2026 Bieberella

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in an Apr. 24 print edition of the Monitor.

After a four-year hiatus, the “Baby” singer is back, better than ever…with YouTube Premium. At Coachella’s grand stage, Justin Bieber became one of the highest-paid artists ever to perform at the festival, earning $10 million between two weekends. Rocking baggy jorts and a T-shirt, Justin revisited old songs and memories while sitting on a stool, laptop open, searching his old music videos and memes on YouTube, where he started it all. While some complained that the performance was “lazy,” others believed it was a night of time travel full of reminiscing about adolescent years.

Songs from his SWAG album, like “All I Can Take” and “Go Baby,” kicked off the night. The middle was dedicated to that thirteen-year-old bedroom, where you danced in front of the mirror with a hairbrush in hand, featuring some Bieber favorites: “Favorite Girl,” “Never Say Never,” “That Should Be Me” and the golden, but never forgotten, melody of “Baby.” Bieber further surprised the audience by bringing The Kid LAROI onstage—marking his first Coachella appearance—as the two performed their hit collaboration “Stay.” Alongside performing covers of songs by Chris Brown and Ne-Yo, the 32-year-old singer also invited guest artists such as Dijon, Wizkid, Tems and Mk.gee to join. Whether critics hated or loved it, Bieber returns to headline the final weekend of Coachella after he made $5.04 million in merchandise sales the weekend prior. All in all, it can be confirmed that the teenage heartthrob is back and better than ever.

While Bieber stamped his night with old YouTube clips, other performers made history in other ways. Kacey Musgraves returned with a brand-new hit, “Middle of Nowhere.” Friday night’s headliner, Sabrina Carpenter, was joined by Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson and Susan Sarandon; cameos that made Variety scratch their head, but fans deemed it as “iconic.” The all-Filipina-girl group, Bini, became the first Filipino act at Coachella, bringing down the house in shiny boots, ruffled skirts, energetic vibes and fierce attitudes. While the average ticket was priced at $649, and resale costs skyrocketed to $5,000, the sold-out 2026 Coachella performance delivered three unforgettable weekends for fans and the celebrities that attended, posing the question of what will be in store for 2027.

Simone’s Playlist Suggestions (Coachella-inspired):

1. All I Can Take – Justin Bieber
2. Stay – Justin Bieber, the Kid LAROI
3. Things You Do – Justin Bieber
4. Baby – Justin Bieber
5. Beauty and a Beat – Justin Bieber
6. Confident – Justin Bieber
7. Yukon – Justin Bieber
8. Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter
9. Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido – KAROL G
10. Break It Off – PinkPantheress
11. Middle of Nowhere – Casey Musgraves
12. Talk Down – Dijon
13. No Type – Swae Lee
14. Bad Dreams – Teddy Swims
15. RATHER BE – GIVĒON
16. Bad Bad Bad – Young Thug, Lil Baby
17. Lover Girl – Laufey
18. Sailor Song – Gigi Perez
19. Gabriela- KATSEYE
20. Sprinter – Central Cee, Dave