Big Sean reflects on Coachella mental health speech for Hailey, Justin Bieber
Big Sean has opened up about the viral moment he delivered an impromptu mental health speech to Justin Bieber on stage at Coachella, and revealed that both Justin and Hailey Bieber reached out to him days later to say they were still riding the emotional high from his words.
The rapper, 38, spoke to PEOPLE at Mindful Nation’s Mental Health Awareness Month event at Live Nation’s Beverly Hills headquarters on Wednesday, 20 May, reflecting on the surprise appearance he made during Coachella Weekend 2 last month.
During their joint set, Sean addressed Bieber directly in front of thousands of fans, telling him in a heartfelt speech: “God has his hands on you.”
The moment went viral almost immediately.
What made it all the more remarkable, Sean said, was that none of it was planned.
“I didn’t know that I was gonna say what I said on stage. I was just inspired,” he told PEOPLE.
He described a pre-show ritual that keeps him open to those kinds of moments, morning meditation, journaling, and prayer before he steps out in front of a crowd.
“Before I go on stage, I always pray for God to speak through me,” he said. “I always try and keep myself open to the word of God or the angels around me, because I’m blind behind the miracles I’ve seen.”
In fact, Sean was so caught up in the moment that he barely remembered what he had said once he came offstage.
“When I got offstage and people were like, ‘What you said was so…’ And I’m like, ‘Damn, what did I say?’ I had to go back and listen,” he admitted.
The Biebers, he said, were genuinely moved.
“They both hit me after. I was kicking with them after, but they hit me days later, like, ‘What you said, we’re still on a high off of it and still appreciated and so great what you said.’ And Justin was like, ‘Man, you drop big bars, you drop some bars, man.’ I’m like, I didn’t even really, it wasn’t my intention.”
The two have been friends since 2011, and Sean spoke warmly about what Bieber has been through.
“He’s somebody who has given his whole life to the music, and has grown up in a public eye and has just gone through the ups and downs and been taken advantage of a lot, I feel like, from a lot of people,” he said, adding that Bieber is “not a perfect man and he knows that and he’s been learning with us all.”
The event also featured a book signing for Sean’s 2025 bestseller Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace, which includes a foreword from Jay Shetty.
He hinted that a second book could follow, describing writing as both a passion and a purpose.
He also revealed, to lighter laughter, that skydiving will not be among his future wellness practices. “When I was in the air, I’m like, I don’t need to do this again,” he joked.
