*The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia are reportedly taking over Kanye West’s Coachella headlining slot after the rapper bailed on his performance
The music festival announced Wednesday that The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia will be performing together as co-headliners on Sunday, April 17 and 24. The Weeknd previously performed at the music festival in 2012, 2015 and 2018, according to Billboard.
Page Six reports that the has singer threatened to pull out of this year’s festival if he wasn’t paid the same money as West, “who was set to rake in $8 million plus a $500,000 production fee,” the outlet writes.
READ MORE: NO Coachella for Kanye West – He’s Just Not Up for it | VIDEO
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A source said, “The Weeknd came in at short notice to take Kanye’s top spot. But Phil Anschutz [who owns the Coachella Festival through AEG Live] wanted to hold on to Kanye’s money and pay The Weeknd far less, just a few million. The festival would pocket the rest.”
The source continued, “Even after Coachella announced the new lineup on Wednesday, a deal wasn’t in place for The Weeknd, who threatened to pull out at an hour’s notice if he didn’t get the same deal as Kanye. Finally, on Wednesday — faced with the prospect of a second headline act pulling out of Coachella at the last minute — Anschutz’s company caved and agreed to pay The Weeknd the same money.”
West dropped out of Coachella weeks before the two-weekend festival kicks off in California.
“Kanye has definitely pulled out of Coachella,” an insider told Page Six Monday. “He hasn’t been rehearsing or putting on a production.”
Rapper Travis Scott “was supposed to be joining [West] on stage,” the insider said.
“Now it would be virtually impossible for him to get it together. Look for The Weeknd to replace him,” said the insider, adding, “Kanye is backing out because he wants to stay out of the public eye after all the drama with Kim and Pete; he wants to get help.”
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