Recommendations of the Editorial team
After the first weekend of Coachella, few performances have been as discussed as Justin Bieber’s. The pop star’s first major public stage appearance in four years seemed to delight as many people as it confused – including Bieber’s colleagues from the pop world.
Lizzo’s praise was particularly effusive. She wrote on Instagram about watching someone who “grew up in front of the world and now fully grown into his art.” She praised Bieber for “giving us everything, his whole life,” adding, “Justin invited us, and whoever chose to accompany him was gifted with a beautiful journey. When you use your talent for God, it will make people uncomfortable. But that’s okay, because those who stay by your side will feel the love.”
Singer-songwriter Labrinth was similarly enthusiastic and dismissed the set’s critics: “Justin… I see what you’re doing and I love it,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories. “Stay true to yourself! Fuck what anyone else thinks.”
Confused but excited
Zara Larsson and Katy Perry were among those who were left somewhat perplexed but nonetheless thrilled by Bieber’s performance. Larsson posted a TikTok of himself and some friends watching the part of the performance in which Bieber put down his guitar and started playing viral videos – including his own paparazzi mishaps.
“It’s like, let’s smoke weed and watch YouTube,” Larsson wrote as the caption to her video, and about Bieber: “He’s in my dream round.” When Bieber cued up the iconic “Double Rainbow all the way” video, Larsson could only laugh and exclaim, “What the hell?!”
Perry also provided apt live commentary for this portion of Bieber’s set in a video she shared on Instagram. With a perfect deadpan expression, she joked about Bieber’s YouTube session: “Thank God it’s premium. I don’t want to see any commercials.”
Bieber’s long-awaited comeback
Bieber’s Coachella performance marked his highly anticipated return to the stage after his Justice Tour concluded in 2022. (Bieber had initially postponed and then canceled the tour while battling a series of health problems.) Over the next four years, he was largely absent from the stage, save for a handful of private appearances and the occasional TV performance. Shortly before Coachella, he appeared on stage at the Roxy in Los Angeles at an invite-only event for fans.
