Jai Paul to play first ever live show at Coachella 2023

British songwriter and producer Jai Paul makes his long-awaited return to his solo project 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, joining a bill which includes thus year's headliners Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, and Frank Ocean.

The performances mark the first movement from the Jai Paul's solo project in almost two years, since returning to social media in 2021 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his breakout hit ‘BTSTU’.

Read this next: Coachella lifetime pass NFTs unavailable amid crypto crash

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.

In 2013 a 16-track record made up of unfinished cuts and demos was leaked on Bandcamp under the guise of his debut album after a CD containing low quality demos was stolen from Jai Paul.

Despite a City of London police investigation the identity of the uploader was never uncovered. He later released the leaked album officially through XL in 2019 under the title 'Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)'.

Since then, Jai Paul has kept a very low profile - and his long-awaited live debut 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.”

Read this next: Coachella sues Ghanaian festival Afrochella for copyright infringement

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 put out a double B-side single, the first new music heard from his solo project in six years. ‘Do You Love Her Now / He’ is the producer’s last release, although 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 with artists on their label Paul Institute.

In 2022 he surprised fans by appearing in an episode of Atlanta, during the third season of Donald Glover's show.

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