Bieber’s big payday report

Justin Bieber’s first Coachella headlining set is now being framed as a $10 million bet on nostalgia, not spectacle. (nbcnews.com) (ca.billboard.com) Billboard Canada, citing Rolling Stone, reported in September 2025 that Bieber would receive $10 million to headline Coachella 2026, with the fee split across the festival’s two weekends in Indio, California. Coachella 2026 is scheduled for April 10-12 and April 17-19. (ca.billboard.com) On Saturday, April 11, Bieber took the stage with a laptop and an internet connection instead of the backup dancers and costume changes that usually define a Coachella headline slot. NBC News reported that he projected YouTube’s homepage, played old clips including “Baby,” and even cued up his 2008 cover of “With You.” (nbcnews.com) Entertainment Tonight’s April 13 YouTube segment said Bieber “reportedly snagged a $10 million payday” and described a set built around scrolling YouTube, replaying archival footage, and singing with his younger self. That account matched the broader description of the performance carried by NBC News. (youtube.com) (nbcnews.com) The size of the reported payday became part of the story because Billboard Canada said the deal would put Bieber above Beyoncé’s reported $8 million Coachella fee in 2018. The same report said Bieber negotiated directly with festival promoter Goldenvoice. (ca.billboard.com) The set also landed as Bieber’s biggest United States performance since the Justice World Tour was canceled in 2022 after his health struggles. Billboard Canada said the Coachella booking arrived after the releases of *Swag* and *Swag II*, which it described as part of his comeback. (ca.billboard.com) Reaction split fast. NBC News reported that some fans called the show “simple and legendary,” while others mocked the idea of paying headliner money for what they saw as a YouTube viewing party. (nbcnews.com) Celebrity reactions widened that divide. NBC News said Katy Perry joked on Instagram, “Thank God he has premium,” while Zara Larsson posted that the set felt like “let’s smoke and watch YouTube” before later defending it in the comments. (nbcnews.com) Coachella and Bieber’s reported fee have not been publicly broken out by the festival in the material cited here, and NBC News said Coachella representatives did not immediately respond to its request for comment. But the performance itself made the point in public: Bieber used one of pop music’s biggest stages to replay the internet that made him famous. (nbcnews.com)