Coachella is one of the biggest music festivals in the world. It returned this year with a bang for the first time since 2019, after its COVID-enforced hiatus in 2020 and 2021.

Each year, the world's biggest artists head to the Colorado Desert in California to delight music fans over two weekends. It kick-starts the festival season for another year in incredible style. As the hot topic amongst music fans and the music industry alike throughout April, this year was no exception.

We could talk for days about all of our favourite moments from Coachella 2022, but we've whittled it down to the ten biggest talking points of the year - or at least, our favourite moments of the 2022 edition.

Hayley Williams Joins Billie Eilish to Perform 'Misery Business'

Across both weekends, there were so many moments from Billie Eilish's history-making headline set that were unforgettable. But possibly the biggest talking point of the festival, or at least the second weekend, was an appearance from Hayley Williams. The Paramore frontwoman, who hasn't performed on a live stage with the band since 2018, joined Billie for two songs: 'Happier Than Ever' and an acoustic rendition of Paramore's seminal 'Misery Business'. Having retired the song from the band's setlist many years ago, Paramore fans were delighted to see the song performed. It was especially exciting to see it performed with an artist as iconic as Billie Eilish, who was visibly awestruck throughout.

K-Pop Pioneers 2NE1 Reunite

South Korean K-Pop legends 2NE1 surprised audiences at Coachella as they reunited for a one-off performance. It's the first time the group have performed live in over six years. Artist CL (who led the group during their career) brought the band back together during her short set at the festival, much to the surprise and elation of her fans. CL said of the reunion: "“We teamed up by ourselves for our sake, not for someone else [...] When I say ‘we’, it includes myself, my team, and our fans. This is for us who made this team and the brand, 2NE1.” The rest of the band have also been busy with various solo projects since their disbandment. But, this reunion has sparked conversation around the possibility of the band getting back together permanently.

Arcade Fire's Tent Filling 'Secret' Set

In a last minute addition to the festival, Arcade Fire performed at Coachella to crowds of adoring fans who were thrilled to see the band return to the desert. After headlining in 2014, it was incredible to see the legendary band fill out one of the smaller tent stages at Coachella. With a set of both classic tracks (such as 'Rebellion (Lies)') and new releases ('The Lightning I, II') taken from their forthcoming sixth studio album 'WE', due out in May. the performance has made us even more excited that the band will be coming to the UK later this week to re-open the historic and iconic KOKO in London.

Danny Elfman Stuns with The Simpsons and More

Anyone who was able to witness Danny Elfman's show at Coachella 2022 certainly won't be forgetting it in a while. The composer, singer-songwriter and musician has penned some of the most iconic sounds of film, TV and music over the last several decades. His performance was a love letter to all that he's achieved. The 68-year-old's "strange little show" showcased scores from 'Spider-Man', 'Edward Scissorhands', 'Batman', alongside possibly his most recognisable and championed compositions from Tim Burton's 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and of course 'The Simpsons'. I'm not sure many would have had topless Danny Elfman stealing the show on their Coachella bingo card, but alas...

Billie Eilish Collabs With Hero Damon Albarn

As we've already said, there are so many moments from Billie Eilish's two headlining shows that we could mention... We promise this is the last one. Introducing a man who "changed her life" to perform alongside her must have been a humbling moment for the young artist. We were thrilled to see Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz fame appear on stage with Billie Eilish. The pair performed Billie's track 'Getting Older' and Gorillaz' classic 'Feel Good Inc.'. It's a collaboration we never saw coming but are now completed obsessed with. Billie Eilish proves once again the weight of her incredible talent, which is massively respected by her peers and heroes as they continue to collaborate with her.

Harry Styles Welcomes Shania Twain to The Stage

Harry Styles stole the show at Coachella 2022 on both weekends with his electric, uplifting and thoroughly refreshing headline sets. The pop singer of One Direction beginnings has seen a stratospheric rise with his first two albums. Now, he continues to gain momentum with his latest single 'As It Was' from his upcoming third record 'Harry's House'. In the midst of a hit-filled set on weekend one, Harry brought out country-pop legend Shania Twain for a rendition of 'Man! I Feel Like A Woman' to an eager and elated crowd. As soon as the opening melody of Shania's legendary track blared over the stage speakers, we knew the Coachella crowd were in for a party like no other.

The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia Replace Kanye West as Coachella Headliners

Earlier this month, Kanye West unexpectedly pulled out of his headlining performance at Coachella. While it's fairly uncertain why Ye decided not to perform this year, we weren't disappointed to see the slot be filled by none other than The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia in a co-headlining set that was high-energy, hit-filled and left crowds stunned. The two artists closed out the weekend. It's clear that while they weren't originally billed for the festival, there wasn't anyone better suited to bring it home. We're certain fans left feeling more than satisfied, even with the absence of Kanye West. 'Can’t Feel My Face', 'Starboy' and 'Blinding Lights' left a lasting impression on those fortunate enough to see it live.

Harry Styles Brings More Star Quality to Coachella with Lizzo

Along with Billie Eilish, Harry Styles was possibly one of the most talked about artists of Coachella this year and his star-studded collabs certainly helped. While weekend one saw Shania Twain share the stage with Styles, weekend two welcomed Lizzo. The duo covered Gloria Gaynor's unforgettable disco anthem 'I Will Survive' and One Direction's breakout hit 'What Makes You Beautiful'. No doubt this was much to the delight of the fans who have been around since the X Factor days. In his two sets, Harry Styles solidified the notion that he's already one of the greats. If there's one thing we're certain of it's that he still has so much more to come.

Doja Cat Proves Herself as a Formidable Performer

In an all-singing, all-dancing, high-energy, high-production performance, Doja Cat proved to the world that she is indeed a superstar. She orchestrated five costume changes, intricate choreography and welcomed collaborations from Tyga, FINNEAS, and Maggie Rogers. It's perhaps not since Beyoncé brought her 'Homecoming' performance to the desert in 2018 that we've witnessed such precise and dedicated artistic performance at Coachella. We were floored by just how incredible the entire show was. While just last month Doja claimed that she was quitting music, we hope for all of our sakes that she sticks it out, because her Coachella set has left us hungry for more.

Arlo Parks Joins Phoebe Bridgers at her Coachella Debut

For the first time, folk singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers attended Coachella as a performing artist rather than an audience member. In a self-proclaimed dream come true, Phoebe Bridgers performed a stunning set of melancholy, dreamy tracks from her entire discography. Most of all, she played tracks from her acclaimed 2020 album 'Punisher', to an adoring crowd. But, the most pleasing moment for many of us was when British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks entered the stage to perform with Phoebe for two songs: 'Graceland Too' and 'I Know The End'. We can happily check this collaboration off our fantasy wish-list. We just hope that this will lead to the two incredible artists working together again in the future.

Photo Credit: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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