A year after Beyoncé became the first black woman to headline Coachella, Ariana Grande was announced as the festival's youngest headliner to date. Though each artist made music history, the cultural significance of Queen Bey's performance is already legendary. To be fair, Grande still has one more Coachella appearance this weekend; but judging by her weekend 1 set, it's unlikely she'll match Beyoncé's epic 2018 show. So you can understand why many fans were shocked when it was reported Coachella had paid Grande twice as much as Beyoncé.
According to Variety, the Thank U, Next singer received about $8 million for the two-weekend gig; a 2018 Business Insider report estimated the Lemonade creator received between $3-$4 million—a drastic gap that did not please the Beyhive.
Well, according to The Blast, those initial payment figures were reportedly accurate, but they were presented in a misleading way. The explanation is pretty simple: Sources told the outlet Grande and Mrs. Carter were paid the exact same amount; however, Grande's $8 million figure was for both weekends, while Beyoncé's reported $4 million payment was for each weekend.
Per The Blast: "We’re told the contracts for Grande and Beyoncé were structured exactly the same way—$4 million for the first weekend and another $4 million for the second." Billboard reports Bey's payout as $8-12 million.
Bey's Coachella performance was also the focus of a newly released Netflix documentary Homecoming. In support of the film's release, the singer also dropped a 40-track live album of the set.
