Justin Bieber, aged 32, performed on 18/4, during the second weekend of the festival. Photo: Instagram Justin Bieber

Coachella, an annual American music festival first held in California in 1999, is renowned for its star-studded lineups and significant artist fees. This year, the event took place from 10-19/4, across three weekends, featuring a prominent artist as the headliner each night on the Main Stage. Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G took on this role this year, with Justin Bieber setting a new record for the highest payout in the festival's history.

Justin Bieber's reported USD 10 million fee for his performances, announced following the artist lineup reveal in September 2025, has made him the highest-paid artist in Coachella's history. This fee, equivalent to USD 5 million per week, was secured through a direct contract with show producer Goldenvoice, bypassing his representatives. Despite this record-breaking sum, the payment sparked debate, with some questioning its justification.

After the first week, the singer faced criticism for being "lazy," as he did not feature an elaborate stage setup and primarily stood to sing. During the latter half of his performance, he played his early music videos and childhood cover videos on YouTube. Despite this, many fans expressed appreciation, reliving old memories with their idol. Excerpts from his performance currently attract millions of views on social media platforms.

Coachella has a long-standing policy of not publicly disclosing artist fees. Most of the information regarding these payouts is gathered by international news outlets from internal sources.

In 2022, Page Six reported that The Weeknd, now aged 36, requested USD 8,5 million for his two performances that year, comprising USD 8 million in performance fees and USD 500,000 in production costs. Replacing Kanye West, who was removed from the event by organizers, The Weeknd requested to be paid the same amount the production team had intended for West. This marked his second time headlining since 2018. Photo: Variety

In 2018, Beyonce became the first Black female artist to headline Coachella. According to Billboard, she earned between USD 8 million and USD 12 million for her two performances. The singer further profited by producing the concert film Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce (2019) about her festival performance. The film, one of her three projects with Netflix, reportedly earned Beyonce USD 20 million. Photo: Andrew White

Aged 26, Ariana Grande became Coachella's youngest headliner when she appeared at the 2019 festival season. According to Variety, the singer received USD 8 million for agreeing to perform at the last minute, also replacing Kanye West. The rapper canceled his show because he could not design a suitable stage. Photo: Variety

In 2023, Bad Bunny was the first Latin artist to headline in the festival's history. Trapital podcast reported he took home around USD 5 million for his performance. At aged 32, he is currently one of the most successful Latin singers globally, having won a Grammy for Album of the Year last February. Photo: Jenn Five

As one of the three main headliners of this year's festival, Sabrina Carpenter, aged 27, reportedly received USD 5 million for her two performances on 11 and 17/4. International media widely praised her stage performance, noting how the singer impressively recreated the glamour of old Hollywood through each segment. She invited several guest performers such as Madonna, Sam Elliot, Terry Crews. Photo: Jenn Five

From left: Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, and the band Radiohead – the three headliners of Coachella 2017. According to The New Yorker, the fees for the three artists ranged from USD 3 million to USD 4 million. Photo: Variety/ Rolling Stone

Phuong Thao (according to First Post, Just Jared)