--- description: There’s a reason people call it “bro-chella” title: Coachella Has No Female Headliners For the 9th Year in a Row image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaeec064519729aa7/69888faa8e060163224657d7/gettyimages-522283954.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Coachella Has No Female Headliners For the Ninth Year in a Row by [Valentina Zarya / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Valentina Zarya / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 19, 2016 4:40 AM CUT  Calvin Harris performs on day 3 of the 2016 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 17, 2016 in Indio, California. Calvin Harris performs on day 3 of the 2016 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 17, 2016 in Indio, California.Christopher Polk—2016 Getty Images by [Valentina Zarya / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Valentina Zarya / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 19, 2016 4:40 AM CUT Surprises are great, but having a diverse lineup is better. On Saturday night, singer Kesha joined electronic music artist Zedd on stage in a surprise visit during the [Coachella ](http://time.com/money/4297785/coachella-post-office-tax-returns/ "undefined")Valley Music and Arts Festival. The singer’s performance—her first mainstream show since she filed suit against producer Dr. Luke—was one of a number of appearances not publicized as part of the original lineup and added something sorely lacking to the festival stage: a female voice. For the ninth year in a row, Coachella’s headliners are exclusively male. In fact, there have only one woman has headlined the festival since it was founded in 1999: Bjork, who was at the top of the bill in 2002 and 2007. **Read More:** [_Taylor Swift Couldn’t Handle It When Rihanna Performed With Calvin Harris at Coachella_](http://time.com/4297453/taylor-swift-rihanna-calvin-harris-coachella/ "undefined") Mainstage acts aside, women are slightly better represented in the overall [lineup](http://time.com/4295786/coachella-2016-watch-online/ "undefined"), with about a quarter of the 167 total acts fronted by women this year, according to a tally by the Los Angeles Times. Not great, but better than last year’s 16%. However, these tallies don’t include surprise guests, who were plentiful during the festival’s first weekend. A number of these unexpected performances came from women; in addition to Kesha, last-minute adds included [Rihanna](http://time.com/4297453/taylor-swift-rihanna-calvin-harris-coachella/ "undefined"), Lorde, Janelle Monae, Jillian Herve of Lion Babe, and Aluna Francis of AlunaGeorge. It is unclear whether the addition of these female performers was a response to previous calls for more women, or just a happy coincidence (Coachella representatives have not yet responded to a request for comment). While it’s great to see more women guesting and gracing Coachella’s smaller stages, putting female artists in those high-profile headliner slots remains important. As the LA Times‘ Mikael Woods writes, Coachella “has metastasized over the decade and a half since its founding into a closely watched cultural event, one that helps set agendas, not only in music but also in media, branding and style.” Female artists deserve to be on the agenda, too. 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