While some may not be familiar with the name Ink, chances are you’ve been captivated by her work.
Ink, the stage name for Atia Chade Boggs, is a singer/songwriter who has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Beyonce for her “Cowboy Carter” album, Kendrick Lamar on “GNX,” Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez. She’s even gone global by recently working with BTS on their upcoming comeback album, leading to their latest hit “2.0.”
But soon, festivalgoers will get to see all that Ink and her genre-blending sound is all about when she makes her Stagecoach country music festival debut on Sunday, April 26. She will perform at 2:10 p.m. on the Mane Stage.
Ahead of her performance, the artist spoke with The Desert Sun about how she plans to surprise the crowd, how music saved her life and what she’s gained from working with Beyonce and Lamar over the years.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
This is your Stagecoach performing debut. How do you feel?
Ink: I’m super excited, it’s like a full journey, a cycle of return for me. I’ve got my old band from back in the day, Vintage Nation, my posse from Atlanta, all my crew, and we’re getting ready to take over the live music scene. I’m excited for the people to get to be able to see it and witness it with us.
What is the Ink specialty when it comes to standing apart on the lineup? Do you have any big surprises planned?
I think the Ink way is everything is over the top, but it’s also just authentic. I’m just going to stay true to my roots, stay true to how I do everything that I do. It’s always an experience from top to bottom, so it’s going to be a lot of elements in there, a lot of surprises. Expect the unexpected when it comes to seeing Ink live because it’s going to be a show like never before, and I know we’re going to pull out so many different types of people. I’m looking forward to the people who kind of know who I am or they might have heard me in songwriting, I’m excited for those people to really get to witness it for the first time.
I’ve never had a performance on this scale, and for this to be my first festival it’s only right. I’m coming with it all the way, it’s going to be larger than life and it’s going to be a really good time for music. It’s been a journey for all of us. I started playing on the train and I was a busker, so to come from playing on the streets with a guitar all the way to playing at Stagecoach, this is what these moments are for.
Can you tell me about your musical journey and how you got to this point in your career?
It helped me save my own life. Music, it was just the language that I spoke, and it was automatic. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to do this. I knew that I was going to do it on this scale, so I knew I had to make sacrifices. While all my friends were doing other things, I was surrendering to my music. I was out there taking one-way buses, sleeping at the airport, sleeping on the streets, couch surfing, my friends would leave their doors unlocked so I could come have a warm place to sleep at night. But I knew that music would always provide a better way for me. I just stuck it out. A lot of people give up too early, but there’s never been any reward in that for me.
Really the Ink story is about redemption, and it’s about liberation. Artists go through so much and people don’t understand what you go through to prepare for these types of shows. Even when no one’s clapping, are you doing it with the same passion? That’s just how I’ve always lived my life, so I’m going extra hard because this is what I’ve always dreamed of.
Is there one moment that clicked things into place for you?
I don’t know if it’s one specific moment. I think with me it’s many little moments that give me that ambition. One time I snuck into a festival and I got to meet Lauryn Hill. I was like, ‘Lauryn, I need to talk to you for a minute,’ and she had just got off stage, I watched her whole performance from backstage. She was like, ‘Alright, let me get dressed and then I’ll come right back out.’ She came back out, she was signing autographs for everybody else, but I knew I had to get her attention. So I stood up on a trailer, and I started playing my guitar. She was across the way signing autographs, she immediately heard my guitar and she literally made a beeline straight to me. I was freestyle singing and rapping, and then next thing you know she did the most unthinkable s—, her team says she’s never done this before, and she just joined in and started singing with me. She kind of passed the torch, and it just put a whole other spark of this is the right path and this is what I’m supposed to be doing.
You’ve collaborated with Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar in recent years. What have those experiences taught you?
I learn something every time I’m with them, and even when I’m not with them, it sticks with me. Any time you work and learn from artists that do it on this scale, I admire their work ethic, and that’s what I get from it every time. Their level of work ethic is just beyond anything. I know a lot of times people don’t really get to see what goes into it, but to be behind the scenes to learn from artists like that while he’s getting ready to do the Super Bowl or Beyoncé is getting ready for tours, I’m getting to see the direct input and the work that goes into it. People are partying on holidays, people are with their families, and they’re at work and they’re putting their best foot forward. And just being a great human being, that’s also the part that means the most too.
You also recently worked with BTS. What was that experience like?
We just released one of the singles that they had called ‘2.0,’ which is literally going viral right now. I had a great chance to work with the guys when they were out here in LA, and I just came back from Korea. We had a live performance in Korea, the first performance they did since they’ve been reuniting, and just watching them perform, it was just beyond words. Just to be a part of history in that way and different sets of cultures, you realize music really is a global language.
Your new song ‘Mine (In Love with You)’ dropped a few weeks ago. Is this a sign of more to come?
This era is definitely indicative of all the sounds, all the cultures, all the expressions that I’ve had over the years, and a culmination of all my influences, so you’re going to feel a little bit of this and that, but you’re really going to feel that soul. It’s always going to be something that you can feel that’s going to help you get through your day or that’s going to give you a reminder. You’re going to be able to see yourself in the story because in my music, you are the main character. The song ‘Mine,’ it’s just putting a little more love in the world.
I’m the perfect artist to see if you don’t like country and if you love country. It’s soul music, it’s a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll, it’s country, it’s blues, it’s gospel, it’s hip hop, it’s pop, it’s folk, and I don’t think we’ve ever seen an artist that embodies all of this the way that I do.
Headed to Stagecoach? Here’s a few answers to the internet’s most-asked Stagecoach questions to help you out.
Stagecoach schedule?
The Stagecoach set times dropped much earlier than Coachella’s this year. Check them out in the post below:
When does Stagecoach start?
Stagecoach runs Friday, April 24 though Sunday, April 26 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. The gates open at 1 p.m. daily.
Stagecoach map 2026?
(This story was updated to fix a typo.)
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: She’s worked with Beyonce. Now, Ink is taking on Stagecoach 2026
Reporting by Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
