Dust off your cowboy boots and assless chaps—Coachella season is nigh, baby. Often referred to as the influencer music festival, Coachella prides itself on welcoming big industry artists, gourmet food trucks, and the rare opportunity to spot a rogue Kendall Jenner strutting through the desert in a chainmail crop top. As is annual tradition, the festival’s lineup is released in January—giving gen Zers three months to accumulate as much glitter as humanly possible—and this year, it became immediately evident that netizens were extremely divided with the organiser’s roster.

Prepare yourself for the crème de la crème of frustrated, confused and joyous youths who are clearly far too used to operating the internet as if it’s their sounding board.

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This year’s Coachella will mark a number of firsts for the coveted festival. Most notably, the fact that, for the first time, none of the three headliners are white—a serious move in the right direction regarding inclusivity and representation in the festival industry. The appearance of Kpop cult favourites Blackpink also marks the first time a Korean act and all-female group will headline. Not dissimilar to the die-hard loyal fanbase of BTS, Blackpink’s devotees went feral after finding out their favourite pop group would be gracing the sunny Californian stage.

@imherve

QUEENS 😭🖤💗 #blackpink #imherve #kpopfyp #blink #coachella

♬ shut down - ☀️

After the lineup news spread, videos began to pop up across social media platforms declaring 2023 the year of ‘Pinkchella’—seemingly a throwback to the iconic 2018 Beychella performance.

@noahskzzy

BLACKPINK AT COACHELLA 2023 I REPEAT PINKCHELLA 2023 😭🤞🏻 #coachella #coachella2023 #blackpink #blackpinkcoachella #bpcoachella2023 #pinkvenom #hylt #bornpinkworldtour #bpinyourarea #shutdown #blackpinkshutdown #jenniekim #lalisa #jisoo #blackpinkrose

♬ Pink Venom - BLACKPINK

One of the biggest shocks from this year’s lineup has to be the resurgence of Frank Ocean, aka the blueprint for bringing even the toughest millennial to tears. Ocean had all but dropped off the edge of the music planet recently, making his headline debut a surprise for most. However, surprising or not, it’s undeniable that the Ivy singer has a ferocious grip on pretty much everyone and this announcement was met with immediate praise and excitement.

@pinkeclipse1031

@coachella PLEASE BE SUCH A KIND SOUL AND SEND ME SOME TICKETS IM BROKE AND ITS ALWAYS BEEN MY DREAM TO SEE FRANK OCEAN LIVE #frankocean #coachella #coachella2023 #blonde #fyp #viral #number1fan

♬ Novacane - sp3dupsounds0

@1824official

this was some of the best news to wake up to — even if it means 2 years of waiting 😣😭 #frankocean #coachella #blonde

♬ Cognac Queen - Megan Thee Stallion

Some eagle-eyed fans even took the time to track Ocean’s recent movements, analysing the artist’s decisions and even attempting to predict when the singer may release future music. We see you, Frank. Just give us something to nibble on while we impatiently await April.

@ukayj

#greenscreen #frankocean #fyp

♬ Pink + White - Frank Ocean

Goblin mode was the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year in 2022. It wouldn’t be a far stretch to predict that any lingo pertaining to Bad Bunny will snatch the top prize in 2023. Fans were elated to see the Latin titan featured on the anticipated Coachella headliner agenda.

@millennialloteria

First Latino to headline Coachella 🔥

♬ original sound - Mariana BL

A recent Forbes interview with singer Kelly Vargas and music industry veteran Ophelia Zuniga exploring Bad Bunny’s popularity revealed the sheer impact he’s had on Latin music and Latin artists. Zuniga noted: “[His music] is something anyone can recognise, even if you don’t speak Spanish or listen to his music. Bad Bunny is a unicorn. In my opinion, he is the new general market. Latin music is taking over.”

@karenmarieco

#greenscreen PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME GET THERE!!!!!!! 😭😭😭 IT’S OFFICIAL BABES, WE HAVE BAD BUNNY SECURED FOR COACHELLA!!!! 💕 #latinacreator #latinacontentcreator #latinaaesthetic #coachella #officialcoachella2023 #badbunnypr #badbunnyfans #badbunnycoachella2023

♬ Party - Bad Bunny & Rauw Alejandro

While most of our FYPs were stuffed to the brim with clips from the ‘Harry’s House’ tour, Bad Bunny swerved the superficial online hype and instead took home some explosive accolades including Billboard’s top artist of the year and most streamed album of 2022.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an online announcement without an immediate flurry of criticism, doubt and opinion. It’s clear some individuals were disappointed with the 2023 lineup—particularly in regard to the undercard artists (those acts who’re announced underneath the primary headliners).

@brittanyyeh

prayed every night for a justin bieber moment but was very let down #greenscreen #coachella2023 #coachella #coachellaoutfit

♬ original sound - brittany yeh

One TikToker in particular staked her ‘hot take’ claim by arguing that the lineup didn’t represent “what’s relevant right now.” Naturally, the comments section rebutted, with one user writing, “I think it’s time for you to expand your music,” while another simply put “horrible take.”

For the most part, netizens seem to have welcomed the slightly more experimental lineup. A number of music buffs have commented on the diversity of both the showcased artists and style of music.

