Justin Bieber fans ‘work out’ sad reason why he played YouTube videos during Coachella performance

Bieberchella, the moment everyone was waiting for, finally happened - and it's sparked a theory among fans over why he played YouTube videos while on stage.

For those who missed it, Justin Bieber performed the first of his two headline sets at the music festival Coachella on Saturday night (11 April), singing a mix of his hits, old and new, to a huge crowd.

The 32-year-old Canadian star started his gig by performing a SWAG and SWAG II focused setlist, including hits such as 'SPEED DEMON' and 'ALL I CAN TAKE'.

However, he spent a lot of the show, which he was reportedly paid a staggering amount for, in front of his laptop, singing along to YouTube music videos of his older songs like 'Baby' and 'Beauty and a Beat'.

Justin also took a meme-filled trip down memory lane and played the viral clip where he confronted a photographer and said: "It's not clocking to you, I'm standing on business."

For the stripped-back set, he opted for minimal production and no outfit changes - all factors which prompted a mixed response from fans on social media.

One X user questioned: "Justin really up there headlining coachella w/ just a mic & his MacBook??"

While another commented on the SWAG-heavy setlist: "Justin, I know SWAG means a lot to you, but journals and believe mean a lot to ME, SING IT NOW."

A third chimed in with: "100,000 people paid to watch a man browse his own channel."

Someone else wrote: "Justin Bieber at Coachella playing songs directly from YouTube and complaining about the WiFi."

However, some fans think they know why Bieber opted for the unexpected move and chose not to perform some of his older songs in full.

One person guessed: "In case you were wondering, Justin Bieber probably didn’t perform all his old songs in full and just his new songs because he sold his catalogue btw, and wanted to perform music he owns."

While a second agreed: "Justin Bieber not owning his music catalogue anymore is a huge reason why his Coachella performance is mainly showcasing his new music. I’m not mad at it, cuz he’s basically investing that $10 million into promoting music that he owns."

Another fan wrote: "His rebranding after selling his catalogue. Why push the audience to old music he makes nothing off? His team is smart with what they did tonight. Was a solid F U to the old team. And a shoutout to the new team."

Justin Bieber sold his music catalogue

In December 2022, the hitmaker sold the rights to his nearly 300-song collection to Hipgnosis Songs Capital for a reported $200 million (around £162m at the time).

As per the BBC, this includes all of his music released before 31 December 2021. It means the company will get paid every time a track it owns is streamed or used on the radio, TV or film.

The singer owns master rights to his 2025 releases SWAG and SWAG II.

Elsewhere during his Coachella performance, Bieber was joined onstage by the likes of The Kid Laroi, Wizkid, Tems and Dijon, while his wife, Rhode founder Hailey Bieber, was seen in the crowd.

Tyla has contacted a representative for Justin Bieber for comment.

The highest-paid Coachella performances of all time

Costing hundreds of millions of dollars to run every year, it should come as no surprise that Coachella pays out the big bucks for its headliners and performers.

Here are some of the most expensive over the years...

Radiohead

Over two decades ago, in 2004, the English rock band headlined Coachella and reportedly made $1 million at the time, which equates to around $1.7 million (£1.3m) today.

Eminem

The 'Slim Shady' rapper headlined Coachella in 2018, which saw him bring Dr. Dre on stage with him for a special cameo.

It was widely reported that he made $1 million (£745k) for his performance.

Lady Gaga

A report by The New Yorker estimates that the 'Bad Romance' singer was paid between $3-4 million (£2.2-3m) for her headlining 'Mayhem in the Desert' performance in 2025.

Sir Paul McCartney

The Beatles legend was paid around $4 million in 2009 when he headlined the festival, according to 98FM, which equates to roughly $6 million (£4.5m) in today's economy.

Prince

Another legend to add to the Coachella archives, the late musician was reportedly paid a cool $5 million when he headlined in 2008, which equates to roughly $7.4 million (£5.5m) today.

Ariana Grande

The Wicked star headlined Coachella in 2019, making history for being the youngest female to ever headline.

She was also paid a very pretty penny indeed, with PEOPLE reporting that she made $8 million (£6m) from her performances over the two weekends.

Beyoncé

After headlining in 2018, which saw the festival be nicknamed 'Beychella', the pop icon's pay was disputed at first.

However, Billboard predicted she was paid somewhere between $8 and 12 million (£6m and £8.9m), making her one of the festival's most expensive headliners in history.