Rapper Kanye West will be replaced at Coachella on Sunday night by Swedish House Mafia and the Weeknd for the two-weekend event.
Coachella 2022 will take place on the weekends of April 15-17 and April 22-24, and they will play in the festival's closing Sunday night slot, joining Harry Styles (Friday) and Billie Eilish (Saturday) as headliners. West had been confirmed as the headlining act in January, but he withdrew on Monday.
According to a report by Variety, president/CEO of Coachella promoter Goldenvoice, Paul Tollett said, “I’m so looking forward to this moment with Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd finishing out the Sunday night slot this year.”
“Coachella has a special relationship with Abel and I’m so thankful to have this upcoming performance with these iconic artists all on the same stage,” he added.
The Weeknd headlined the event in 2018 after performing there for the first time in 2012.
Many news websites speculated that the Weeknd might fill the spot himself, but that was never a realistic possibility: he's been engrossed in the HBO series "The Idol" for the past six months — which he co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in — and his own stadium tour doesn't begin until July.
After West's cancellation, Justin Bieber, Travis Scott, Silk Sonic (featuring Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak), and Tyler, the Creator have all been thrown into the week's feverish prediction mix. The move means that the top three Sunday night performers — SHM, the Weeknd and Doja Cat — are all managed by SalXCo.
