Tems and Wizkid didn’t need no other body during a performance of their hit collaboration “Essence” at Coachella on Sunday evening. Still, Tems sweetened the deal for her audience at the Mojave tent with a special appearance from Justin Bieber, who appeared on a remix of the record in 2021.
Tems has already started working her way through the opening verse of “Essence” when Wizkid hit the stage, putting a grin on the singer’s face. The pair traded lyrics back and forth before Bieber emerged from the side-stage shadows to rumbling applause. His verse was delivered serenade-style to Tems, who closed out the performance with a thank you to her special guests and an in-the-moment reflection: “This is crazy.”
Tems performed nine songs during her set, which she teased on social media ahead of her start time. “Coachella! I’m too exciteddd,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). I have a surprise tonight.” The musician debuted a new song, “Love Me JeJe,” midway through her performance. It was placed just before “Essence” in the show, setting up a double surprise for her Coachella debut.
Her set also featured performances of “Crazy Tings,” “Avoid Things,” “Replay,” “Damages,” and “Higher.” After the surprise performances, Tems closed out the set with “Me & U” and “Free Mind.”
Tems recently collaborated with Tyla on “No. 1,” which would have made for a fiery Coachella performance had the South African musician not had to cancel her appearance at the festival due to an injury. Still, the two stars are in each other’s corner.
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“We have the same goals in terms of spreading our sound and our culture to the world and dominating the industry. Also being two girls from Africa breaking down walls, we’re very much supportive,” Tyla recently told Rolling Stone. “It’s just cool that we’re both African girls doing it.”
And she’s eyeing a Bieber collaboration of her own, adding: “I have to meet him at least once. He definitely has shown love to African music and African culture, especially with the remix of [WizKid and Tems’] “Essence” and all of that. I can tell that he really enjoys that vibe. And I mean, he’s always explored in his career. So maybe there’ll be a Justin Bieber and Tyla song.”
