K-pop girl group Le Sserafim performed at the “Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival” in the United States on April 13. Just a year and a half after their debut, they became the fastest Korean act to hold a solo performance at Coachella, delivering an energetic stage. Yet, reactions from netizens are mixed.
Le Sserafim performed on the Sahara Stage, delivering 10 songs for about 40 minutes. They premiered a specially prepared unreleased song for Coachella, “1-800-hot-n-fun,” and performed hit tracks including “Antifragile,” “Eve, Psyche, and the Bluebeard’s Wife.” Notably, during their performance of the hit song “Unforgiven,” legendary American musician Nile Rodgers, who played guitar for the song, made a surprise appearance, syncing up with the members.
While many in the audience sang along in Korean and shouted fan chants, reactions from online viewers of the livestream were divided.
Many criticized the group members’ live singing abilities. International netizens commented on YouTube videos like “vocals, oh no” and “stop.” Instagram posts featuring parts of their performance received comments like “What happened to the vocals?” “Sorry, but their vocals were terrible,” and “I love Le Sserafim but I think Coachella is too much for them.”
Conversely, on the American community platform Reddit, some defended the group, saying, “Le Sserafim may not be the best singers, but as a total performance, they were definitely something to be proud of” and “I go to Coachella every year, and everyone around me danced and sang along. Le Sserafim delivered great energy.”
International media had positive reviews of the quintet’s performance. The British music magazine NME published a review titled “Le Sserafim live at Coachella 2024: K-pop girl group get raw and loose,” saying, “If ‘it’ is put on a fierce, fun performance that makes the Sahara stage their own, even if just for 40 minutes, then Le Sserafim certainly did [it],” and rated the performance four out of five stars.
The U.S. Billboard said, “[Le Sserafim] were feeling especially feisty on the massive stage,” adding, “It looks like a hot and fun new era for the group is upon us.”
After the performance, the five group members said, “Thank you for creating such wonderful memories; the atmosphere at Coachella was incredible,” and added, “We will never forget this night; today is the day our dreams came true.”
Le Sserafim will perform their second show at Coachella on April 20.
