Coachella festival: Lady Gaga to replace Beyoncé

Lady Gaga will replace Beyoncé on the bill at this year’s Coachella. The pop star who recently triumphed at the Super Bowl half-time show will join Radiohead and Kendrick Lamar as one of the headliners at the Californian music festival this April.

Gaga replaces Beyoncé, who is pregnant with twins. “Following the advice of her doctors to keep a less rigorous schedule in the coming months, Beyoncé has made the decision to forgo performing at the 2017 Coachella Valley music and arts festival,” a recent statement read.

Gaga announced her Saturday night set on 1 March via Twitter with the statement: “Let’s party in the desert!”

Gaga is only the second female headliner who has topped the bill at the festival, following Björk, who headlined twice – in 2002 and 2007.

Other artists confirmed for the 2017 festival include Lorde, Bon Iver, the xx, Father John Misty, Justice and New Order. Coachella takes place over two weeks at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in mid-April.