Puerto Rico, South Korea, Spain, Belgium or Pakistan: half of the artists invited to Indio, in the California desert, come from countries other than the United States.

A program that betrays the end of American musical hegemony, as streaming and social networks bring out artists capable of conquering a global audience all over the planet.

This year, it is the Puerto Rican Bad Bunny who occupies the top of the poster of Coachella. The reggateon master opened the festival on Friday with a supercharged performance, which paid tribute to his Caribbean influences.

Some stars obviously relish the international success of their music. Like the Spanish singer Rosalia, a hybrid car that has become known by mixing pop and flamenco.

Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs during the Coachella festival on April 14, 2023 in Indio, California © VALERIE MACON / AFP

"I'm from Barcelona, that's why being on this stage is so special for me," she told her excited fans on Saturday. "It is thanks to you that I am here."

Stars de la K-pop

On the same night, K-pop group BLACKPINK drew one of the densest crowds of the weekend. Tens of thousands of festival-goers flocked to attend their fiery show, punctuated by searchlights operated by drones and fireworks.

"The public's constant demand for K-pop... is clear, even for people who monitor financial results much more than trends," said CedarBough Saeji, a professor specializing in East Asia and K-pop at the University of Washington.

"America ... is a very, very important trendsetter, but global cultural flows have changed," she told AFP.

At Coachella, Iceland's Bjork and Nigeria's Burna Boy have the honour of being on the main stage this year.

India's Diljit Dosanjh and Pakistan's Ali Sethi are on secondary stages, but attract large crowds with their energetic concerts.

Pakistani singer Ali Sethi performs during the Coachella festival on April 16, 2023 in Indio, California © VALERIE MACON / AFP

For "those of us who come from other places, other traditions, (...) the fact that Coachella welcomes us and receives us here, it's a new journey," Ali Sethi, whose song "Pasoori" has more than half a billion views on YouTube, told AFP.

Concert in Arabic

The Internet has completely reshuffled the cards of the music industry, says Ms. Saeji.

Belgian singer Adele in concert during the Coachella festival, on April 14, 2023 in Indio, California © VALERIE MACON / AFP

"The global public is now much more aware of artists from countries unaccustomed to exercising cultural hegemony," observes the expert.

If the U.S. industry still weighs in, "we'll end up in a situation where the music that's on the charts will always come from multiple languages," she predicts.

To be convinced, it is enough to examine in detail the programming of Coachella, which includes French singer Christine and the Queens, Belgian pop sensation Angele, and Argentine ska band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.

The Palestinian-Chilean Elyanna has entered the history of the festival, becoming the first artist to ensure a concert entirely in Arabic.

Argentine band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs at the Coachella music festival, in Indio, California, April 16, 2023 © VALERIE MACON / AFP

"Music is music," says Turkish DJ Omer Mesci, known by his artist name Minus the Light, adding that he is inspired by the diversity of the festival. "That's what makes it beautiful, it's so colorful."

© 2023 AFP