By Ghazali Ibrahim
Grammys winner Wizkid joined global pop icon Justin Bieber and fellow Nigerian Afrobeats star Temilade Openiyi also known as Tems on stage for a surprise performance of their hit song Essence at the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
The trio delivered the remix of the globally acclaimed track during Bieber’s headline set, creating one of the standout moments of the festival.
The performance, which took place in Indio, California, drew massive reactions from fans as the artists recreated the chart-topping collaboration that helped push Afrobeats further into the global mainstream.
What began as a surprise appearance quickly became a defining highlight of the night, with Tems’ vocals and Wizkid’s stage presence energising the crowd alongside Bieber’s return to major live performances after a hiatus.
Essence, originally released in 2020 by Wizkid featuring Tems, gained worldwide success and later received a remix with Justin Bieber which was later nominated for Grammys, becoming the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Coachella performance underscores the continued global influence of Afrobeats and the enduring popularity of Essence, widely regarded as one of the genre’s most successful crossover hits.
The surprise collaboration has since gone viral on social media, with fans hailing it as a major cultural moment for Nigerian music on the international stage.
It is however worthy to note that Wizkid and Tems presence followed footprints left by fellow Nigerians like Burna Boy, Rema, Seun Kuti and some others are Nigerian acts who have performed in the Coachella stage in the past.
