Coachella 2019: Surprise Appearances from Weekend 1–Cardi B, Selena Gomez & More

Coachella Weekend 1: Surprise Appearances
DJ Snake performs at the Outdoor Theatre during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 12, 2019 in Indio, California. Getty

Coachella Weekend 1 officially kicked off Friday and the first day of the music festival couldn't conclude with some surprise guests.

Day 1

The Day 1 headliner was Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover), and while audiences didn't get any guest appearances during the "This Is America" rapper's set, festival-regular DJ Snake had plenty of surprises up his sleeve.

Performing his song "Te Bote," DJ Snake shocked audiences at the Outdoor Stage with reggaeton rapper Ozuna. However, if fans thought the surprises were over, they were insanely mistaken. The French producer concluded his set with his 2018 hit "Taki Taki" and blew audiences away with the appearances by Selena Gomez and last year's headliner Cardi B.

I sat through an hour of DJ Snake to see Cardi B, Ozuna and Selena Gomez sing “Taki Taki” — and it was better than I could’ve imagined 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ns7MhHHmf8

— Suzy Exposito (@HexPositive) April 13, 2019

Surprises also came earlier in the day during Jaden Smith's set at the Sahara tent. Following quite the social media frenzy in March due to a very public "cheating scandal," Jordyn Woods returned to the spotlight through a guest appearance during the 20-year-old's set.

Dressed in a green-mesh top and a white mask, Woods danced with Smith around a white Tesla as he performed his song "Icon."

The moment circulated all over social media and Woods even reposted a video of her strutting off the stage onto her own Instagram story with the caption: "had to run on stage, of course."

The Woods and Smith families have been connected for years, as her late father was a producer on Will Smith's hit show Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The former best friend of Kylie Jenner also made an appearance on Jada Pinkett Smith's Red Table Talk to clear the air of the cheating allegations between Tristan Thompson.

"It was a kiss on the lips, but no tongue kiss. No making out," she said at the time. "I don't think he's wrong either because I allowed myself to be in that position. When alcohol is involved, people make dumb moves."

Day 2

A highly anticipated performance, J Balvin did not disappoint with his vibrant tribute to Reggaeton music. Prior to his set, the Columbian singer took to Instagram and wrote: "Last year, I was with Beyoncé, today it's about Latinos and dreamers."

"It's about people like me, who are not afraid to follow their dreams and it's about all those people that are called different," he added. "We still need people to continue to call us crazy for being dreamers. Welcome to another chapter of my adventures."

During his set, Balvin brought Rosalia during their collaborative single "Con Altura," and Sean Paul during "Contra La Pared."​

Despite being 30 minutes late to her set, Billie Eilish brought insane energy as she opened up with "bad guy." The crowd sang along and didn't seem to mind her tardiness.

The When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? singer also brought out Vince Staples as a surprise guest, but it looked like his microphone was having technical difficulties. Fans still sang along to the "&burn" remix, as Eilish and the rising pop star smiled and laughed at each other.

Mic problems didn’t stop the #coachella crowd from going wild for @vincestaples with @billieeilish 🎤 pic.twitter.com/28SdLwuQyl

— billboard (@billboard) April 14, 2019

Day 3

While many were awaiting the Day 3 headliner, Coachella's main stage was jam-packed with surprise guests during Khalid's 8:35 p.m. PT set.

Coming into Weekend 1 with a top-rated album, Khalid definitely looked like he was having the time of his life. Bringing out Billie Eilish, Halsey, Benny Blanco, Normani and Marshmello, Khalid barely let audiences catch their breath.

The Free Spirit singer also performed his song "Angels" to honor later rappers Mac Miller and Nipsey Hussle during his performance Sunday.

Day 3 headliner, Ariana Grande packed the grounds surround Coachella's main stage leading up to her performance. While easily the most anticipated performance, Grande surprised guests with an ode to 90's music by reuniting boyband NSYNC (minus Justin Timberlake) and joining forces with P Diddy and Mase.

THE CHOREO. 💯@ArianaGrande x @NSYNC #coachella pic.twitter.com/bx0QSYPAwk

— billboard (@billboard) April 15, 2019

Grande also brought out Nicki Minaj to perform their collaborative single "Side to Side," but it looked like the rapper had technical difficulties with her microphone.

Coachella Weekend 1 is officially in the books, however, Weekend 2 passes are still up for grabs on the festival's official website.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Hannah Preston works remotely from the Los Angeles area. She studied Journalism & New Media at California Baptist University and interned ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go