Entertainment Weekly reported the guest appearance.
The guest billing matters here: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI performed inside KATSEYE’s set. HUNTR/X did not have a separate festival booking.
Watch: Coachella’s official “Golden” reel with KATSEYE and their guests. The festival credits Alden Bonecutter on the post.
The Korean American artists in the wider history
A Korean diaspora history reaches further back than EE’s 2011 booking. Karen O was already performing with Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Coachella in 2009, as documented in i-D’s retrospective. EE’s milestone is specifically about a South Korean act; it should not erase musicians with Korean heritage who were working elsewhere.
There are further stories worth following across the festival’s stages:
- Nosaj Thing: LA Weekly covered his 2011 appearance, placing another Korean American electronic artist in that year’s history.
- TOKiMONSTA: Her 2016 set hosted Keith Ape, connecting a Korean American producer’s festival booking to a Korean rapper’s guest appearance.
- Anderson .Paak: In 2016, Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar joined his set. His Korean family background adds another connection to this wider history.
- SOHMI: She played the Yuma in 2022. In her interview with METAL, she recalled previously attending the festival and spending much of her time in that same tent as a fan.
- Dumbfoundead: His participation in 88rising’s 2022 showcase is noted in Asia Pacific Arts’ retrospective coverage.
- Japanese Breakfast: Michelle Zauner’s band covered Gorillaz’s “On Melancholy Hill” at Coachella in 2025, another reason to follow this story beyond K-pop and hip-hop.
These are selected examples, not an exhaustive account of every diaspora artist’s festival appearances. Together, they show why a useful history has to follow individual careers as well as the Korean industry’s international bookings.
Questions about Korean artists at Coachella
Who was the first South Korean act to perform at Coachella?
Experimental duo EE performed in 2011. EPIK HIGH followed in 2016. The distinction concerns South Korean acts, rather than every performer with Korean ancestry. The Dong-A Ilbo records both appearances.
Which years did BLACKPINK perform at Coachella?
BLACKPINK performed as a group in 2019 and 2023, headlining on their return. JENNIE and LISA had separate solo bookings in 2025, as discussed above.
Did BIGBANG perform at Coachella in 2020?
No. They were booked, but the festival was cancelled. BIGBANG made their actual debut in 2026 with G-DRAGON, TAEYANG and DAESUNG. The Korea Herald documents the delayed debut.
Did 2NE1 have a separately billed Coachella set?
Their 2022 reunion happened during CL’s performance within 88rising’s Head in the Clouds Forever showcase. All four members performed “I Am the Best” during Weekend 1. Teen Vogue reported the surprise reunion.
You get one replay
Which performance would you go back for? Tell us the artist, the year and the song you would wait all day to hear. If you were there, we would especially like to hear your version of the set.
Research checked September 7, 2026. The linked videos and photo posts are published by Coachella, the artists or their official teams. Backstage films and interviews are labelled separately from performance excerpts.
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