Hidden amidst the massive roster of big-name pop acts and well-regarded indie bands for this year’s Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival was a name that might have seemed out of place to most music fans – Idris Elba.
The “Luther” star, and People’s reigning “Sexiest Man Alive,” will make his Coachella debut as a DJ this year, hitting the stage on Saturday of both weekends, the festival announced on Wednesday night.
While it’s the lesser-known of his creative endeavors, the 46-year-old, who performs under the name DJ Big Driis, has been hopping behind the decks for decades now, having started DJing when he was still a teen.
He even spun records at Prince Harry — who he calls a “friend of mine” — and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding last May.
Of that performance, which was probably a little more stressful than his upcoming gig, Elba told the Guardian, “I try not to talk too much about it, because it was a private day, but it remains one of the highlights of my life, for sure.”
Elba is also set to play a struggling DJ and “eternal bachelor” in his upcoming Netflix sitcom, “Turn Up Charlie,” who’s forced to make ends meet by working as a manny to his much more successful friend’s school-aged daughter.
This year’s Coachella takes place the weekends of April 12-14 and April 19-21. Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino and Tame Impala are set to headline.