With the Coachella weekends originally planned for around this time, one can’t help but wonder who would have headlined Coachella 2021. Looking at the trend of an ever-changing musical landscape from year to year, I am using my best guess based on my expertise and knowledge to predict which artists could have headlined and why.

Rihanna

It has been five years since Rihanna released her last album, the critically acclaimed Anti. This would have been the perfect time to release her follow-up album and headline Coachella. Rihanna has always been seen around Coachella as an attendee and has also performed on stage as a special guest for Calvin Harris back in 2016. A Rihanna headlining spot just seems inevitable at this point, she has the star power, and many hit songs to put on an amazing show. I have a feeling she has a completed album ready to go, but she is just waiting for the right moment to release it.

Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake, or JT for short, has been a rumored headliner for a few years now. It was rumored that he was originally going to headline Coachella 2018, but after Beyonce canceled her performance for Coachella 2017, this pushed Beyonce to 2018, and JT to 2019.

But after having bruised vocal cords at the start of 2019, he couldn’t headline after all, and Tame Impala moved up to his spot for Saturday at Coachella 2019.

It’s all very confusing, I know, but Coachella promoters just seemed determined to have him headline at some point soon. Plus, an NSYNC reunion would have been a very memorable moment for the weekend.

Foo Fighters

One of the greatest bands still playing today has only played Coachella once—way back in 2002—as an undercard. They just released their newest album, Medicine at Midnight, and it has been one of my favorite albums so far this year.

For those that don’t know, Dave Grohl, former drummer of Nirvana, formed Foo Fighters after the passing of Kurt Cobain. Having ten albums under their belt, and many hits over three decades, a headlining spot at Coachella would have been epic this year.

With so many songs to choose from their catalog, I could see them having completely different setlists each Coachella weekend, much to the enjoyment of their super fans who attended both weekends just for them.

That’s my Coachella 2021 prediction, thank you for reading!

Daniel Leon is the office specialist for the counseling department at La Quinta High School, a Slytherin, and is celebrating his birthday today. He can be reached at [email protected]