Justin Bieber headlines Coachella with nostalgia-fuelled set

Coverage Comparison

Two major outlets, BBC and The Guardian, both covered Justin Bieber's Coachella performance, though with slightly different angles. BBC focused on the nostalgic nature of his set, while The Guardian framed it as a comeback performance following his health struggles. Both sources agree on the key facts: Bieber performed, was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome in 2022, and had previously cancelled his world tour due to health issues.

Key Claims

• Justin Bieber performed at Coachella, as reported by both BBC and The Guardian.
• Bieber was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome in 2022, a claim corroborated by both sources.
• He cancelled his world tour due to health issues, according to both publications.
• The festival draws over 100,000 people daily, per police figures cited by BBC; The Guardian estimates around 125,000 attendees per day.
• Bieber sang to YouTube music videos of his older hits and interacted with live comments on the stream, as detailed by BBC.
• He was joined by musical guests including The Kid Laroi, Wizkid, Tems, and Dijon, per BBC's report.
• Karol G is set to headline Sunday's show, as noted by both BBC and The Guardian.

Main Article

Justin Bieber made a nostalgia-fuelled return to the major stage as Coachella's headlining act on Saturday night, marking his biggest live show in four years. The 32-year-old singer spent much of the set sitting in front of a laptop, singing along to YouTube music videos of his older hits like "Baby" and "Never Say Never," according to BBC. He also played childhood home videos that had first brought him to the industry's attention at age 12, projecting them on the big screen, and appeared to interact with live comments on the YouTube stream of his set.

The performance, which took place on a stripped-back stage with Bieber dressed in a hoodie and shorts, included guest appearances from The Kid Laroi, Wizkid, Tems, and Dijon, BBC reported. His wife, Hailey Bieber, was spotted in the crowd alongside celebrity couple Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner.

Bieber's return to live performance comes after a turbulent period. He cancelled his Justice world tour in 2022 after revealing he was experiencing facial paralysis, later diagnosed as Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a complication from shingles, according to both BBC and The Guardian. "I wish this wasn't the case but obviously my body is telling me I gotta slow down," he said at the time, as quoted by The Guardian. Last year, he described the idea of touring again as "super daunting," the outlet noted.

During his Coachella set, Bieber repeatedly asked the audience, "How far back do you go?" as he performed tracks from his 2025 album Swag before reaching into his archive, BBC reported. He also played a clip that recently went viral, in which he confronted a photographer and said, "It's not clocking to you, I'm standing on business," which had prompted speculation about his mental state.

The Guardian reported that Bieber had promised fans on Twitch he would put on "a hell of a show" for Coachella, and that he was "getting inspired." The outlet noted that he released his surprise album Swag in July 2025 and performed live at the Grammy Awards in February.

Coachella, which takes place over two weekends in the California desert, is drawing large crowds. BBC, citing police from the city of Indio, reported that the festival attracts more than 100,000 people daily. The Guardian put the figure at around 125,000 music lovers a day across its seven stages. The festival has been running at Indio's Empire Polo Club since 2002, according to BBC.

Bieber is not the only headline act this year. Colombian pop star Karol G is set to headline Sunday's show, becoming Coachella's first-ever Latina headliner, according to The Guardian. Sabrina Carpenter is also a headliner, with The Guardian quoting her as promising her set would be the "most ambitious" show she has ever done. Other performers include Moby, Geese, David Byrne, Addison Rae, The Strokes, Iggy Pop, Ethel Cain, and Labrinth, as well as a reunion of The xx.

Tickets for the festival sold out in just three days, an encouraging sign for the second year in a row, after 2024's edition saw the slowest sales to date, The Guardian reported.

Bieber's Coachella performance was a deliberate nod to his origins, with BBC calling it "an apparent tribute to the platform on which he was discovered." The intimate, nostalgia-driven show was a stark contrast to his earlier arena tours, but it appeared to delight the crowd, according to BBC.