COACHELLA 03

Thanks to my amazing readers and fans for being on this journey and supporting everything I do. I write for you. I also got some feedback that my last post was too long? People were saying that no one has an attention span anymore, and my expressive long form works are inaccsessible to a general audience. And like I welcome criticism always so I took that onboard. So going forward, I’m just going to focus on a more targeted selection of artists, and it’s nothing personal. It’s because of the length thing. It’s not because I missed some of the performances while I was watching Slayyyter on repeat.

These artists are part of a group I called DADDY? and that’s because they exhibit what I consider to be father figure qualities. People always think I seem like someone who grew up without a dad, but that’s actually not true. I just think there’s like a lot of iterations of what it means to be a daddy, or have a daddy, and I can appreciate the many versions of daddy that I lack in my own life.

Slayyyter

• Sign: Virgo
• For fans of: Illicit drugs, Charli XCX, Sydney Sweeney, Walmart parking lots, COBRAH, the sound a flip phone makes snapping shut

Here’s the thing about WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA, it’s a manifesto for the misunderstood ingenue and I'm not going to pretend it didn't speak to me personally and also spiritually. It’s her BRAT, her Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, it’s her magnum opus. Slayyyter wears a glittery trucker hat and sings of being addicted to heavy fucking. That’s a level of depravity I think the world is finally ready to embrace. When she performed “BRITTANY MURPHY,” I actually had tears. I think that says more about my emotional intelligence than anything else. Like, sometimes being the “Worst Girl” is actually a form of healing.

I’m literally obsessed with how she’s embracing, like looking terrible and letting your fears eat you alive. It makes me want to move to Missouri, but like, only if there’s a Soho House there. I think she understands something about being a woman on the internet that I've been trying to articulate for - sorry I just got a text

for a long time now. Her aesthetic looks cheap in a way that I think actually costs a lot and I mean that as a compliment. Also her visual concept for this era of music heavily featured this giant unkempt bunny who I think might be her lover? The bunny was front row for the set. So like that’s so sweet and I’m happy for her. Can the council of elders give her a Grammy please?

Links

• Instagram: @slayyyter
• TikTok: @slayyyter
• YouTube: Slayyyter

Ok next!

Kettama

• Sign: Gemini
• For fans of: The Guy Ritchie aesthetic, any other house artist, James Franco, repetitive thumping

I’ll be up front and say Kettama plays house music, and I’m such a music lover, I listen to everything, but I just… I don’t get it. I see so many fan conversations and critical takes on these artists and I’m like, are they actually different? I see people say “this dj has dropped off” or “that guy is such a strong producer” and I don’t hear it at all? And with the lights and the fog and the beats they often seem to be working with an atmosphere perfectly tailored to give you a headache.

But this is their craft, art is subjective and that’s a sentiment I really appreciate. So Kettama played sounds that I listened to, and it looked like everyone was having a great time. There was a lot of coordinated lighting, and a big glittery shark hanging from the ceiling, and I love marine life so that really spoke to me. It also made me wonder what the sea creatures heard during this set, because Kettama is from Ireland which is surrounded by oceans, so I filled up my bathtub with cold water and stuck my head under to listen for a while. It was echoey and beautiful.

Kettama is a producer from Galway making tracks with 90s trance and Euro-dance influences. His full-length debut, Archangel, was released in 2025, and it might be amazing. I couldn’t possibly judge.

Links

• Instagram: @kettama
• TikTok: @kettamabrah
• YouTube: Kettama

Ok next!

Addison Rae

• Sign: Libra
• For fans of: Barbie dream house, Charli XCX, Reality TV, Ariana Grande circa the ponytail era, pop deep cuts

So I was watching Addison Rae again, and when she came out on this rotating pink climbing frame, I immediately grabbed my wine and went okay. okay okay okay.

She opened with “Diet Pepsi” in this insane balletcore corset dress with a huge tulle tutu and here’s my thing. And I want to be honest here because I think honesty is very important to me as a person. The whole show leaned into this early 2000s pop aesthetic, very Britney, very Moulin Rouge! And intrinsic to Addison’s performance is her breathy vocals and fliratious remarks. I just am wondering… is Addison Rae a bit? Like is she a satire of the pop star? Is this performance art?

