Update: Readers, it happened.
Mason Ramsay did, in fact, turn up on the Coachella stage on Friday. He joined dance producer Whethan and performed his now-signature song, a cover of the Hank Williams classic "Lovesick Blues."
And, according to Billboard, Ramsay has a new biggest fan in Justin Bieber, who was there cheering him on.
This story was originally published on April 13, 2018.
Is this the true realization of the American dream? Coachella has a new addition to its star-studded lineup, which already includes Cardi B, Beyoncé, and The Weeknd. According to TMZ, the "yodeling Walmart kid" is heading to the music festival, proving that Coachella 2018 will truly be as lit as humanly possible.
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For those who have no idea what a yodeling Walmart kid is, it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Eleven-year-old Illinois resident Mason Ramsey went viral when a video of him performing Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues" at a local Walmart circulated the internet. His fame reached stratospheric proportions when Ellen DeGeneres, who has never met a viral sensation she didn't like, had Ramsey on her talk show. DeGeneres surprised Ramsey by informing him that he would be performing at the Grand Ole Opry — a longtime dream of the self-proclaimed "country boy."
The powers that be at Coachella clearly saw this interview and said, "Hold my beer." According to TMZ, Ramsey will join Whethan, an up-and-coming DJ, on stage at Coachella Friday afternoon. TMZ also reported that Post Malone really wanted Ramsey to guest during his Saturday set, but that DeGeneres had already scored that Grand Ole Opry gig for that night. Fingers crossed, though — apparently, Post Malone is willing to wait until next weekend for Ramsey to join him on stage.
Coachella is clearly the place to be this weekend (as long as you pack the appropriate amount of sunscreen) and if Ramsey is going to take his yodeling career all the way to the top of the charts, the music festival is the perfect place to get started. Of course, I'm sure Ramsey will never forget how he first stepped into his the spotlight — and that is under the fluorescent lights of a Walmart aisle.