If you can’t stand the heat then get out of the desert — and this post, because we’re turning it up to a billion degrees… which, I’m pretty sure, was the exact forecast of Indio Valley last weekend as PAPER sprinted around the Coachella polo fields to talk to your favorite stars (you’re welcome!).
From your favorite kid-friendly characters (we love you Yo Gabba Gabba), to PAPER fav Rhea Raj (can we please borrow your furry pink jacket, please Rhea, please!) to country starlet and dance-hit maker Maren Morris (happy to meet you in the middle… and next to the star trailers) here are some of our favorite chats from the desert. Grab your artist band hun, we’re going backstage!
Yo Gabba Gabba’s Kamryn Smith
What are you most excited to see?
What I’m most excited to see is definitely all our fans. And I’m most excited to see Lady Gaga, and I think all the Gabba friends are, too.
What’s your festival survival tip?
To survive a music festival, I definitely think you need to drink a lot of water. I’m not very good at that, so when I can do it, I get the most in. And I feel like that always helps, so you’re not dehydrated.
We heard you had special guest, can you share some hints about your performance?
We definitely have some special guests. And we have a lot of fun songs that I think you guys should know. We have some new and old songs.
What are you most excited about at Coachella this weekend?
I’m most excited to be at Coachella this weekend to see everybody, of course! And this is my first Coachella so I think just being here, honestly.
Rhea Raj
We recently shared your video “HAUTE COUTURE“; tell us what the fan reaction has been like?
Yes! “HAUTE COUTURE” just came out, and the music video is out now. It is my collaboration with It-Girl Aliyah’s Interlude and it’s our nod to our love for fashion and unapologetically expressing yourself.
Your sister Lara Raj is in KATSEYE — what it like growing up in a pop star family?
My house is 24/7 music and dancing. My mom taught classic Indian dance and my sister Lara Raj and I are both pop stars. So literally somebody’s always practicing dancing in the living room, someone’s in the studio producing. It’s so much fun all the time.
What’s your favorite thing about Coachella?
My favorite thing about Coachella is obviously seeing artists I grew up listening to bring their vibe and their performance into the desert. I think it’s really interesting to see how performances are different on tour vs. at a festival like this. And also the fits, of course.
What are you most excited to share with your fans next?
I’m really excited about my upcoming project that I’m finishing right now so be on the lookout. “HAUTE COUTURE” was the first song from it, so stay tuned.
Wisp
You released Pandora last year. What’s been some of your favorite moments since then?
Going on tour. My first headline tour. And I had so much fun just being with my band and getting to experience playing shows every night.
Your track “Your Face” was dubbed “low-key song of the summer.” What would your low-key summer song be?
I think my low-key summer song this year would have to be… probably my unreleased music. And not in an egotistical way, but just because I really wanted to make it perfect. So I’ve been listening to it on repeat.
When can we expect new music?
I’m releasing a new single next week, and then my album is set to come out in July.
What’s the best part of Coachella?
The best thing is probably the people here. I think they’re super sweet and I have had so much fun seeing them from the stage. And everyone has been so nice backstage.
What was your favorite moment from your set?
My favorite moment was probably playing my new song that doesn’t have a name yet. But I love that song so much, and it’s so fun to play live.
Any advice for those of us trying to survive the fest?
I would say to bring a portable fan and also to wear something very, very comfortable. Especially your shoes, because walking really gets to you, and my feet are so tired.
Ravyn Lenae
Your track “Love Me Not” has been rising up the charts. How has the fan reaction been for you?
The fan reaction is crazy. It’s one thing for me to know that a song is special and to feel that way, but it’s another for everyone to respond in a similar way. Just seeing how much love it’s getting, how much love it got here at Coachella has been really inspiring. So I just hope it keeps growing and spreading and blooming.
I just saw that it has over 95 million streams on Spotify!
I haven’t even wrapped my brain around that yet, honestly. But I’m so excited, I’m so grateful that she thought about me, and I’m just so excited to see these fans sing these songs and hopefully connect with the audience in a new way.
What’s your favorite thing about Coachella?
My favorite thing about performing at Coachella… well, first of all, it’s my first time being here, so all of this, it’s all new to me. But I think getting to meet certain artists that I love so much, that I’ve been internet friends with, and finally meeting face to face, it’s been really special.
What are you most excited about this year?
This year, I’m super excited to get some new music out and hopefully and to keep making my favorite songs, honestly.
Amaarae
Let’s talk new music — what are you excited to share next?
Black Star, 2025. Man, Black Star album coming in 2025. We putting Ghana on the map, we putting that music out, we getting lit with it, what’s up? Militant. Amaarae is the president of the bad bitches. What did Nicki Minaj say that one time? “Bad bitches, I’m ya leader,” that’s me. That’s me, the United States of Amaarae.
