SZA Slams Rumors She Was Paid To Be Justin Bieber’s Backup

You can always find SZA in some Instagram comments, especially when it comes to setting the record straight!

Once a celebrity news story gains some traction, it’s pretty hard to contain–until the source themselves shuts it down. That’s exactly what happened following recent rumors that SZA was paid a huge check to stand by in case Justin Bieber couldn’t make his Coachella performance.

Over the weekend, following Bieber’s headlining performance for Weekend 1 of the music festival, the “Kill Bill” singer replied to an Instagram post alleging she was paid to be Justin’s backup.

“Lmao who made this up?” SZA asked in a comment on Saturday, April 11. “I’ve seen this 4 times now. I’m in New York no one paid me a dime. Wishing everyone the best.”

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Justin Bieber was reportedly paid a whopping $10 million for his headlining set at the Indio, CA festival. Ahead of his performance, which saw the singer sit in a chair and search Youtube videos, a source told Page Six that Bieber had “something to prove” with the performance.

“Coachella will be a real indicator of how he moves forward,” the insider explained to the outlet back in March. “There’s a lot riding on this, no doubt.”

“He’s a talented kid,” the source continued, “and people only want to see him succeed. It’s always hard when you [were once a teeny sensation and then] want to be a legitimate music artist. But everybody wants him.”

It’s unclear where the rumors of SZA playing understudy first began, but it seems like it stems from the previous uncertainty around Bieber’s performance and whether or not he would actually show up. Even though a reported $10 million check seems like more than enough incentive to make it happen, other big artists have canceled on the festival before.

Frank Ocean’s headlining performance at Weekend 1 of Coachella 2023 was highly anticipated, to say the least, marking his return to the stage after a six-year hiatus. The set featured a one-hour delay, no livestream, and a late-stage production change due to an ankle injury. Following that performance, Ocean cancelled his Weekend 2 appearance.

While some have criticized Bieber’s performance from Weekend 1, it doesn’t seem like there are any signs of cancelation for Weekend 2.

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