Big Sean has opened up about the viral moment he gave an impromptu mental health speech to Justin Bieber on stage at Coachella, revealing that both Justin and Hailey Bieber contacted him days later to say they were still riding the emotional high from his words.
The 38-year-old rapper spoke PEOPLE at Mindful Nation’s Mental Health Awareness Month event at Live Nation’s headquarters in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, May 20, 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 and told him in a heartfelt speech, “God has his hands on you.”
The moment went viral almost immediately.
What made it even more remarkable, Sean said, was that none of it was planned.
“I didn’t know I wanted to say what I said on stage. I was just inspired,” he shared PEOPLE.
He described a pre-show ritual that keeps him open to those kinds of moments, morning meditation, journaling and prayer before stepping out in front of a crowd.
“Before I go on stage, I always ask God to speak through me,” he said. “I always try to stay open to the word of God or the angels around me because I am blind behind the miracles I have seen.”
In fact, Sean was so caught up in the moment that he barely remembered what he had said when he came off stage.
“When I came off the stage 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 really touched.
“They both hit me. I kicked them after, but they hit me days later, like, ‘What you said, we’re still on top of it and still appreciated and so great what you said.’ And Justin said, ‘Man, you drop big bars, you drop some bars, man.’ I’m like, I didn’t even do that, that wasn’t my intention.”
The two have been friends since 2011, and Sean spoke warmly about what Bieber has been through.
“He’s someone who’s given his whole life to music and has grown up in the public eye and just gone through ups and downs and been taken advantage of a lot, I feel, by a lot of people,” he said, adding that Bieber “isn’t a perfect man and he knows that and he’s learned with all of us.”
The event also featured a book signing for Sean’s 2025 bestseller Go Higher: Five Exercises for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peacewhich includes a foreword by Jay Shetty.
He hinted that another book might follow, describing writing as both a passion and a purpose.
He also revealed, to light laughs, that skydiving will not be among his future wellness practices. “When I was in the air, I’m thinking I don’t have to do this again,” he joked.
