
Justin Bieber stunned fans at Coachella 2026 in California at the weekend when, instead of performing his biggest hits live, he sat behind a MacBook and played old YouTube videos of himself singing tracks such as 'Baby,' 'Favourite Girl,' 'Beauty and a Beat' and 'Never Say Never' despite reportedly being paid $10 million for the set.
Bieber sold his entire music catalogue in December 2022, handing over the rights to every song released before 31 September 2021 to Hipgnosis Songs Capital in a deal worth around $200 million (£162 million). That sale included publishing copyrights to his 290-song back catalogue and his share in the original master recordings. At the time, it looked like a straightforward mega-payout. At Coachella, it suddenly looked like a creative constraint.