Del Rey was in Indio just two weeks prior for her headlining set at Coachella
After a phenomenal headlining performance at Coachella 2024 two weeks ago, Lana Del Rey returned to the desert to join Paul Cauthen‘s set during the first night of Stagecoach this year.
Del Rey joined the “Hometeam” singer towards the end of his performance on Friday, taking the stage as the crowd cheered the duo. The singers took on the “Unchained Melody,” a song originally by Alex North and Hy Zaret that was most memorably covered by the Righteous Brothers in 1965.
Together, Del Rey and Cauthen sang the classic track’s chorus: “Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea/To the open arms of the sea/Lonely rivers cry, wait for me, wait for me/ I’ll be coming home, wait for me.”
Cauthen teased at the surprise guest on Instagram stories earlier on Friday — posting a photo of his wife, Elizabeth Cauthen, with the “A&W” artist and writing “Queens.”
In February, during Billboard’s pre-Grammy event in Los Angeles, Del Rey announced her upcoming, country-minded album, Lasso. The LP, slated for September, will mark the singer’s 10th studio album and third in the past four years.
Del Rey has been setting her country intentions for a while now, and previously performed a moody rendition of Elvis‘ 1977 song “Unchained Melody” in November for NBC‘s Christmas at Graceland. Last September, she visited Robert’s Western World in Nashville to feature her recurring cover of Tammy Wynette‘s 1969 song “Stand By Your Man; the following December she took on John Denver‘s beloved single “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”