Musical guests were not on the agenda for Ariana Grande's second Coachella set. So it's a bit of an understatement to say fans were surprised when Grande brought out Justin Bieber, effectively ending his two-year performance hiatus.
Bieber's festival cameo marked his first stage appearance in "like two years, so I had to get my groove back, had to get my swag back," according to the singer after performing "Sorry."
Bieber's last performance was in July 2017, during his 2017 "Purpose" tour, just before the "Love Yourself" singer canceled the last 14 concerts after he "got really depressed on tour."
The Canadian pop star wasn't exactly lying low at Coachella, having been spotted Saturday, alongside wife, Hailey Baldwin, as the pair watched Billie Eilish. So it's unclear just how spontaneous his performance was.
Either way, the "Thank U, Next" singer kept up the illusion until the very last minute, announcing, "I wasn't going to bring out any guests tonight. But my friend Justin Bieber came all the way out."
Bieber, who continuously thanked his host after he finished singing, may have oversold the surprise aspect just a tad, saying, "I had no idea I was going to be on a stage tonight. No idea. I wore this fly outfit not knowing I was going to be on stage." Fans were happy to play along, especially when Bieber left on a particularly high note, telling the crowd, "Album coming soon."
Bieber's cameo comes on the heels of Grande's less-than-perfect set last weekend, marred by what Variety called "near disastrous sound issues" for Nicki Minaj's own guest slot.
A lot has changed in Bieber's life since his 2017, most notably, his relationship status.
Following a 12-week courtship and almost decade-long friendship, Bieber, 25, married 22-year-old Baldwin. Since the low-key nuptials, the pair has stayed mostly under the radar, though Bieber opened up on Instagram last month about his current mental health struggles.
Though the singer hinted at his continued musical hiatus, telling fans, "Music is very important to me but nothing comes before my family and my health," he and Grande collaborated on Lil Dicky's "Earth" music video, released last week ahead in honor of Earth Day.
