Legendary disco musician Nile Rodgers and his band Chic will be playing Coachella Music Festival for the first time ever in 2016. The announcement was made as part of a recent story by the New York Times.
Coachella will run from April 15-17 and again from April 22-24 in 2016, according to SPIN. The 2016 lineup for the festival in Indio, California, has not yet been officially announced. In 2015, musical acts at Coachella included surprise guests like DMX and Kanye West, as well as scheduled performers like Jenny Lewis.
In related Coachella news, the organizers of the fest recently announced that they’re looking into starting a music festival in New York City as well.
Chic was formed by Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards in 1976. They had a number of hits throughout their run, including “Le Freak” and “Good Times.” They have alternatively been active and inactive since they were formed, with their initial run being from 1976 to 1983, then coming together again for a couple of years in the early 1990s, again in 1996, and finally reuniting in 1998 with the current lineup.
SPIN also reports that Chic will be releasing a new album entitled It’s About Time in the coming months, though a set release date has yet to be announced. The album was originally going to be released in summer 2015 but got pushed back. It will be Chic’s ninth studio album. Nile Rodgers is currently helping Australian actor and stage performer Hugh Jackman in scoring his one-man show, and recently collaborated with Lady Gaga in covering Chic’s “I Want Your Love” for a Tom Ford fashion preview video. The disco group is also nominated again to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for 2016, among artists such as Deep Purple, Chaka Khan and Yes. They have now been nominees for induction more than 10 times.