The Weeknd Has Replaced Kanye West for Coachella 2022

On Wednesday, The Weeknd announced that he will replace Kanye West during Coachella Music and Arts Festival on Sunday, April 17th and 24th.

News of Kanye West bailing on Coachella has been confirmed. On Wednesday, The Weeknd announced on social media that he will be Ye's replacement for the music festival this month, performing back-to-back on Sunday, April 17th and 24th. Swedish House Mafia will also co-headline both days, with Billie Eilish and Harry Styles also being fellow headliners.

The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, released his fifth album Dawn FM in January, with features from Tyler, the Creator, Oneohtrix Point Never, Max Martin, Calvin Harris, Quincy Jones and guest narrator Jim Carrey. Following Coachella, the Canadian vocalist will embark on his The After Hours Til Dawn global stadium tour with guest Doja Cat.

On Sunday, Tesfaye won his fourth Grammy Award – ironically with Ye – for their 2021 collaboration "Hurricane" also featuring Lil Baby. While Tesfaye wasn't present during the Grammys 2022 ceremony, he last appeared on an episode of The Simpsons as kiddie influencer Orion Hughes.

Ye was originally set to headline both Sundays, also declaring that he would bring Travis Scott as a performance guest. The announcement of bringing Scott came partially as a shot towards Eilish, who Ye alleges made a dig towards Scott during a performance in Atlanta. During the show, Eilish stopped her set for a fan who had trouble breathing. In November 2021, Scott continued his set during Astroworld Festival at NRG Park, where ten attendees were killed during a crowd surge.

Waitlisting for Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival are available now.