With his Coachella performance just two days away, Justin Bieber is feeling more than prepared to headline the music festival.
“He’s been involved in everything all along, from negotiating his own paycheck to working on the show’s creative direction,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “He even helped design the merch that’ll be sold on the grounds — T-shirts, hoodies, hats, etc.”
Rolling Stone previously reported that Bieber, 32, will pocket more than $10 million for taking the Coachella stage in Indio, California, the next two Saturdays, April 11 and 18, making him the highest-paid act in the festival’s nearly three-decade history. He worked directly with the event’s promoter, Goldenvoice, rather than using an agent, according to the magazine.
“Justin doesn’t feel he has something to prove, but at the same time, he wants to flex that he can put on a memorable show without a huge team like he once had,” the source tells Us, referencing Bieber’s 2023 split from his longtime manager, Scooter Braun. “It’s all his vision, brought to life by just a few people.”
Ever since Scooter Braun discovered Justin Bieber on YouTube in the late aughts, the singer has become one of the most successful and recognizable names in the music industry. Bieber released his debut EP, My World, in 2009 and his first full-length album, My World 2.0, in 2010. His fan base quickly grew, thanks in part […]
The insider does, however, give some credit to Justin’s wife, Hailey Bieber, calling her “a great sounding board and cheerleader throughout the process.”
While the pop star has performed several times in recent years (including intimate sets at The Roxy and Troubadour in West Hollywood last week), Coachella will mark his first major concert since his Justice World Tour, which he canceled midway through in 2022 due to health issues.
“Justin is very proud of his Swag albums [released in 2025], so he wants to spotlight them, but he’s also packing his set with old hits that he hasn’t performed in years. He knows the crowd will want to hear those too,” the source tells Us. “He’s been fine-tuning and changing some things as recently as this week. It’s all very fluid, but the bulk of the show is finalized and has been run through.”
Coachella streams all of its performances on YouTube every year, but the insider shares that Justin’s crew is also “filming both weekends for a special project.” (A recent, unconfirmed Deuxmoi blind item said Justin has teamed up with Netflix for a documentary-style film similar to Beyoncé‘s Homecoming, which featured the “Crazy in Love” singer’s 2018 Coachella performance in addition to behind-the-scenes footage.)
Justin Bieber has faced his fair share of hardships since skyrocketing to fame after being discovered by Scooter Braun in 2007. Upon breaking onto the scene with his debut album, My World 2.0, the two-time Grammy winner was beloved by the world over for his boyish charm, famous hair “swoop” and age-appropriate love songs. However, […]
Us Weekly has reached out to Justin’s rep for comment.
This will be the “Baby” singer’s first time headlining Coachella, but he previously made guest appearances during Ariana Grande, Daniel Caesar and Tems‘ sets in 2019, 2022 and 2024, respectively.
The 2026 Coachella lineup also includes Sabrina Carpenter, Karol G, The xx, The Strokes, Young Thug and more.