Perhaps no other major musical fest has led the way in booking Latin acts quite like the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
This year, 21 Latin acts are on the lineup, nearly twice as many as 2023. In addition to big stars like Peso Pluma, Young Miko, J Balvin, Ice Spice and Carin León, the festival will also feature a slew of up-and-coming Latin acts ready to impress attendees unfamiliar with them.
Ahead of Weekend 1, we spoke to Cimafunk, Hermanos Gutiérrez, the Red Pears, Girl Ultra and Eddie Zuko about how they’re getting ready for the festival.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Cimafunk
As the first Cuban-born artist to ever play at Coachella, Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguez, better known as Cimafunk, says he is ready for the Latin “invasion” of the festival. Recognized for his funk-influenced sound, he is preparing for his Coachella debut by “eating good,” rehearsing with his band and embracing his nerves.
“It’s a dream come true. It’s something all artists dream of at some point in their career,” said Rodríguez. “For me, it was shocking [to be included in the lineup]. But, there was something internally that I was like, ‘Yeah I’m ready, my tribe is ready.’”
As a performer who has played different festivals around the world, he is confident in his ability to capture the crowd’s attention. His latest single, “Playa Noche,” released earlier this week, captures the feel-good sound he plans to exude at the festival.
“I can only deliver myself and the groove, he said. “When [the band] gets together, we really enjoy what we do and when people see that they feel that energy.”
Hermanos Gutiérrez
The guitar duo Hermanos Gutiérrez say their music is perfect for the dry wind, sandy landscape and blazing sun of the desert.
“If you watch us play on stage, it’s just two brothers and two guitars. But the sound is so rich that if you see us, you might think there are more people on the stage,” said Estevan Gutiérrez. “We can color the landscape.”
On Thursday, the duo released “Until We Meet Again,” a single from their upcoming album “Sonido Cósmico,” out June 14.
“In all the excitement Coachella brings … [we] bring that intimacy to the festival. There’s gonna be people partying, but we hope [they] find that intimacy in our music, especially being in the desert,” said Alejandro Gutiérrez.
Marking their Coachella debut, the Ecuadorian-Swiss brothers say they are grateful for the opportunity to take the stage, and that they are most excited to watch Khruangbin perform.
“We are so honored to be there. It’s a dream that’s coming true,” said Estevan.
Members of the band the Red Pears: Henry Vargas, left, Jose Corona and Patrick Juarez in El Monte.
(Sarahi Apaez)
The Red Pears
Five years after their debut performance at Coachella, the Red Pears — Las Peras Rojas — are returning to the desert equipped with more “musical maturity,” onstage experience and enough new music for two completely different weekends.
“Two different things are gonna happen both weekends,” said Jose Corona, who comprises the band alongside Henry Vargas and Patrick Juarez. “Two different sets, two different vibes — something that we think is cool.”
The El Monte trio will have a wide selection of songs to choose from, including tracks from their upcoming album “Better Late Than Never,” which will be released this Friday. Since 2019, the indie band has gradually played in front of bigger crowds and built up its stage presence — and it’s ready to show out.
“With the set time they’re giving us and the name being bigger on the lineup, it’s like you have something to prove,” Vargas said.
Girl Ultra
Growing up in Mexico, Mariana de Miguel would hear of Coachella as one of the biggest stages a musician could play on. This week, she’ll fulfill that dream for herself when she performs as Girl Ultra, whose music ranges from electronic dance beats to love ballads.
“Every stage is just a new opportunity to make things better,” De Miguel said. “And to look at new sets of eyes and mouth singing at the same time. It’s just a beautiful experience to me.”
Her showcase will feature the first in-person performance of her new track, “rimel,” as well as bass-centric sounds that will make for a “very dynamic set.”
For De Miguel, performing at Coachella reassures her that all her time spent experimenting with different genres and reaching new audiences is paying off. It also means that she’s currently part of a bigger movement in Latin music.
“People are craving música en Español,” she said. “It just feels like it’s been exponentially growing, not just for me, but for all my Latino and Mexican fellas. It’s the best time right now for music in Spanish.”
Eddie Zuko
To Chicano singer-songwriter Eddie Zuko, Coachella is a homecoming.
“It’s important to me and our local community that someone from a little town can perform at a festival of this stature,” said the Imperial Valley native. “It’s an international festival, but it will feel very much like a local hometown show to me.”
Zuko says he’s more excited than nervous, and that he and his band are spending their pre-festival days perfecting every element of their show.
“We are making sure we give the absolute best show we can give. We are being perfectionists,” said Zuko. “I’m excited for people to hear it because even if you don’t know who I am or have never heard my music before I think people will come away from the performance impressed or maybe curious.”