With the unexpected announcement of Ye’s withdrawal from Coachella’s 2022 lineup, attendees of the festival were left wondering who will replace one of the biggest artists of our generation.
After festival organizers vetted a slew different acts this week, The Weeknd stood out as an obvious choice — especially considering his affiliation with special guests Swedish House Mafia. Off the back of his beloved 2022 sonic experience Dawn FM and release of the “Out Of Time” visual, this seems to be the perfect time for Abel to bring his masterpiece to one of music’s most renowned stages.
According to a report by TMZ, organizers put together a list of possible substitutes the day after Ye annnounced his departure from fest (April 5). With a short window of time to set up the show before the first weekend (April 15-17), other potential acts included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justin Bieber and Silk Sonic — who reportedly backed out due to the last-minute nature of the organization.
Additionally, Abel himself confirmed the rumors with an Instagram post of the lineup, now edited to showcase his involvement — a joint set with Swedish House Mafia. Both acts contributed to each other’s discography last year with SHM remixing Abel’s smash-hit “Sacrifice” — also adding their collaboration “Moth To A Flame” to the “Alternate World” of Dawn FM.
The good news came with conditions as Page Six reports that The Weeknd will only perform if Coachella organizers match the $8.5 million that was originally promised to Kanye West. Fortunately, the matter was quickly resolved.
This isn’t the first event with a failed appearance from Ye recently, with his presence lost at this year’s Grammy Awards. Donda collaborator Sean Leon implied that his reasoning for the Coachella cancellation is a that he has other plans as far as performances, leaving fans with more questions than answers.
Check out more of The Weeknd below!
