Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Shakira are among the global icons who’ve never headlined Coachella, even as Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, and Karol G prepare for 2026. Rapper Nicki Minaj (Onika Maraj) performs at WHTA’s Birthday Bash at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on June 17, 2017. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images)
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On Tuesday, September 16, the lineup for the 2026 edition of Coachella — the biggest music festival in the world – was unveiled. The event, which is set to take place again in April of next year, will be headlined by Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G. All three superstars are fronting the event for the very first time, and Bieber is finally appearing at the show as a headliner — something some have been calling for him to do for some time, as he has ranked among the biggest pop stars in the world for well over a decade.
Headlining Coachella is known as one of the most prestigious asks in the music industry. It’s a high-paying gig and a platform to launch new albums, promote singles, and generally generate quite a bit of publicity. Such a space is highly coveted, and artists and their teams campaign for the spots, while some even decline it as they are seemingly too big.
As Bieber, Carpenter, and Karol G head to the Indio Polo Grounds as headliners, here are several other musical superstars who have never headlined Coachella who deserve a chance.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is the obvious first choice here, as she is the biggest and most commercially successful musician on the planet right now. Swift has not only never headlined Coachella, she’s never performed at the event. This is likely because she is simply too big to show up to anything she doesn’t run and own. Swift stands to make far more money going out on her own venture than she could make during two weekends just outside of Palm Springs. Her recent The Eras Tour is the highest-grossing concert venture of all time, bringing in more than $2 billion – much more than the $4 to $8 million artists typically make at Coachella.
Rihanna
Rihanna, another one of the most famous women in music, would also be a fantastic fit for Coachella. The event loves to blend pop with edgier, more hip-hop and R&B-leaning styles when possible, as recent headliners include names like Travis Scott, Tyler, The Creator, Doja Cat, Frank Ocean, and others. Rihanna has not toured in almost a decade and rarely performs live, so getting her to come out to the main stage two weekends in a row would be quite the coup, the kind that only Coachella can manage.
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran isn’t known as quite as cool as Rihanna or nearly as commercially viable as Swift, but he does rank as one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Coachella may have shied away from hiring the British singer-songwriter, as the program typically leans toward what’s extremely hot right now and the up-and-coming stars of the music industry — not so much the artists that dominate top 40 radio and appeal to an older audience. Sheeran has collected many hits throughout his career, and his show surely would be highly-attended, but Coachella seems to try to appeal to a different demographic, and Sheeran’s image and sound might not quite fit that mold.
Nicki Minaj
Several rappers and hip-hop superstars have headlined Coachella throughout the years. In 2025, Travis Scott joined Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Post Malone in the role, while Tyler, The Creator earned one of several coveted spaces the year prior. Other rappers like Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and OutKast have all fronted the event as well, but women in hip-hop are largely lacking from the top of the bill. Doja Cat was one of the first to do so, and Nicki Minaj would be a fantastic next step.
The most successful female rapper of all time would be welcomed by what may be one of the largest crowds ever at any performance at Coachella, and her catalog boasts more hits than she could get through within her limited time slot. Minaj would be a perfect fit if Coachella worked with her schedule and she had something to promote at the time – so perhaps the 2027 staging may work for her, as she is reportedly planning a new full-length.
Shakira
Karol G is making history by headlining Coachella in 2026, and she should not be the last Latin female superstar to do so. There are many other names who could follow, and Shakira is perhaps the greatest choice.
As Latin music becomes more and more popular throughout the United States, there’s a greater desire to hear Spanish-language music from some of the top names in that field at the world’s biggest music festival. Bad Bunny headlined back in 2023 alongside Frank Ocean, Blink-182, and Blackpink, and now that Karol G is headed to the same stage, it may only be a matter of time before Shakira — arguably the most successful woman in Latin music history — earns her chance to do so, if she hasn’t already been asked.
Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars is in sort of the same grouping as Sheeran when it comes to Coachella. Nobody can argue that he isn’t well-known or that he doesn’t have enough hits to play to the largest crowds Coachella can provide. But is he really a fit for the festival?
For 15 years now, Mars has been one of the most reliable chart-toppers in the global music business, and while he has plenty of No. 1s, countless millions of albums sold, and a bevy of Grammys to his name, he, like Sheeran, might not be the “coolest” name.
Much of Mars’s music appeals to the widest possible demographic, which is not necessarily what Coachella is going for. Many of the event’s recent headliners — like Blackpink and Bad Bunny — are known as hip and on the cusp of what’s next, though they’ve already reached the highest of highs. Mars is certainly a crowd-pleaser, but the brand managers behind the name Coachella might not be too eager to bring in the Super Bowl halftime performer, as he’s not exactly edgy in any way.