Mei Pearl Holmes-Selby | Sports Editor
May 23, 2026
Founded in 1999 by Paul Tollet and Rick Van Santeen, Coachella has transformed from an annual music and arts festival in Indio, California to an iconic pop culture event that reels in various age groups from all over the world. Not only does it shine the spotlight on past iconic headliners, such as Beyonce, Prince, and Daft Punk, these artists pave a way for new and upcoming singers and songwriters. These headliners ultimately redefine the festival each year, making the anticipation of the following year greater.
This year, 2026, many familiar faces reappeared into this iconic spotlight, including the one and only Justin Bieber. After all the controversies, he took this year’s opportunity to make his debut as a headliner at the 2026 Coachella. Although he has appeared in prior years as a guest for artists, it would be his first time to headline two weekends, April 11th and April 18th.
Justin Bieber not only made a significant impact in the music industry, he made an impact on a whole generation. His fans aren’t called “Beliebers” for no reason. At Coachella, those fan’s true hearts shined as a “new” Justin Bieber emerged on stage. There were no dancers. No extras. It was just Justin. His performance truly illustrated the raw emotion he emitted in his performance as he sang some of his new music, filled with growth and emotion. While Beliebers were loving this “new version” of him, he decided to switch to something more nostalgic: his older music. An era that stored both hurt and hope as it rehashed memories of the past and allowed for reminiscion on his younger self. Either way, the crowd went nuts with his most popular songs “Baby,” “Beauty and a Beat,” and “That Should Be Me.” He not only brought everyone’s inner childhood out, he did it in a way that connected with his fans on a personal level as he had to search his songs on YouTube to sing his older songs. This unexpected but touching experience made the concert more emotional for his fans.
As senior, Caroline Keckler, put it, Justin Bieber wasn’t the best artist of “Coachella for being nostalgic–he was the best because he expressed so much gratitude for his fans and his career that singing along felt healing.” Her reasoning for why Justin Bieber was the best artist at Coachella truly expresses how fans felt, during and after the show. His emotions that were seen on stage healed himself and his fans from the past and let them move on to embrace the future. Additionally, on a broader level, the experience of Coachella for senior Ashlyn Heller “was super fun to get to see so many of [her] favorite childhood artists. Exploring the grounds and stumbling on to new artists was also amazing!”
Coachella is truly a place to express oneself while letting loose, whether one is attending with friends, family, or loved ones.
Leave a Reply