@xmcustodio

#greenscreen Not only is Bad Bunny making history at Coachella as the first Latino to be a Headliner, but this is the first time in History all of Coachella's headliners are people are color!!! #xmcustodio #badbunnypr #badbunnyconcert #badbunny #badbunnybebebe #badbunnyedits #blackpink #frankocean #coachella

♬ Neverita - Bad Bunny

@simplysimone

ITS HAPPENING #coachella #coachella2023 #coachella2023lineup

♬ Me Porto Bonito - Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone

One TikToker even went as far as to give the internet a much-needed talking to, exclaiming: “Sorry, I had to have a town hall meeting about this because the people complaining are clearly uncultured swines.” The creator also went on to discourage the aforementioned “music police” from ruining the moment.

@faraibennett

Let the record show, i f**kn love #BadBunny #Coachella #CoachellaLineup #fyp #2023 #FranckOcean #BlackPink #DoritosTriangleTryout

♬ original sound - Farai Bennett

You truly can’t please everyone—especially when an event considered more holy than Christmas is involved.

Let me start by clarifying one thing: I’m fully aware of the fact that you don’t actually need another reason to boycott the annual two weekend-long, infamous carnage of a festival that is Coachella. From the part it played in the rise of cultural appropriation in festival fashion and beauty to more recently being compared to Fyre Festival (no less), the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is no stranger to controversy. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the unavoidable celebrity drama it leads to every year—though, admittedly, I’m here for it most of the time, this year, witnessing Timothée Chalamet snogging a yet to be named lady has proved to be the last straw that broke the camel’s back. But I digress.

We’re not here to speak about Lil Timmy Tim’s love life—if you are, please feel free to slide into my DMs—we’re on a mission to unveil what is probably Coachella’s most problematic aspect, its very owner, American billionaire and openly homophobic businessman Philip Anschutz.

Known as “the man who owns Los Angeles,” Anschutz is, you guessed it, an old white man who was born wealthy and proceeded to make even more money for himself. Born in 1939 to a Kansas family, Anschutz first followed in his father’s footsteps as a land operator and oilman before investing in railroads, telecommunications, newspapers and entertainment. With an estimated $11 billion fortune, one of his many assets is one of the world’s best-attended and most profitable music events, Coachella.

Through his company the Anschutz Corporation, and one of its subsidiaries, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the billionaire also operates more than 90 clubs and theatres around the world and produces or supports more than 25 music festivals. Oh, and the man also owns the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and a one-third stake of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, as well as both teams’ home arena, the Crypto.com Arena (formerly and colloquially known as the Staples Center).

As previously mentioned, Anschutz has been a billionaire for a long time. In fact, according to Business Insider, he’s one of only two people who’ve made the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans every year since the first version was published in 1982. But it comes as no surprise that billionaires have shady beliefs and hobbies.

In April 2018, Cara Delevingne shared on Instagram a message explaining why she had decided to boycott the festival despite previously saying that Beyoncé’s “iconic” headline performance had left her speechless. She wrote, “I still refuse to go to a festival that is owned by someone who is anti-LGBT and pro-gun.”

Here why #CaraDelevingne will no longer attends Coachella Festival. pic.twitter.com/wyWVVjWJgI

— CARAUPDATES (@US_CARA) April 15, 2018

In response to the model’s remarks, AEG released a statement saying it “wholeheartedly” supports the LGBT community. Anschutz himself went on to express “regret” if any money given to charities “may have worked against these values.”

“That was not my intention, it does not reflect my beliefs, and I am committed to making sure it does not happen again,” he stated.

Statement from Philip Anschutz, Chairman of AEG: pic.twitter.com/zsNLRnE0Nd

— AEG (@AEGworldwide) April 17, 2018

The accusations—which Anschutz has kept on denying ever since—relate to payments made to hard-line conservative religious and political groups across the US through his charitable foundation. These include allegedly supporting: anti-gay laws, same-sex marriage opposition and pro-gun support.

According to US campaign group Freedom For All Americans, Anschutz gave £35,000 to the National Christian Foundation (NCF) between 2011 and 2013. NCF is known to fund a lot of the groups aggressively working to chip away at the equal rights of LGBTQ+ Americans.

The FADER also detailed alleged payments made by Anschutz to a number of hard-line conservative politicians. This included a payment of £1,900 to Republican Scott Tipton, a strong opponent of same-sex marriage and abortion, in October 2017.

Last but not least, the same investigation also alleged that in March 2018, Anschutz gave £3,780 to Senator Cory Gardner, a vocal pro-gun advocate. Following the Las Vegas shooting that killed 58 people, Gardner came out against gun control. “This is a tragedy, if you’re trying to politicise it, or if anyone is trying to politicise it, then shame on them,” he told TIME.

In January 2018, the pro-legalisation publication Freedom Leaf reported that the Anschutz Foundation had handed over more than $200,000 to fund anti-marijuana efforts in Colorado as recently as 2016.

Under pressure from all these accusations, which were clearly bad for business, Anschutz made a $1 million donation to the Elton John AIDS Foundation which, among other things, provides help and protection to sexual minorities. Yet just a few months later, he was found once again to have made significant donations to evangelical institutions promoting LGBTQ+ discrimination, such as Colorado Christian University (CCU), whose charter states that “no one shall teach, defend, support or condone homosexuality.”

Since then, Anschutz has had to remain as discreet as possible in order to not overshadow the festival. According to Bloomberg, he has only ever given two public press conferences in his career. But, as Los Angeles economist Jack Kyser described in the Los Angeles Times in 2006, Anschutz is still “the man behind the curtain pulling the levers. Nobody sees him, yet he has a huge impact on Los Angeles.”