The thing is, I actually can’t ask anyone. I can’t just text someone and go “hey is Addison Rae a topical commentary on the pop girl?” because if she’s NOT, then I look like one of those people who can’t appreciate something because it’s popular. I’ve been that person before. I was wrong about Sabrina Carpenter for like eight months and I still haven’t fully recovered my reputation.

Her peformances are so fun, and if you haven’t heard her debut album Addison, which came out last year, you really have to it has so many bops. It makes me feel like I'm in a montage where I finally leave my small town and find out I'm actually a witness to a murder. She even got her first Grammy nomination in 2026 in recognition of how good it is. I am actually a huge fan, and I do take her seriously as an artist. I just don’t know if that makes me a fool.

This weekend she brought out Olivia Rodrigo, and they held hands and sang Olivia’s new single and I screamed at my laptop. The vocals weren’t the best. but the vibes were. Like your singing can always improve, but being a fun person is a trait that runs deep.

I think my critical analysis is that Addison Rae is doing something very sincere and having fun with her own image, which was like very public from a young age. Yes she got famous dancing on TikTok. Let a girl evolve. Her music slaps! She just has good energy! She’s going on my dream sleepover list.

Links

• Instagram: @addisonrae
• TikTok: @addisonrae
• YouTube: Addison Rae

Ok next!

Wet Leg

• Sign: Aquarius x2
• For fans of: Wolf Alice, watching someone parallel parking badly, feeling sexy AND strong, Sleater-Kinney, punk with a POV, White Stripes

Okay, so I actually discovered Wet Leg way before they blew up, which I feel like people forget. And I know everyone says that, but I really did. I was at one of their shows and it was like pre-Harry-Styles-covering-Wet-Dream, and the room was basically half-empty but I was dancing and sweating right up by the stage. Rhian and Hester are from the Isle of Wight, which is a weird place. It’s this small island off England, and if you had been there you’d get their humor. And anyway, together they are Wet Leg.

Their whole thing is unserious post-punk, and their song “Chaise Longue” from 2021, the one that literally quotes Mean Girls, went completely viral. Their debut album came out in 2022 and it topped UK charts, and even the rest of the world caught on because they won a Grammy, which, God, I have so many thoughts about the Grammys, but this isn’t about me.

And then their 2025 album Moisturizer, an album that’s not just about skincare, hello, got way more personal and confessional. I think vulnerability is such a powerful tool to wield as an artist. I’m really proud of them.

So as someone who has been a fan since literally the beginning, I can say that Rhian has really come into her own as a rock star. She is such a presence on stage. They were a must-see band when they were playing small rooms, and they are a MUST-SEE now. I think the main thing I want to say is I'm really good at discovering artists. If anyone wants me to listen to their music just DM me, I'm very open to that.

Links

• Instagram: @wetlegband
• TikTok: @wetlegband
• YouTube: Wet Leg

Ok next!

GIVĒON

• Sign: Pisces
• For fans of: SZA, crying in the shower, Daniel Caesar, a bar that doesn’t print the prices on the menu, pleasant body language

I’m like, vibrating. Not just from the oat milk lattes, but from Giveon. I went into his set thinking, “okay, be brave, prepare to feel things,” and I was NOT ready. He had a full orchestra, which is so classy, right? And he was joined by this prima ballerina, India Bradley, who made twirling look so sensual and elegant. It felt “prestige drama,” and I kept thinking could I play a ballerina on TV? I’d probably need to stretch more.

Weekend 1 Kehlani came out for a duet and when I watched someone’s recording on TikTok I stopped breathing for a second. Their voices envelop you like the expensive cardigan you wear when you’re sad. It was so beautiful I almost texted my mom. Anyway, Giveon is releasing his new album, BELOVED: Act II, on May 15th, and if it doesn’t make me feel like a protagonist in a French film, I’ll be confused.

Giveon is an artist from Long Beach, CA and he has this voice that is literally so deep and baritone. That's actually what it's called, a baritone. His debut EP got him nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Album. And then his single "Heartbreak Anniversary" went Platinum. That means a LOT of people listened to it, and that's kind of when everyone started knowing who he was. Oh, and he was on "Peaches" with Justin Bieber, which went to number one in 2021, so that was obviously really big for him too.

Links

• Instagram: @giveon
• TikTok: @giveon
• YouTube: GIVĒON

I’m such a believer in not gatekeeping. Tell all your friends, because some of these artists really deserve the attention.