It’s safe to say most people who attend the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival come to have a good time. Charli XCX, the queen “Brat” herself, understood the assignment.
The British singer-songwriter returned to the Coachella Stage Saturday, turning the desert into a full-on rave with hits from her Grammy Award-winning hit album “Brat” and a slew of special guests, who only made the night even more special.
Charli’s “Brat” album took the nation by a neon green storm last year, giving us all permission to have a “brat summer” and look and feel good while doing it. Her Coachella set was all about livin’ that life, and it was so good that it made us wonder why she wasn’t named a festival headliner, especially when you consider the swarm of “angels” who showed up for her.
More: Charli XCX Coachella setlist: Here’s everything the ‘Brat’ herself played Weekend 1
Charli XCX performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Charli set the mood for the evening right away as she opened with her party girl song “365,” accompanied by flashing bright lights from the stage. Her set was fairly modest — it featured a few hanging stone-like blocks — but it was enough to transform the stage into an industrial club.
The singer had the audience in the palm of her hands throughout the evening, especially when she played her hit “360,” giving everyone even more permission to go crazy. The camerawork on screen featured fast-moving, disorienting images of the Brit, and the flashing lights continued to go off all night long, all of which worked in her favor to turn the festival grounds into a wild rave.
Fans dance atop friends’ shoulders during Charli xcx’s set at the Coachella stage during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., Saturday, April 12, 2025.
The party truly got started when a revolving door of special guests popped in and out of her club. She started it off with her best friend and frequent collaborator Troye Sivan for their song “Talk talk” off her “brat” remix album, “Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat.” The sexy, playful song allowed the two performers — who finished their co-headlining Sweat Tour in October — to feel themselves and show off their magnetic energy together.
Later, fans were treated to a rare appearance from Lorde for their track “Girl, So Confusing” off the “Brat” remix album. Although the song is all about a rough patch in their friendship, Charli and Lorde were having a blast together onstage, and the audience couldn’t get enough. The New Zealand singer-songwriter has also been causing a stir online by recently scrubbing her social media, making many think she’ll release new music soon. If it is a sign of a new Lorde era, hopefully another collaboration between these two is in the cards.
Jill Chiu (from left), Kimberly Thom and Emma Nguyen of Vancouver, British Columbia, dance together during Charli xcx’s set at the Coachella stage during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., Saturday, April 12, 2025.
But the guest who elicited the biggest screams from the crowd was past headliner Billie Eilish, who came out for their collab “Guess.” The two artists played up the song’s spiciness, much to the delight of the audience, who couldn’t believe all the surprises they were treated to in the evening.
Charli was discovered on Myspace in 2008 when she began posting songs on the social media platform, and she was later invited to perform at raves. When she last performed at Coachella in 2023, she impressed with her vocal and dancing abilities and kept the crowd energized with some of her biggest hits, such as the Icona Pop collaboration “I Love It,” “1999” (for which Sivan also came out for) and “Vroom Vroom.”
Charli xcx brought “brat” to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Though her “Brat” songs were the main showcase on Saturday, she revisited many of her past hits, such as the Icona Pop song (which got everyone jumping around), “Track 10” (during which she laid her voice and dancing abilities all out for people to see) and “Unlock It.”
At the end of the performance, words appeared on the screen asking if it was time to put an end to “Brat summer.” Given the stellar showcase Charli put on for fans, we can only hope she’ll continue to live her best brat life forever.
Charli xcx brought “brat” to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella 2025: Charli XCX makes brats sweat with Billie Eilish, Lorde
