This was my very first Coachella. And I could not have asked for a better one.

This year, at least nine Asian and Asian-diaspora acts performed across the lineup, making it the most Asia-focused roster in the festival’s twenty-five year history. I know that sentence reads like a statistic, but standing in those tents, watching those crowds, feeling that energy, it was so much more than a number. It was a reckoning. A reminder that this space was always ours too, we just had to keep showing up until the rest of the world caught on.

BINI — History in Gold

I got to the Mojave tent early for BINI, and I am so glad I did. A full half hour before they even took the stage, Blooms were already packed in, waving Philippine flags and chanting “BINI, BINI” and the energy in that room was already absolutely insane. Everyone in that tent knew what they were about to witness. You could just feel it.

BINI made history as the first all-Filipino act to ever perform at Coachella, and their 45-minute set on the Mojave Stage was a full-on celebration of OPM for a crowd of festivalgoers from all over the world. They opened with the playful Taglish-sung “Shagidi,” and from that very first beat, they commanded every single person in that tent to move with them. By “Salamin, Salamin,” the whole crowd had turned into one giant call-and-response. I was amongst strangers that immediately felt like my kaibigan, and we were all singing together. That doesn’t just happen.

What got me most was the weight of the moment you could see on their faces. All eight of them - Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Jhoanna, and Sheena - carrying something massive and making it look like the easiest, most natural thing in the world. They also debuted “Blush” live for the very first time, a gorgeous track off their new EP Signals that dropped the day before their Coachella set, and the tent received it like they’d known the song for years.

They closed with “Pantropiko” and the room absolutely erupted. For my first Coachella, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the weekend.

KATSEYE — The Future, Now

I have been a huge fan of KATSEYE for the longest time. I’m talking watching every single episode of Pop Star Academy: Dream Academy on Netflix, following every debut, every comeback, every milestone. So walking into that tent was a different kind of feeling for me, less curiosity, more full-circle moment.

And they did not disappoint. Fresh off winning Push Performance of the Year at the MTV VMAs for “Touch,” they came out like they had something to prove - and they absolutely did. Watching them on that Coachella stage, knowing where they started, knowing how hard they’ve worked to get here, it was absolutely insane in the most emotional way. The choreography was tight, the energy was crazy, and the whole set felt like a victory lap they more than earned.

Fujii Kaze — Soul in the Afternoon Sun

Fujii Kaze hit the Mojave Stage, golden hour light streaming through the tent, the desert still warm, the kind of afternoon conditions that either make a set or completely break it. For him, it made it entirely.

He first found his audience uploading piano covers on YouTube, and his music blends funk, soul, and a warm nostalgic sound that feels timeless, but none of that fully prepares you for what he’s like live. His voice is effortless in a way that feels almost unfair. And unlike the hushed stillness of some of the other sets this weekend, this one moved people, literally. Everyone around me was dancing. At Coachella, in the middle of the afternoon, surrounded by a million other things competing for your attention, that is not a small thing.

Taemin — Artistry Without Apology

I have to be totally upfront. I have been a fan of SHINee for the longest time. Like, a really long time. So walking into the Mojave tent for Taemin’s set was not just another Coachella moment for me. It was truly a moment for the younger me who’s loved him for so long. And I was clearly not alone in that feeling. As the first male K-pop solo artist to ever take the stage at Coachella, Shawols and K-pop stans were absolutely flocking to his set. The tent was packed with people who had been waiting for this moment just as long as I had, lightsticks out, ready. The energy before he even stepped on stage was something else entirely.

The second he stepped on that stage, I felt it. Seeing him there, after everything, after all the years of being a fan, after all the history SHINee carries, it was truly like coming back home. I don’t know how else to describe it.

Taemin delivered that and then some. Every transition, every costume change, every moment felt completely intentional. He is an artist who has spent his entire career understanding that the stage is a language, and he speaks it fluently. Watching people in that crowd who came out of pure curiosity leave as full converts was one of my favorite things I witnessed all weekend. But for me it wasn’t about discovery, it was about finally getting to be in the room for something I’ve been rooting for my whole life.

Laufey — Jazz at Sunset

Some sets you watch. Some sets you just kind of live inside for a little while. Laufey’s was the latter. The Outdoor Theatre, the desert sky doing that thing it only does at golden hour, her voice cutting through all of it. It was the most natural pairing I could’ve imagined. he played multiple instruments throughout, slipping into jazzier renditions of her songs, and the whole thing had everyone around me in a complete trance. Nobody was on their phones. Nobody was rushing off to catch the next set. We were all just… there. Fully present, fully feeling it.

BIGBANG — The Return of Legends

I don’t think I have the words for what it felt like to watch Big Bang take that stage. I’m going to try anyway.

G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Daesung returned to the stage after years of hiatus and military service, performing as part of their 20th anniversary, and when “Bang Bang Bang” dropped, the Outdoor Theatre became something I genuinely cannot describe. It wasn’t just a crowd anymore. It was a reunion. VIPs who had been waiting years for this moment were singing every single word at the top of their lungs. People who only knew them by reputation got to witness in real time exactly why that reputation exists.

For someone who grew up listening to Big Bang, being there for this, as my very first Coachella, felt like something I didn’t even know I needed. It was the closing of a very long chapter and the opening of whatever comes next.

What This Weekend Meant

I’ve been sitting with this weekend for a while now, trying to figure out how to wrap it up neatly. I don’t think I can.

My first Coachella just happened to be one of the most historic for Asian and Asian-diaspora representation in the festival’s history. From Big Bang’s long-awaited return to BINI making history as the first Filipino act to ever grace that stage, this was more than a festival lineup. It was proof of how far we’ve come and a glimpse of how much further we’re going.

That’s the shift.

All photos taken by Princess Labrador. Cover image courtesy of Getty Images for Coachella.