"And Drake still praying for the Super Bowl to call him" — Internet reacts to Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna declining offer to headline Coachella

Coachella 2025 is set to take place on April 11-13 and April 18-20, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. However, the festival's headliners haven't been announced. According to a Bloomberg report dated October 7, 2024, both Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar have turned down offers to headline the annual music and arts festival.

According to the publication, Kendrick Lamar is set to perform as the headliner at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, followed by a tour of major stadiums. Meanwhile, Rihanna is managing her growing business empire, comprising Fenty, and doesn't need the exposure or funds from the music festival at the moment.

Internet users quickly reacted to the news of two big artists declining to headline the festival. One user on X took a playful jab at Drake, noting:

"And Drake still praying for the Super Bowl to call him."

Several other netizens expressed their opinions on the social media platform.

"yea they don't need Coachella," an X user mentioned referring to Kendrick and Rihanna.

"Honestly give me beychella 2.0 but with renaissance as the main album," another X user commented.

"That's a notable development. Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar are major draws so their decision to decline could shift the festival's lineup significantly," an internet user stated.

Meanwhile, some netizens targeted Rihanna's decision to decline to perform at the music festival:

"kendrick is planning a tour and he’s doing the super bowl! what’s rihanna’s excuse?" an X user tweeted.

"no album, no performances, rihanna PLEASE give us something music related 😭," another X user mentioned.

"Rihanna declined to release an album, a movie, and now a festival ? What going on?" an internet user stated.

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Coachella 2024 witnessed slowest ticket sales in a decade: Details explored

According to a BBC report on Coachella dated April 2024, the 2024 installment of the music festival attracted negative publicity even before it began. As per SFGate's January 2024 report, the 2024 installment of the music festival witnessed the slowest ticket sales in a decade.

However, as per Billboard dated April 2024, only 80% of the total 250,000 tickets sold out before the festival began, resulting in a decline in ticket sales of 15-17%. Despite this shortfall in attendees, the festival remained the highest-grossing and most-attended annual festival in North America.

The 2024 Coachella reportedly faced multiple issues during the event. Artists like Lana Del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter, and The Japanese House faced constant sound issues like mics cutting out.

Additionally, musical journalist Rhian Daly noted that while headliners such as Tyler the Creator, Lana Del Rey, and Doja Cat performed great sets, the crowd at Coachella 2024 "were largely underwhelming both in size and response."

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Fans of the music festival are disappointed by Kendrick and Rihanna's decision to refuse to perform, but they are hopeful that BLACKPINK's Lisa might headline the festival.

If Lisa agrees to headline, this would be her Coachella debut as a solo artist. However, the lineup for the music festival's 2025 installment will be revealed in January 2025.