Two Blackpink members debut solo act at Coachella

Lisa and Jennie of the Korean pop music group Blackpink performed for the first time as solo artists in front of massive crowds at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday and Sunday, bringing out their unique hip-hop styles, reported Reuters.

Lisa twerked to the heavy beat of her song Drop Some Money in a red outfit under red lights. Other K-pop performances at Coachella include seven-member Enhypen, a South Korean boy group who performed on Saturday, and XG, an acronym for Xtraordinary Girls, a South Korea-based Japanese girl group, performed later on Sunday.

Signalling the rising US interest in K-pop in recent years, Blackpink has made history at Coachella twice, first in 2019 as the first female-led K-pop group to perform at the festival, and then again in 2023 as the first ever K-pop headliner.

Starting with hip-hop trio Epik High in 2016, Coachella has been bringing more Korean acts to the festival scene, including Aespa, DPR (Dream Perfect Regime), LE SSERAFIM, ATEEZ, and The Rose.

Alter Ego is Lisa's 2025 debut solo studio album since the Thai singer left YG Entertainment in 2023, joining RCA Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music.

The 28-year-old will continue to record for Interscope as part of Blackpink, along with fellow members Jennie, Rosé, and Jisoo.

The album has 15 tracks that incorporate hip-hop, electropop, and trap genres and includes guest singers Raye, Doja Cat, Tyla, Rosalía, Future and Megan Thee Stallion.

Lisa has embarked on an acting career as well with her first acting role in the Max television series The White Lotus.

Jennie also opted to pursue her solo music career, releasing her first single Solo in 2018 with YG Entertainment and Interscope.

The 29-year-old made her acting debut in the Max series The Idol in 2023.

Charli xcx, Green Day hold sway

Meanwhile, strobe lighting, hardcore bass and screaming fans wearing Brat T-shirts defined English pop singer Charli xcx's performance on Saturday night.

The Grammy-winner brought her signature club party energy, inviting fellow singers Troye Sivan, Billie Eilish, and Lorde to join her on stage.

Sivan and Charli xcx, who joined forces in 2024 for the Sweat Tour, reunited on stage at Coachella to perform the song Talk Talk.

The Charli xcx's Brat album inspired a cultural phenomenon on TikTok and beyond last summer.

Some of the songs she performed at the festival include 365, 360 and Von Dutch.

Following Charli xcx on the main stage, punk rockers Green Day decided to address some political issues, criticising "Make America Great" (MAGA) supporters and spotlighting the struggles of Palestinian children, by changing the lyrics of their songs.

Singer Billie Joe Armstrong changed the lyrics in the song American Idiot, from "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda" to "I'm not part of the MAGA agenda."

Later, the 21 Guns singer also changed the American Idiot lyrics "Runnin' away from pain when you've been victimised," to "Run away from pain, like the kids from Palestine. Tales from another broken home."

For Green Day, planting political messages in their performances is nothing new, including changing the lyrics of the song Jesus of Suburbia in March during the band's concert in Australia.

Green Day took aim at US Vice President JD Vance, after he and President Donald Trump had a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the Oval Office.

Armstrong sang: "Am I retarded or am I just JD Vance," instead of, "Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed?"

The band has also taken jabs at Trump and Elon Musk.

The group also paid homage to punk rock music throughout the decades, including their songs Wake Me Up When September Ends, and Know Your Enemy.

Coachella is a two-week festival that features the same headliners both weekends. The first was April 11-13, and the second will be April 18-20.