Diplo insisted that the pop star’s Coachella set was “awesome”, calling him “legendary” for singing along to YouTube videos of his hits.
American DJ and music producer 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 thought it was an “awesome” set.
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 Bieber’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.
The DJ 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 Bieber’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 (…) you’re just sitting with a laptop.”
However, others agreed with Diplo and praised Bieber’s decision to use YouTube for his set, with one fan branding him a “mastermind”.
During the performance, Bieber 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.
