A billboard for the Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey along Interstate 10 in the Coachella Valley generated buzz and anticipation on social media ahead of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 11-13 and 18-20 at the Empire Polo Club.
The billboard, which includes a selfie and the message “Still struggling with my name? Visit saylaufey.com to learn,” led many to speculate the singer would be a surprise guest at Coachella, and that prediction was confirmed Wednesday, April 9.
The LA Phil’s social media team posted a video Wednesday morning showing Laufey at what appears to be a rehearsal with the orchestra, accompanied by the message “Passing the phone to a girlie that’s joining the LA Phil’s set at Coachella.” (Hint: She did not pass the phone to anyone and instead held on tight to it while doing a little joyful twirl.)
How to pronounce Laufey
The correct pronunciation of the singer’s first name has confused many. In case you’re wondering, it’s pronounced “lay-vay.”
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Here’s a look at the billboard that started it all:
LA Phil hinted at Coachella surprise guests 2025
LA Phil Vice President of Presentations Johanna Rees told The Desert Sun in February the performance won’t be “straight orchestral music” and will include surprises such as special guests.
“With the guests we’re getting, it’s just something that’s going to be unusual,” Rees said in February.
The orchestra will make history during the festival by bringing the grandeur of orchestral music to a festival renowned for rock, pop and electronic music.
Even though the festival has showcased notable film composers such as Hans Zimmer in 2017 and Danny Elfman in 2022, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and Los Angeles Philharmonic’s inclusion on the Coachella 2025 lineup marks the first time a professional orchestra of such acclaim has ever played a major non-classical music festival.
Weezer Coachella 2025
In other festival news, one surprise lineup addition announced over the weekend is now being questioned. Festival organizers on April 5 released the set times for both weekends of the festival and announced Weezer and Ed Sheeran will perform at the festival in the Mojave tent (Weezer on Saturday afternoon of Weekend 1 and Sheeran on Saturday afternoon of Weekend 2).
However, on Wednesday, April 9, Weezer bassist Scott Shriner’s wife, Jillian Shriner, was involved in an altercation with the Los Angeles Police Department that ended in her being shot and booked on attempted murder, causing many people on social media to question if the band will still play its Saturday set (or if the band could play with a different bassist).
According to police, around 3:25 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to a north Los Angeles neighborhood to search for three misdemeanor hit-and-run suspects. The California Highway Patrol directed officers to a residence where one of the suspects was last seen, according to a press release from the LAPD.
When officers entered the rear of the property, they saw Shriner in the yard of a neighboring residence with a gun, police said. The release says officers ordered Shriner to drop the gun several times, but she pointed her handgun at the officers instead.
Shriner was then struck by gunfire and fled into her residence before she was taken into custody. Police later determined she was uninvolved in the hit-and-run. A 9-millimeter handgun was recovered at her residence, according to the release.
She is being held in custody on a $1 million bail. A court date has not yet been set, and there’s been no word from the festival on whether this will affect Weezer’s set.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at [email protected].
