Big Sean is opening up about the heartfelt moment that moved thousands of Coachella fans and left Justin and Hailey Bieber talking about it for days. The rapper and bestselling author, 38, delivered an impromptu speech to Justin Bieber during a surprise performance at Coachella Weekend 2 that quickly went viral, and the response he received from the Biebers in the days that followed was something he clearly did not expect.Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at Mindful Nation’s Mental Health Awareness Month event in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, May 20, the rapper reflected on the viral moment and opened up about the routine that keeps him grounded, his new book, and what is next for his music career.
What Big Sean Said to Justin Bieber at Coachella
During the event, Big Sean recalled the impromptu moment that caught everyone off guard, including himself. “He’s somebody who has given his whole life to the music, and has grown up in the 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,” Sean, full name Sean Anderson, told the outlet of his longtime collaborator and friend. “By any means not a perfect man and he knows that and he’s been learning with us all.“The two have been close since 2011, and Sean went viral for praising Bieber’s resilience during their joint Coachella set, telling him in a heartfelt speech, “God has his hands on you.” But as Sean revealed, none of it was planned. “I didn’t know that I was gonna say what I said on stage. I was just inspired,” he said.He also shared the routine that keeps him grounded before every performance. “Before I go on stage, I always pray for God to speak through me. I wake up, I do a morning meditation, I do a journal. 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 and I know that there’s like angels watching over, not just me, over so many of us. So I just went with it.”
What Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber Said to Big Sean Afterwards
Sean admitted he barely remembered what he had said once he walked 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, but he and his wife were so sweet,” he said of Justin and Hailey Bieber, 29.“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,” Sean recalled of the impromptu moment.
Big Sean on His Book, New Album and Finding Inner Peace
The Mindful Nation event also featured a book signing for Sean’s 2025 release, ‘Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace’, which includes a foreword from Jay Shetty. Outside of journaling and meditation, Sean also mentioned watching anime as part of his self-care routine, though he drew the line at one particular activity. “I don’t go skydiving. I did, but it was a little much,” he joked. “When I was in the air, I’m like, I don’t need to do this again.“With a new album on the horizon, Sean also revealed he can see a second book in his future. “I’m glad there are some people who are receptive to it,” he said of the bestseller. “It’s a passion of mine, it’s a purpose of mine.”For someone who has built a career on words, it is clear that Big Sean’s most meaningful ones are still being spoken well off the stage.
