“It’s sweeping the nation!”
“A global phenomenon!”
“Someone get the doctor!”
“Alert the CDC, Bieber Fever is sweeping the nation!”
Since the announcement of Justin Bieber headlining Coachella this year, famously dubbed Bieberchella, Bieber Fever has swept across the nation (again). After being discovered by the controversial talent manager, Scooter Braun, in 2007-2008 from his YouTube covers, Justin Bieber was catapulted to fame. His career took off in 2009 with the release of his debut EP, “My World,” and lead single, “One Time,” which led to him selling out stadiums across the globe at only 15 years old. It wasn’t long before Bieber became one of the world’s best-selling music artists, captivating young hearts with his charm, musical talent and, well, swagger. It was unbeliebable (pun intended).
Growing up in the limelight did come with its challenges, with the pop star facing multiple rounds of scrutiny ranging from legal issues to personal disputes and relationships. For years the paparazzi and public eye hounded him, watching on as he suffered from many mental and physical breakdowns from the pressure of being a superstar. However, through the positive and negative, his fans, the Beliebers, true ones at least, always believed in him. As a Belieber myself, Justin Bieber was one of my first celebrity crushes and his music has been a sweet spot of nostalgia for me. Although I wasn’t able to snag tickets, the pre-teen inside of me was ecstatic to see the several livestreams and clips from his Coachella performance this year.
Over the years, my case of Bieber Fever did die down; however, I felt it coming on strong after Bieber’s feature on “Private Landing” from Don Toliver’s 2023 release of his “Love Sick” album. Hearing his voice ignited a series of squeals, feet tapping and shoulder shimmies I knew all too well from my first case of Bieber Fever all those years ago. Dr. Bieber was back and better than ever. After his feature on Jaden Smith’s “CTV 3: Cool Tape Vol. 3” album in 2020 as well as his release of his albums “Justice,” in 2021 and “SWAG,” and “SWAGⅡ” in 2025, Bieber Fever was in full effect (again), infecting people across the globe.
During his performance at Coachella, Bieber brought out many guests including Billie Eilish to be his “One Less Lonely Girl,” SZA for “Snooze,” as well as Big Sean, Sexyy Red and Dijon. His performance did come with some critiques about the lack of creative direction and laziness as he played videos off of a Macbook for most of his sets; however some also deemed this as a chic move of minimalism. Obviously his performances at 32 are going to be different than what he was doing at 15, with his current performance style seeming to be more of a stripped-down, melancholy reworking of his older work. While it is hard to let go of the image of the younger Bieber we know and love, as a fan base I think it is important to be open-minded and accepting of the ways that artists change over time. They aren’t commodities, but living people who are bound to change and that will be reflected in their work.
Following his Coachella performance at Weekend 2, his “SWAG” album surged back into the Billboard 200 album chart. Climbing from No. 7 to No. 5, the album was up 42% captivating the hearts of Beliebers everywhere.
Bieber’s performance, no matter your feelings about its creative direction, serves as a reminder that he is exactly who he thinks he is. He’s the Justin Bieber, and you can “beliebe” that.