Inside the dim, enclosed walls of the Sonora tent at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival — where the event’s most underground acts typically cut their teeth — something shifted this year.
By the time JohnAnthony Rodriguez, musically known as 54 Ultra, took the stage last weekend, the crowd had already begun to swell beyond the tent’s casual wander-ins. Fans packed tightly, shoulder-to-shoulder, some singing along, others craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the New Jersey artist as he led a full band through a set rooted in soul, boleros and Latin rhythm.
Music fans enjoy an afternoon performance in the air-conditioned Sonora tent during Weekend 2 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., Saturday, April 18, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
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Music fans enjoy an afternoon performance in the air-conditioned Sonora tent during Weekend 2 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., Saturday, April 18, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
And he wasn’t alone.
Across the weekend, a noticeable throughline emerged within Sonora’s typically indie and punk-leaning lineup: a growing wave of Spanish-language and Latin-adjacent artists carving out space on their own terms. From the Madrid-born indie rock of Carolina Durante, to the bilingual post-punk of Chicago’s French Police, and the bedroom pop textures of Los Retros, the tent became a home for artists reshaping what “Latin music” can look and sound like at a festival like Coachella.
For 54 Ultra, that moment carried both pride and intention.
“I want to elevate the standard of that stage and show really what Latino music can be like with this nine-piece, ten-piece band —bongos, congas and timbales and horns and everything,” he said just hours before his Weekend 2 set on the grounds at Coachella. “I’ll just do it how I want to do it.”
Where Sonora has long been a proving ground for emerging rock and indie acts since its debut in 2017, it’s increasingly become a launchpad for artists who exist outside traditional genre or cultural boxes. For 54 Ultra, whose sound pulls from Dominican boleros, vintage soul records and indie rock textures, the stage felt less like a leap and more like a natural progression.
“It just felt right to be a part of that stepping stone. I don’t like skipping steps,” he said. “A year ago I thought it’d be too soon, but now it feels like I’m right at the right spot.”
That sense of timing extended to the crowd itself. While he anticipated a strong turnout, the energy inside the tent reflected something broader, fans who already knew the music alongside newcomers discovering it in real time. “I love the intimacy. I can pick out and yell at a kid from all the way down and say, ‘Hey, you better be moving,’” he shared laughing.
It’s that intimacy — paired with the freedom to experiment — that continues to define Sonora. But this year, that experimentation came with a deeper cultural resonance.
Raised in a Dominican household, 54 Ultra’s sound has always been shaped by the music around him, whether intentional or not.
“No matter what I do, it comes out through that,” he said. Over time, that influence evolved into something more deliberate, as he began pulling from salsa, boleros and rare soul records from the 1960s and ’70s, blending them into a sound that feels both nostalgic and entirely his own. With that evolution has come a growing awareness of the role he plays onstage.
“It means everything. It’s my responsibility as an artist to represent Latinos, making sure that all these kids that come to the show are protected,” he said. “I always tell everybody to take care of each other.”
With a band made up of musicians from across Latin America and beyond, that sense of community extended beyond the crowd and into the performance itself, a collective energy that mirrored the diversity unfolding within the tent. For first-time Coachella performer 54 Ultra, the moment wasn’t overhelming, but marked by clarity.
“I never considered it. I didn’t think I’d ever go to Coachella,” he said. “So to be here, it’s a blessing.”
And as Sonora continues to evolve, moments like his suggest the tent is no longer just a space for discovery but a stage where new definitions of identity, sound and scale are beginning to take hold.
“This isn’t the last you’re gonna see of me,” Rodriguez announced to the packed Sonora stage.
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