Zendaya reflects on performing at Coachella after 8-year-long hiatus

Ten years following the release of her sole solo album in 2013, Zendaya made a notable appearance on one of the grandest stages in the music world by collaborating with British artist Labrinth during his Coachella set.

They performed two tracks, I'm Tired and All For Us, originally composed for the show Euphoria. This marked Zendaya's return to performing after an eight-year hiatus.

However, while the performance itself appeared seamless, behind the scenes, Zendaya candidly shared with ELLE for their September cover story that she had been dealing with considerable nervousness and unease.

“I have a lot of negative experiences with the music industry, and being onstage is really the worst,” she said. “It carries a lot for me, and I was afraid to open that door again. But I was also like, ‘You can’t run away from this forever.’”

During her surprise appearance at Coachella, the sound of her own voice in her earpiece was overpowered by the uproar of the crowd.

In essence, Zendaya learned to let go and fully immerse herself in the experience, finding a meaningful takeaway from her time on stage at the event.

“I had to be like, ‘Dude, take a second and look at how special this is. These people are giving you so much love and energy,’” she shared. “I’ve never experienced that before. That blew my mind. I had to go, ‘Stop thinking about the fucking technical stuff. Like, it’s fine. Like, whatever. It’s not going to be perfect. You haven’t been onstage in front of that many people ever in your life. Enjoy the fact that you did it. You got over your fear. You did it, and these people enjoyed it with you, gave you love and energy, and were excited that you were there. That’s enough.’”