Bieber celebrated his Coachella comeback: minimalist, emotional, but full of questions. Did the $200 million deal with Hipgnosis have an impact on the set?
On Saturday, April 11, 2026, Justin Bieber made his long-awaited real live comeback. The main stage of the Coachella Festival has rarely seen so much minimalism – but despite everything, Bieber made fans all over the world dance, sing and cry. In addition to the joy of hearing hits like “Baby” live for the first time in a decade, many have the question – why weren’t the songs played in full? Here is a possible answer to the question mark.
The $200 million deal
On February 1, 2022, speculation became a sad certainty: the 32-year-old canceled his “Justice” world tour with 124 planned concerts without replacement. For health reasons he should and wanted to take some time off. In the years that followed, things became quiet around the singer – apart from a few speculations. The next shocking news followed in January 2023: Justin Bieber has sold all of his songs released up to 2021 for a total of 200 million US dollars. His 290 tracks are now owned by the investment company “Hipgnosis”. As a result, the Beliebers, as Justin’s fans call themselves, had to admit that an “Eras” tour à la Taylor Swift is now almost impossible.
Justin Bieber’s Coachella set was clearly something for the die-hard fans. But some of them also asked themselves why he didn’t play his songs in full. One theory could be the situation described – he sold his repertoire of songs and thus the rights to them. In addition to the fact that he is paying into “Hipgnosis’s” pocket by playing the songs live, there could theoretically be other clauses attached to it.
Coachella Weekend 2: What awaits us?
So far it is unclear whether the shortened songs are due to the $200 million deal. On the other hand, there is the possibility that the Canadian wanted to perform as many hits as possible during his big comeback and make his fans happy. Because of this decision, regardless of the reason, he was able to play 30 songs, whereas Sabrina Carpenter, also the headliner, only played 20.
We are currently asking ourselves the question: What awaits us this weekend? On the one hand, we could get a repeat of the past: Justin Bieber in a home office mood, old songs from YouTube and pure minimalism. Otherwise there could also be a premiere performance of his album “SWAG”. Since it appeared out of nowhere on June 11, 2025, we have only been able to enjoy it via streaming so far.
Between praise and criticism
While Bieber received a lot of criticism for his comeback performance, one shouldn’t overlook all the praise and enthusiasm. After his performance, the internet was flooded with happy viewers and fans. The approachability and authenticity, which had not been present at Coachella for a long time, were praised. You could also follow the singer’s development live.
Not only have his lyrics and melodies changed over the course of his almost 20-year career, but so has he. He grew up in the spotlight, got lost at times and has now returned – with old and newer songs and the long-missed smile.
Coachella live stream
Assuming the Coachella Weekend 2 schedule is identical to the first, Justin Bieber will perform on the Main Stage on Saturday, April 18, at 11:25 p.m. local time. In this country you will be able to watch the performance live on YouTube at 8:25 a.m. on Sunday.