What’s the best thing about playing Coachella?
Putting Ghana on the map. I played music from Ghana, I played new music from my album that samples classic Ghanaian music, and I fused new sounds. It’s about Ghana. That was the proudest moment for me. I came out in all black, like I am the black star on the Ghana flag. Also, the audience, holy mackerel. I didn’t know that it was gonna be that many people, cuz it’s not a main stage. I was just blown away by the attendance and how excited people were.
Festival survival advice?
Wear comfortable shoes, that’s for sure. Or else you’re gonna be pissed.
What else would you like to share with your fans?
Okay, I’ll leak some new shit. My personal favorite song is called “B2B.” That’s gonna be sick and the visual for that is gonna be sick. I don’t wanna give away too much, but shoutout to Cult Pop. Cult Pop is the Ghanian ballroom scene and alternative queer scene in Ghana, shoutout to them. Those are my people for real. And my second favorite song is “Fine Shit,” so I’m excited about that.
The Beaches
Tell us about No Hard Feelings, your upcoming album.
With No Hard Feelings, our next album, we’re so excited to share some more chaotic love stories. You know, I think Blame My Ex was very much from my perspective, whereas this album is more a conversation amongst all of us about all of our tumultuous relationships.
What was it like to work with G Flip on “Last Girls at the Party”?
We love G so much. They’re such a good person and they have the best heart in the whole world. Writing that song was so easy. We wrote it in literally an hour, probably? They had this incredible checklist of all the things. They asked us what we wanted out of a song and we gave them some points. We ended up writing that song so quickly and it was so fun. And the crowd reaction has been amazing, fans are really responding to it and we’re so excited to see where it goes.
What was a highlight from today’s performance?
I think the highlight from the performance today was the crowd singing along, not only to Blame My Ex, but also to a lot of the other songs. That was so cool. And there were some people who said they came just for us, so that’s obviously a huge highlight. It was just the best day ever.
What are you most excited to share with fans next?
I think the next thing we’re excited to share with the fans is just more touring. We’re starting a DJ tour. We’re touring in May. We’re going to Europe and bringing the vibes. We’re having like “Last Girls” parties all across Europe. It’s gonna be really fun. “Last Girls at the Party: Berlin,” “Last Girls at the Party: London,” “Last Girls at the Party: Amsterdam.” See you there. We’re baby DJs, so be nice!
Parcels
What was the highlight from your Coachella set?
The highlight of our set was the audience for me. They were just on fire. It was a nice, big crowd, but they had room. They weren’t like sardines. Everyone was moving, dancing. It was such a pleasure, I spent the whole set looking out because I was like, “Everyone’s vibing so hard.”
It’s been good, we’ve been playing some new songs in the set. And people have been really liking them, which has been great for us. I feel like “Safe and Sound” really popped off yesterday at Coachella for the first time properly.
What’s next for Parcels?
Next up, we’ve got an album. I mean, we’ve got some singles between now and then but in September we’ll release our third studio record and we just finished the master literally yesterday so it’s on the tip of my brain. I want it to be out now.
You had a recent collab with Gucci. Can you give us some festival fashion advice?
What should we wear to festivals? Comfy clothes, breathable fabrics. I went for sandals today. Something breathable, cause it’s really hot here.
You’re from Australia, so I’m curious, what are your overall thoughts on Coachella?
For me, Coachella totally correlates towards my feelings with Los Angeles or California in general. It’s like, when I’m not here, I wouldn’t expect to like it. And when I’m here, I have the best time. We just walked into the artist’s compound, and I’m like, “I’m so psyched to be here,” and I have the same feeling towards LA. I’m always like, “Aww LA,” and then I’m in LA and having the best time ever like “I love it here.”
We can hear Charli playing right now since we’re behind her stage. Thoughts on Charli xcx?
I’m loving that Charli xcx is here, we’re going to her set next. That’s my favorite part about Coachella.
Maren Morris
Tell us about your upcoming album, Dreamsicle. What can fans expect?
Dreamsicle is a very summery record that will address breakups, some heartbreak but the other side… the healing the humor, everything that brings you back out of it. It’s a sunny record, ultimately.
I saw you on stage with the LA Philharmonic yesterday. What was that experience like?
Being on stage with the LA Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel performing “My Church,” the first song that started my career, was so emotional. It really just brought me back to why I got into this to begin with which was to blend to music genres and collaborate with other talented musicians. There was a gospel choir. It was transcendent for me and to do it at golden hour at Coachella was such a dream.
What’s the best thing about Coachella?
The best thing about Coachella… I mean the lineup, is stacked and extremely diverse, I don’t know what other lineup would have on a day like today, Shaboozey who’s about to play, Zedd is playing tonight. It’s very lush in terms of musical diversity. I think that’s what’s really special about it. I’m also very shook that there’s caviar. I’m used to backwoods fair food at these things. But, I guess it’s Coachella so caviar would be on the menu.
