Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar Turn down Coachella’s Offer to Headline
Both Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar have reportedly declined offers to headline Coachella in 2025.
The news first broke via Bloomberg, informing festival-goers that neither Rihanna nor Kendrick Lamar will take the headlining spot at Coachella Music Festival.
This development followed Bloomberg’s report that Coachella “had seen its slowest ticket sales in 10 years for the 2024 edition.” According to the report, Paul Tollett, CEO of Goldenvoice, has been trying to book A-list names for 2025 to prevent a repeat of lower sales figures but has yet to secure headliners.
Fans speculated that both Lamar and Rihanna might headline Coachella due to their prior performances at the NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show. Rihanna performed in 2023, delivering a record-breaking show that became the most-watched halftime performance and a memorable moment with her surprise pregnancy announcement. Lamar, meanwhile, performed in the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige. However, Lamar will be headlining the 2025 Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show.
Although Rihanna’s 2023 performance was iconic, she has not released or teased any new musical projects in recent years. Her last album, Anti, dropped in 2016, and since then, she has shifted her focus to her beauty and fashion empire, Fenty Beauty, as well as raising her family with rapper A$AP Rocky. Her success in the business world has even earned her self-made billionaire status. With almost nine years passing since her last album, fans are eagerly wondering when the mogul will return to music.
“& Rihanna used to make music“ pic.twitter.com/GZzswG1oEc— CurtiMagurtti (@__Curtdoggg) October 7, 2024
In contrast, the rapper has remained firmly rooted in the music industry. Lamar recently made history with an unprecedented twenty-first week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs Chart for his song Not Like Us. The track, widely seen as a diss aimed at Canadian rapper Drake, has garnered 17.1 million official U.S. streams in the past week alone. As the rap feud unfolds, Lamar is being hailed as the victor by many.
While we won’t see Rihanna or Kendrick Lamar headlining Coachella in 2025, rumors are still circulating. Some believe Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo could be the next major acts to take the stage.
