Diplo has defended Justin Bieber following criticism over the pop star’s headline set at Coachella.
Some fans hit out at the performance as “lazy” following his stripped-down approach, which included the pop star singing along to YouTube videos of his early hits, but the 47-year-old DJ and music producer thought it was an “awesome” set and praised the Never Say Never star as “legendary”.
He told PEOPLE: “I was surprised he even went [back] to the classics, but the way he played it was amazing.
“Nobody [else] could go to Coachella and just sit on his laptop and play off YouTube because that’s like – that’s legendary.
“And he gave you a little bit. He was like, ‘I got so many hits, here, you get this.’ “
Diplo likened Justin’s Coachella headline stint to being “at a party” with the star, who also pulled up several comical videos of himself on YouTube amid his set.
Blow Your Head hitmaker Diplo added: “It was like being at a party with him.”
Diplo also insisted people can “learn a lot about music” from attending the “very diverse” festival.
He added: “They have everybody from Davido to hardcore techno. Nine Inch Noize was awesome last night.
“It’s a little bit of everything for anyone, and you can learn a lot about music.”
While Diplo was a fan of Justin’s performance, some supporters were not.
One viewer wrote on social media: “Justin Bieber giving us one of the laziest performances of all time.”
Another wrote: “Justin Bieber is the worst headliner at Coachella in history because wtf you’re just sitting with a laptop.”
One posted: “Justin Bieber 2026 Coachella performance may just be the worst mass streamed/televised performance… ever?”
However, others agreed with Diplo and praised Justin’s decision to use YouTube for his set, with one fan branding him a “mastermind”.
During the performance, Justin invited audience participation by saying: “Help me with the songs tonight”.
He also asked supporters to suggest tracks via livestream comments, which he then selected in real time.
