Doja Cat keeps up surprise guest trend in closing first weekend of Coachella

US rapper Doja Cat has wrapped up the first weekend of Coachella with a string of surprise appearances.

The headline set saw the 28-year-old bring out British rapper 21 Savage to perform their hit n.h.i.e, Teezo Touchdown emerge during a new track titled Masc, and Asap Rocky appear on the catwalk stage to rap on the track titled Urge.

The star-studded performance also saw Doja Cat, real name Amala Dlamini, bring her visual set to a close with a rendition of her 2023 unapologetic anthem titled Paint The Town Red – which peaked at number one on the official UK charts.

Doja Cat followed the trend of surprise on-stage appearances, after Oscar-winning actor Will Smith made an unexpected cameo during Colombian singer J Balvin’s show, performing Men In Black from the 1997 film of the same name starring Smith.

The actor, who wore the trademark black suit and matching sunglasses, rapped the track during the Sunday set while dancers dressed in alien costumes performed behind him, consistent with Balvin’s extra-terrestrial themed set.

His appearance came two years after he slapped comedian Chris Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, before he was awarded the Oscar for his leading role in King Richard.

Meanwhile, Canadian superstar Justin Bieber and Wizkid also unexpectedly stepped on stage during the set of Nigerian star Tems to perform 2020 hit single Essence.

The singer, real name Temilade Openiyi, had warned fans of a surprise before her performance, writing on X: “Coachella! I’m too exciteddd I have a surprise tonight.”

Last year, Bieber was forced to cancel the remaining dates of his Justice world tour amid his ongoing recovery from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a condition that can cause facial paralysis.

Earlier in the day, US star Lauryn Hill staged a mini-reunion with her Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean, as they surprised festival-goers during her son YG Marley’s Coachella set.

Hill, who made her name in 90s hip-hop band the Fugees before announcing herself as a solo artist, performed hit tracks Ex-Factor and Lost Ones, before welcoming Jean on stage for a partial reunion to sing their 1996 version of Killing Me Softly With His Song.

The duo were not joined by their Fugees co-star Pras.

Guest star Busta Rhymes performed a rendition of Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See, before the group paid tribute to YG Marley’s grandfather, late reggae singer Bob Marley, playing his hit tracks including One Love and Exodus.

The Sunday line-up also saw pop star Kesha join Renee Rapp on stage in a surprise appearance.

Mean Girls actress and singer Rapp brought on 37-year-old Kesha to duet on her debut track Tik Tok, who changed the original opening lyrics to the song which is about rapper Diddy.

It comes as Diddy, real name Sean Combs, has been the subject of several civil lawsuits with allegations made including sexual assault – which he vehemently denies.

Rapp, who starred as Regina George in the Broadway musical of Mean Girls before landing a role in the film’s remake, left her regular role in The Sex Lives Of College Girls to release her debut album Snow Angel last year – performing several hits during her Coachella set.

Other Sunday performers included Victoria Monet, who scooped three Grammy awards at the 2024 ceremony for her debut studio album Jaguar II, and US singer Bebe Rexha.

British acts who took to the stage on Sunday included break-out star Olivia Dean, who was crowned the BBC Introducing artist of the year in November following in the footsteps of Arlo Parks and Tom Grennan.

The London-born star, who is a Brit School graduate like Adele and Amy Winehouse, performed on the Gobi stage after an impressive 2023 saw her debut album Messy shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.

Meanwhile, London-formed R&B three-piece girl group Flo – which includes Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renee Downer – also performed after being named the winner of the 2023 Brit Awards Rising Star award.

It comes after Grimes apologised for her performance at Coachella, insisting she had a “bad feeling” before the show but has learnt a “big lesson” from it.

The Canadian singer-songwriter and producer appeared frustrated during the second half of her Saturday set which seemed to be plagued with technical difficulties.

The 36-year-old, who has three children with Tesla founder Elon Musk, later explained that she was experiencing “sonic chaos” during the set and asked fans for forgiveness.

She also promised a “flawless” performance at the second weekend of the festival, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.