Recommendations of the Editorial team
Sombr has been itching to play “12 to 12” at Coachella for months. “This song will freak out Sombchella,” he wrote on TikTok in October. He was right.
The pop-rock hit came at the end of the set and whipped the crowd into a frenzy of rousing jumps and the loudest cheers of the night. Sombr filled the rest of his set with his latest single “Homewrecker,” which opened the show on an electric high, as well as his breakout hits “Back to Friends” and “Undressed.”
The screens on either side of the stage didn’t turn on until “Never Even Dated” – a thunderous rock track that perfectly matched the lace-and-leather look Sombr was wearing. “If you feel too cool to jump, go to another fucking set,” he shouted to the audience during “Come Closer,” setting the tone for his performance early on.
Billy Corgan makes his Coachella debut
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan also made his Coachella debut as a surprise guest on Sombr’s show. The duo performed “Speed” and “1979,” with Corgan on vocals and guitar. If Sombr needed an accolade from a rock legend, this was the best one possible.
“You are the reason,” it lit up the stage during “Back to Friends” – a song Sombr introduced as the song that changed his life. “Love is the reason. Coachella is the reason.” As he finished “12 to 12,” he thought about how much his life could still change. “See you again when I’m fucking headlined here.”
Last month, Sombr ended the Late Nights & Young Romance Tour after nearly 70 shows. During the tour he surprised his audience with performances by Niall Horan, Joe Jonas, Hülsey, Cigarettes After Sex, Sam Smith and other artists.
Grammy performance and nomination
Earlier this year, Sombr took the stage at the Grammy Awards and performed “12 to 12” from his debut album, “I Barely Know Her.” In the Best New Artist category, he was nominated that night against, among others, his Coachella 2026 colleagues Katseye and Addison Rae – as well as against the Marías, Lola Young and Olivia Dean.
“Honestly, this is all so new to me, I don’t really know how to deal with it, and I’m still figuring it out – but I know one thing: I’m so honored,” Sombr told Billboard last year about his breakthrough. “I’m taking it one day at a time, and all I want to do is take this platform that I’ve been given and do more.”
