Israeli singer Noga Erez performed Saturday night at Coachella – one of the most coveted festival stages in California – becoming the first Israeli singer to appear at the annual event, which hosts roughly 100 performers each year. She appeared in the lineup alongside headliners Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber – a significant milestone for the Israeli artist.
Erez, who has broken into the international market and tours the US and Europe, addressed the "elephant in the room" during her set – her Israeli identity. "I come from a very complex part of this planet. To get us all here... It took forces I didn't know I had," she said, following the joint US-Israel military operation against Iran, which triggered retaliatory strikes on Israel by Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.
With a bleeding nose – the cause of which had not been determined – she continued, "I'm so f***king grateful to be here," drawing roars and applause from the crowd at a moment when anti-Israel sentiment has persisted, including inside the entertainment and music industries. "But in the same time, I'm just heartbroken and sad because of things that are happening at home and around it, I just love this music thing so much, and right now doing this thing, is exactly what I'm doing this for, is to put a bunch of strangers together and make them feel like a family, united around something."
Erez appeared on the international stage alongside her partner, music producer Or Russo, and brought their one-year-old daughter onstage as well – a moment captured in a deeply moving family photograph, set against the reality in Israel that had nearly prevented Erez and her crew from reaching the festival at all.
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Erez's remarks carried particular weight in light of threats and hate messages from pro-Palestinian activists in the days before her Coachella appearance. The activists threatened to force a cancellation of her show, called on her to "go back to Israel," and urged a boycott of her performance because of her nationality.
The pro-Palestinian hostility was on display at last year's festival, when Irish rap group Kneecap incorporated anti-Israel messaging into their set – including the message "F**k Israel, free Palestine" – and accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. That conduct, and in particular the failure of festival management and relevant parties to prevent it, given the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival on October 7, drew sharp criticism from many quarters, including from Sharon Osbourne.
