Weekend one of the 2026 Coachella music festival had no shortage of pop stars—maximalist showgirl pop maven Sabrina Carpenter kicked things off, and after four years away, Justin Bieber made a nostalgia-hitting headline performance. But it was the subversive and boundary-breaking pop girls who really defined the weekend: namely, PinkPantheress, Addison Rae, and Slayyyter.
For rising pop star Slayyyter, her Friday night set was particularly special. It marked her first time playing the event in Indio, California. “It feels like such a dream come true,” says Slayyyter, who released her bangers-filled album Worst Girl in America just last month. “I have always wanted to attend Coachella—let alone play it—since I would see photos on Tumblr when I was in high school. It feels very surreal.”
The singer had the crowd roaring with her club-shaking hits like “Beat Up Chanels,” “Dance,” and “Crank.” These still-new tunes are fertile for Slayyyter, with the festival a testing ground for her bangers. “Coachella was the debut of performing all of these songs. Everything felt incredible in a live setting,” says Slayyyter. “I was surprised how many people knew the words to the non-single songs on the album. The crowd response to ‘Crank’ was maybe my favorite moment of the whole set, though. Everyone was just screaming: It felt like the room was shaking!”
What made Slayyyter’s Coachella debut even more personal was the fact that she handmade her own performance outfit in the week leading up to the show. “I like being very hands on with my costume design—every time I make my own outfit, it just feels comfortable,” says Slayyyter. “I know what silhouettes and proportions I like on myself.”
For her show, the Missouri-born star wanted to land on a look that felt quintessentially her—sexy, with a dash Y2K, and a sense of somewhat refined messiness. (That might seem like a paradox, but trust her—and us!—it’s not.) She crafted a ruffled chiffon top with lace detailing, and paired it with denim cut-offs and western accessories, as well as a “Worst Girl at Coachella” studded and bedazzled trucker hat. “It feels really fun for me to sit down and take time to create something,” says Slayyyter. “This one didn’t take me too long—I honestly started it a couple days before.”
