"Bieber's Saturday night set was stubbornly underproduced, so lo-fi that it felt like an overcorrection from his polished career as a teenage star."
"He selected his backing tracks manually from a Mac on the side of the stage, occasionally scrolling through comments on the Coachella livestream to pick his next songs."
"Instead, Bieber pulled mostly from his newest albums, 2025's 'Swag' and 'Swag II,' which are two discs of stripped-back, lo-fi R&B."
"The only other songs he played in full weren't his own: 'Stay' (which Bieber does feature on), with special guests."
Justin Bieber's return to Coachella marked a significant moment after three years away from the spotlight. Fans anticipated a nostalgic performance filled with his classic hits, but Bieber opted for a lo-fi, underproduced set. He performed alone, selecting tracks manually and engaging with the audience through livestream comments. The setlist primarily featured songs from his recent albums, 'Swag' and 'Swag II,' with only brief snippets of his earlier hits. This choice reflected a departure from his polished pop star image.
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