Jai Paul to play first ever live set at Coachella 2023

British songwriter and producer Jai Paul makes his long-awaited return this year with his first-ever live performances at California’s Coachella.

Across two dates in April, Jai Paul is set to take to the stage to perform live for the first time as a co-headliner of this year’s Coachella, with headliners this year including Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, and Frank Ocean.

The performances mark the first movement from the producer in almost two years, last returning to social media in 2021 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his breakout hit ‘BTSTU’.

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When Jai Paul first teased ‘BTSTU’ as a demo in 2011, the producer gained a cult following and saw the single released in full by XL Recordings that same year. He went on to release a full 16-track record made up of unfinished cuts and demos by 2013.

Since then, Jai Paul has kept a very low profile – and his long-awaited return has stirred a reaction from fans. “This is historic” one fan commented in the Jai Paul subreddit.

“Forget about me performing, I’m going to see Jai Paul,” joked KAYTRANADA on Twitter. DJ and NTS host Raj Chaudhuri also tweeted: “If Jai Paul plays Coachella and not Glastonbury or something over here, he has to renounce his British Citizenship. We’ve been waiting a lot longer for this moment.”

If Jai Paul plays Coachella and not Glastonbury or something over here, he has to renounce his British Citizenship.

We’ve been waiting a lot longer for this moment.

— Raj Chaudhuri (@RajiRags) January 10, 2023

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Others speculate that Jai Paul’s return could mean the release of a new record from the producer. “Congrats to Jai Paul, who is super high up on the Coachella bill despite releasing almost no finished music in the past 12 years – I assume a real record must be coming?” one fan contemplated on Twitter.

In 2019, Jai Paul returned for the first time in six years with new music. ‘Do You Love Her Now / He’ is the producer’s last release, while he made a brief return in 2021 to share BTSTU.com, a website where he shared further unfinished demos. Along with his brother A. K. Paul, the pair have also been working together on Paul Institute.

Jai Paul is set to perform at Coachella on April 16 and April 23. Find out more about this year’s Coachella line-up here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter