Lana Del Rey duets with Billie Eilish during Coachella headline performance
The US star arrived early on stage, after hitting the headlines last year for delayed performances.
Lana Del Rey performed a surprise duet with Billie Eilish during her star-studded headline performance at Coachella.
The US singer arrived early on stage, after hitting the headlines last year for delayed performances at Glastonbury and BST Hyde Park festival, before singing a host of hits including Summertime Sadness and her 2012 hit Born To Die.
The headline show saw Del Rey bring on Grammy-winner Jon Batiste, who had performed at the festival earlier in the day, to play the piano on her hit Candy Necklace.
“You know sometimes you just need somebody else’s spirit to move with you and (it’s) always going to be Jon Batiste,” 38-year-old Del Rey said.
Immediately after the track, Del Rey manoeuvred up the on-stage stairs to a Juliet balcony, where she hugged two-time Oscar Winner Eilish to rapturous applause.
The pair performed Eilish’s 2016 track Ocean Eyes, before duetting on Del Rey’s 2012 hit song Video Games.
Eilish’s surprise appearance comes days after she announced that her third album, Hit Me Hard And Soft, will be released next month.
The headline slot also saw Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift’s long-time collaborator, play the piano on Hope Is A Dangerous Thing For A Woman Like Me To Have – But I Have It.
Del Rey, whose last appearance at the festival was her debut in 2014, was scheduled to feature in the 2020 Coachella line-up which was cancelled amid the Covid pandemic.
“We’re here 10 years ago exactly to the day,” she told the audience.
Del Rey closed her performance to her 2013 hit Young And Beautiful, with an extensive firework display.
The first day of the Californian festival also saw Shakira announce an upcoming world tour during a surprise appearance at Coachella.
The Colombian singer appeared as a guest during the set of Argentinian music producer and DJ Bizarrap to perform their new track La Fuerte and BZRP Music Sessions, Vol 53.
During her performance, the backdrop behind her changed to say “Shakira, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour”.
The 47-year-old told the crowd at the Californian festival: “Finally, we are going on tour. Starting here, this November in this city, can’t wait.”
The Hips Don’t Lie star also told the festival audience “this is amazing” when she first appeared wearing a red glittery ensemble with matching red boots.
Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, released last month, is the 12th studio album from the singer and first in seven years.
The announcement comes a day after the She Wolf singer posted a message on Instagram in Spanish, which translated to “the wolf is coming”.
Coachella, renowned for attracting celebrities and influencers from across the world, also saw performances from Mexican singer Peso Pluma and South Korean DJ and singer Peggy Gou.
The return of Coachella comes after it ran into problems with headline acts over the last two years.
Last year, Frank Ocean pulled out of his second headline performance because of a leg injury while Kanye West, also known as Ye, was due to headline in 2022 but the line-up was updated weeks before the event.
