Arzen Rose Dulzura

BINI and KATSEYE’s Sophia to showcase Filipino pride at Coachella 2026

Article (news)

Jemuel Tandoc

Push Team

<p>For the first time in history, a homegrown Filipino girl group and a member of a global pop group are set to bring Pinoy pride to Coachella. This marks a historic moment for the growing presence of Filipino representation at the festival, following international artists of Filipino heritage such as Bruno Mars, H.E.R., and Olivia Rodrigo.</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FABSCBNnetwork%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0LgEGVcZ96xSacMyBF4ZcX2o25FUquEbozkGGpmrEQUkCj9zsrUY9fAR4v5Czk3htl&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=500" width="500" height="497" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>But how did this historic milestone actually start?</p><div><br/><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px;display:block"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775866893292SnapInsta.to_669953845_17972209539024648_468175157556399905_n.jpg" style="width:500px;display:block" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">katseyeworld / Instagram</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>BINI Sending Signals to International Promoters</strong></div><p>In an interview on the <em>KC After Hours</em> podcast hosted by Karmina Constantino, Star Magic head Lauren Dyogi shared that BINI’s recent world tour helped open doors for the group’s inclusion in the music festival.</p><p>&quot;Laging ang nasa utak natin, one way to go international is to be invited in big festivals [like] Coachella and Lollapalooza... It was a vision of CLK (Carlo Katigbak, ABS-CBN&#x27;s CEO) to hire an international group of consultants who will guide us in terms of how do we bring our artists to the global arena, so we are guided by that. Kasi abroad naman agents eh,&quot; he revealed.</p><div><iframe width="913" height="543" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s3M-ymz80xw" title="BINI World Tour Stories | Kayo Ang Aming Aurora | Full Episode 1 | iWant Originals" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Backed by these agents and their recent world tour, they caught the attention of international promoters, ultimately opening the door to the festival stage.</p><p>&quot;Ngayon when we were able to get an agent nadala tayo sa promoters na non-Filipinos. And these promoters, ang vision talaga nun is if we were able to impress the promoters, itong mga  promoters na &#x27;to, sila din &#x27;yung magdadala sa atin sa festival. So, we needed to impress our promoters, so that&#x27;s Live Nation, that&#x27;s All Things Live… We needed to be able to prove that somehow we have a crowd, we have an audience, and after the world tour, boom... We had big shows kasi in Dubai, in LA, in San Francisco, parang &#x27;yung the important decision makers were impressed that uy there is something in BINI so we got an invitation to be part of (Coachella).” he added.</p><p>Stacey of BINI also shared in an interview with the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> that she first learned about their Coachella performance through a fan on X while they were attending an event in the Philippines.</p><p>“I was shocked. At first, I didn’t believe it because I thought it was just a joke,” she said. “But when I messaged our group chat, we found out that it was true—we are performing for Coachella. It was a surprise from the management. I think history was made.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>KATSEYE’s “Touch” of Stardom and Rapid Rise</strong></div><p>Formed in 2023 through a survival show, the all-girl group KATSEYE, led by Filipino member Sophia Laforteza, has seen a rapid rise to stardom.</p><p>In less than three years, the group—currently composed of active members Sophia, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, and Yoonchae Jeung, with Manon Bannerman currently on hiatus—has continued to gain momentum with hit songs and accolades, including two Grammy nominations in 2026.</p><div><iframe width="913" height="543" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CINpzyWIGoQ" title="Lollapalooza Chicago 2025 “Gabriela” Performance | KATSEYE" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Alongside her group, Sophia previously performed at Lollapalooza 2025 in Chicago and, together with KATSEYE, earned their first MTV Video Music Award for “Push Performance of the Year” with their hit single &quot;Touch.&quot; These milestones further expanded KATSEYE’s global reach.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Bringing Tropical Energy to the World</strong></div><p>In the same interview with the <em>Los Angeles Times</em>, it was noted that BINI will treat its performances as a platform for Filipino culture. The group champions local fashion designers for its stage outfits and works with backup dancers from elite troupes in the Philippines, ultimately introducing Coachella audiences to where they come from.</p><p>Meanwhile, according to <em>Vogue</em>, Sophia and her fellow KATSEYE members will be debuting new stage looks, with celebrity hairstylist and Matrix global artist George Papanikolas on hand to bring the transformation to life.</p><p>The Pinay idol also gushed about her dip-dye look, which she said nearly inverts Debbie Harry’s iconic two-tone grunge-glam hairstyle from the late ’70s.</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FBINIph.official%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0j4C6ZZDgceHQCj5e54ZvrrEQW43iw5jJzoirGMG1xpdsQiuwBRbJ8Kn5Vp97ZWQCl&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=500" width="500" height="498" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Building on the growing anticipation, both BINI and KATSEYE have topped recent Google search trends ahead of their performances this month. Global searches for “BINI Coachella” reached a perfect score of 100 on April 8. Meanwhile, “KATSEYE Coachella” scored 98 on Google Trends on April 7, before climbing to a perfect 100 on April 8. This led to both groups ranking among the most-searched Coachella 2026 artists, placing second and third, respectively.</p><p>BINI is set to perform on the Mojave Stage, with their performance scheduled to be livestreamed on the official Coachella YouTube channel on April 11, Saturday at 7:15 a.m. Philippine Time.</p><p>On the other hand, KATSEYE will perform at the Sahara Stage from 8:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. PDT, which is 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. in Philippine Time.</p>

<p>For the first time in history, a homegrown Filipino girl group and a member of a global pop group are set to bring Pinoy pride to Coachella.</p>

For the first time in history, a homegrown Filipino girl group and a member of a global pop group are set to bring Pinoy pride to Coachella.