Is it “authentic” or just lazy? How 2026 Coachella highlighted an even bigger issue in the music industry.
If you were like me these past two weekends, you spent most of your time judging influencers’ Coachella outfits and rating artist sets from the comfort of your bed. While watching, I noticed one headliner stole the spotlight in a lackluster way, revealing an ongoing issue in the music industry.
After announcing artists like Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Karol G and EDM producer Anyma as headliners, tickets quickly sold out to this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival — something that hasn’t been seen since a pre-pandemic era, when tickets sold out before the lineup was even announced.
While there were several factors driving excitement for this year’s festival, Justin Bieber’s return to the main stage seemed to generate the most anticipation.
Full transparency, I never caught “Bieber Fever.” He was huge when I was growing up but faded in relevancy as I got older. Of course, like many others, I had Bieber songs on my playlist such as “Boyfriend” and “One Time,” and may have even sported the Bieber cut as a child.
While I was never obsessed, I enjoyed him as an artist and was curious how his Coachella set would play out, although judging by his performance at this year’s Grammys, the bar wasn’t set high.
So when he came out in an oversized red sweater from his brand “Skylark” and delivered a 90-minute performance — aimlessly wandering — his futuristic set, the lack of direction was clear.
Around a third of the way through his performance, Bieber leaned into his older catalog, actually, more like his computer did while he sat at the center of the stage. When “Baby” came on, phones immediately shot up and the crowd reacted with visible excitement.
But after barely a minute, the song would cut off abruptly as he moved on to the next track, repeating the same pattern with his hits “Favorite Girl,” “Confident” and “Sorry.”
What initially felt like a moment of nostalgia, something many fans were likely hoping for when he was announced as a headliner, quickly disappeared, never fully allowed to settle before being pulled away by another meme.
In the words of Katy Perry, “Thank God he has Premium. I don’t wanna see no ads.”
During weekend two, there were slightly more energetic moments, along with appearances from artists like SZA, Big Sean and Billie Eilish, but it still raises the question of whether that was enough to compensate for the lack of ingenuity in the rest of the performance.
Audience reactions were mixed. Some applauded Bieber for delivering a stripped-down performance that was personal, while others called it “lazy” for not meeting the standards of a Coachella headliner.
With criticism towards Bieber’s performance being skewed, many industry professionals also had something to say. Even pop singer Zara Larsson posted a response video to TikTok watching the performance with text saying, “It’s giving let’s smoke and watch YouTube.”
In all honesty, while I might get some kickback for this, the YouTube segment and general performance was lazy. That’s not to diminish the immense talent that Bieber has consistently shown, but if a popular female artist, Katy Perry for example, did the exact same thing, she would get ripped apart.
While I understand arguments about his performance being reminiscent of how he was discovered, I think people are going to extra lengths to defend his performance.
Despite selling his catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Capital in 2022, Bieber is still allowed to sing his old songs, as the deal only refers to transfers of royalty income and not the right to perform songs live.
Comparing him to past performers like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and even this year’s headliners Carpenter and Karol G, Bieber’s set felt noticeably out of step.
Carpenter had costume changes and a storyline running through her performance, and while you can say that she chooses to perform on a grander scale and isn’t directly comparable to artists like Bieber, it’s nice knowing that your favorite wants to give fans a full production to make the expensive ticket prices feel worth it.
The Strokes even incorporated a video showing the CIA’s involvement in organizing coups, the last university in Gaza being demolished and how racism and violence is embedded into history — yet Bieber is the one that’s breaking records for being the highest-paid artist in Coachella history, taking home $10 million, as well as breaking records in merchandising, making $15 million for both weekends when previously the highest merch sale record for both weekends was $1.7 million.
It’s like praising your old blind dog just for making it to his bowl while ignoring your cat who’s doing a fancy trick.
Furthermore, it highlights a clear double standard between male and female artists in the music industry. Insert meme of Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran serving at two completely different ends of the spectrum here.
Female artists are required to deliver high-energy, heavily choreographed performances, while their male counterparts are praised for having a “relaxed” stage presence. There’s also consistent pressure for female artists to come back every era with a new “look” and fresh sound, while male performers can often coast through their careers without the same level of scrutiny.
If we’ve come to expect artists like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift to consistently pull out all the stops for their fans, what should we expect of the men in the same industry?
I think it’s great that Bieber has found a unique way to tell his story, but when it comes to being the highest-paid Coachella headliner, it makes me question whether the performance ultimately justified that title.
Since Coachella began in 1999, we’ve seen a wide range of amazing artists featured on the festival stage. While the expectation of performances have evolved, the core goal of connecting with music lovers still rings true.
Music is an art that connects people through soulful beats or melancholic sounds, but I think we need to re-evaluate what we’re asking of our artists — especially women — who are expected to put everything on the line, in ways other performers, like Bieber, do not.
While “Bieber Fever” seems to have returned this year, it’s more — the normalization of male mediocrity that explains how Bieber is being praised for a performance that you can find me doing every Friday night with friends.
Regardless, as audience standards continue to rise, it’s unclear what the future of male live performances will look like — but we can hope that YouTube videos and aimless stage pacing won’t be a part of it.
Header Image by Noemi Romero
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