What are you most excited to share with fans next?
They always gravitate towards a song on the record and it helps me build the tour and the show — so yeah, getting to share these internal thoughts with a bunch of strangers I love is the most exciting part.
d4vd
You spoke to us recently about your new albumWithered — how are you feeling about it?
I’m so excited, my first album, my debut, my baby, the one! It’s so crazy, the feeling is immaculate, I’m so hyped, I’m thrilled. Fans are excited, everybody’s waiting on it. Fans have been waiting three years. I dropped like 20 singles in between. Still haven’t released my first album so 2025 is gonna be the one. April 25!
We know you got your start in the gaming world — what are some similarities between gaming and music?
There are so many genres of games and so many genres of music that coincide with each other in so many ways. It’s like soundtracks and scoring things and the energy it brings. You could put any song to any video game. You could put any video game to any song. So it’s kind of like working as brother and sister.
What’s the best thing about performing at Coachella?
The best thing about performing at Coachella is seeing the festival while you’re performing. There are moments where I’m just like, looking around, like “Wow, where are we?” We’re really at Coachella right now, so definitely looking at Coachella and seeing the crowd and how massive it was, and seeing all the love and support for me. It was actually amazing, it’s crazy.
Blu DeTiger
You released All I Ever Want Is Everything last year. What’s been your favorite moment since dropping the album?
Favorite moment.. probably my headline tour. That was a lot of fun. Honestly, the set that I just did at Do Lab was honestly so fun. I literally just got off stage so I haven’t fully processed. I was just up there like “This is so sick, this is so fun.” So maybe my Coachella set.
Tell us about your set today. How does it differ from a typical Blu set?
Well this was fun because I got to DJ. And most of the time I’m with my full band. But this time, I got to do a really cool DJ set with bass and have some special guests come out and perform with me. I get to pay homage to a lot of songs that got me into playing bass and DJing and just keep the energy up for an hour. And mixing old stuff and new stuff, I get to almost show off my music taste, in a way. So that’s what I like about it.
You’re the bass queen — can you tell us what it means to be a bass queen?
You know, bass queen is a state of mind. It’s an energy. If you’re a bass queen it means you’ve got that laid-back, cool confidence. You like the low frequencies; you resonate within your soul. You feel it, the bass frequencies, in your chest. That’s what it means. Oh my god, that’s literally Trixie [She spots Trixie Mattel backstage]. AHHH. Shut up.
What’s your festival survival tip?
What I do is, I walk into the festival wearing the shoes that I want to wear to look cool. AKA these shoes, right? Then I bring sneakers in my bag for when my shoes hurt so much that I have to put my sneakers on. And by that time, no one cares and I’ve already gotten all my photos. So you gotta bring sneakers in the bag, that’s my tip!
Tell us what we fans can expect next from you?
Today, I actually debuted a new song. I’ve been listening to that on repeat to prepare for this set and we’re finishing it up in the studio. It’s called “Shock.” It’s been on a lot!
AMÉMÉ
I saw that you played a set last night. You’ve been non stop, how was it?
Oh yeah. Listen, I landed in LA after a five-hour set in Mexico City. Straight to the airport. No sleep. Drove for four hours, got a shower, fifteen minutes. Straight to the after-party. Played a two-hour set and it was fantastic. Trust me, worth every single moment. Thank you Coachella, thank you Zenyara!
What’s the best part about playing at Coachella?
Honestly, my favorite part about performing at Coachella is connecting with all the fellow artists and industry bookers and agents, promoters. It reminds me of Miami music week, but on such a bigger scale because, listen, I’ll be walking down the street and bump into my favorite artist. Coachella is one of a kind. There’s a reason it gets so much attention.
What are you most excited to share wtih your fans next?
What I’m the most excited to share with my fans is loads of new music. For the last six months, I’ve literally just closed myself into my studio. I was on the road, obviously, all the time. But I was working on my laptop on the plane, on the train, on the road every time. I’ve got loads of new music and a really packed, loaded schedule starting next week. I have a release with Malou and andhim on Insomniac Records, “Feel the Love” which is coming out next Friday before [weekend two of Coachella]. Check that out. It’s all love, baby.
You’ve been here before. Give us your Coachella survival advice.
If you wanna survive Coachella, obviously the fit has to be fire. But you’ve gotta get comfortable. Comfortability first and then style, right? Cuz it’s gonna get super hot during the day and super cold at night. So you’ve gotta make sure to leave some space for the air to go around and then you keep a small little hoodie for night time, in case you’re trying to go to the after party. And drink a lot of water, lots of water.
Photography: Getty