SHINee’s Taemin took the Coachella stage for the first time in his career and delivered such a strong performance that international fans are now using it to criticize Justin Bieber.
This year’s Coachella has already seen its share of controversy, with Sabrina Carpenter facing backlash and KATSEYE suffering scathing criticism. But Bieber also found himself under fire after his set sparked extremely divided reactions.
During his performance, Justin Bieber chose a stripped-back approach: sitting down, scrolling through YouTube, and singing songs live as he came across them. Some fans appreciated the idea, seeing it as a nod to how he first rose to fame online, but others were not impressed.
I’m crying this might actually be the worst performance i’ve ever seen. He’s literally just playing music videos from youtube… zero effort, just pure laziness. #coachellapic.twitter.com/WSxKrbMCM1 https://t.co/MuQQrEIyYm
— Folk ⸆⸉ Swift Charts (@SwiftyRuza) April 12, 2026
His performance was slammed by many as lazy and low-effort. That’s when Taemin’s name started coming up.
oh my god yall should’ve been talking about taemins coachella what the fuck
pic.twitter.com/pKmEQJTBBM https://t.co/wbaZ2nWhIC
— suzy (@khiawings) April 12, 2026
Fans quickly pointed out that Taemin, who is also 32 and has spent over a decade in the industry, delivered a high-energy set filled with sharp choreography and live vocals. Performances of tracks like “Move” and “Guilty” only added to the contrast people were making online.
This is Taemin on the same night as JB. Both the same age and the same number of years being exploited by the industry. Let’s not justify mediocrity.
este es taemin en la misma noche q jb. ambos con la misma edad y la misma cantidad de años siendo explotados por la industria. no justifiquemos la mediocridad. pic.twitter.com/R3is94ZOEO https://t.co/NecynY6MAm
— sofi🌙 jingjing’s gf (@myoiballerina) April 12, 2026
Taemin at 32 on the same night at the same event pic.twitter.com/SrvjAxnGbA https://t.co/9kMDFxErVk
— taemin akgae (@meowqxng) April 12, 2026
i know another artist who is 32 and he put down such an incredible performance #taemchellapic.twitter.com/uvXpUepDTf https://t.co/h8ckB6TwXQ
— nijntje™️ #taemchella (@dearmoodindigo_) April 12, 2026
For many, the difference in stage presence became hard to ignore, and the debate hasn’t slowed down since.