There are a few certainties about Coachella: the drinks will be expensive, the crowds will be huge and Justin Bieber will make a surprise appearance.
Though Bieber, 30, has kept a low profile over the years due to health issues, the “Baby” singer graced the Coachella stage again on Sunday, April 14. Like his past two appearances, Bieber’s cameo was unannounced ahead of time, though Tems did hint she had something special planned for her set.
“Coachella! I’m too exciteddd,” she posted on X. “I have a surprise tonight.”
After the 28-year-old singer was onstage, she brought out her fellow Afrobeats star, Wizkid, and then Bieber. Together, the three performed their 2021 hit, “Essence.”
For Bieber, this was his second performance of 2024, having first broken his hiatus in February. At Coachella, he seemed as comfortable as ever, rocking the mic while wearing a comfy hoodie, baggy khaki pants and a cap pulled down on his shaggy hair.
The audience went wild when the camera caught a close-up of a smiling Bieber having fun on stage again. When the song ended, Bieber gave everyone his love before exiting.
Bieber has made a habit out of these surprise Coachella performances. In 2022, he joined Daniel Caesar to sing their chart-topping hit, “Peaches.” Three years prior, Bieber appeared during Ariana Grande’s set. Though Grande, 30, said she had no plans to have guests during her headlining set, Bieber had come “all the way out to spend some time” with her and the fans, so she thought “it might be fun to do something for you guys.” She and Bieber then performed his hit, “Sorry.”
At the time, Bieber had taken a break from performing. “I haven’t been on stage in, like, two years,” he said in 2019. “I came out here, [and] I had no idea I was going to be on this stage tonight. Absolutely no idea. I wore this fly outfit not knowing that I was going to be on stage.”
“I had to get my groove back, I had to get my swag back, you know what I’m saying?” he added. “Thank you so much, Coachella. Thank you so much, Ariana Grande.”
Similar to 2019, Bieber has recently been on a break from the spotlight and the stage after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome in 2022. The disorder left his face temporarily partially paralyzed and forced him to cancel the remaining dates on his Justice World Tour.
In February, Bieber gave his first public performance in over a year at the NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto. There were rumors that he was going to be part of Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime performance, but Lil Jon — who was involved in the extravaganza — later revealed that “Justin just wasn’t really ready” to dive back in.
