Big Sean opened up about the viral moment he gave an impromptu speech about mental health to Justin Bieber on stage at Coachella, revealing that both Justin and Hailey Bieber reached out to him days later to tell him they were still emotional about his words.
The rapper, 38, spoke with PEOPLE at Mindful Nation’s Mental Health Awareness Month event at Live Nation headquarters in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, May 20, reflecting on the surprise appearance she made during Weekend 2 of Coachella last month.
During their joint performance, 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 notable, Sean said, was that none of it was planned.
“I didn’t know I was going to say what I said on stage. I was just inspired,” he said. PEOPLE.
He described a pre-show ritual that keeps him open to those kinds of moments, morning meditation, journaling and prayer before going out in front of a crowd.
“Before I go on stage, I always pray that God speaks 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 once he left the stage.
“When I came off stage and people were like, ‘What you said was so…’ And I was like, ‘Damn, what did I say?’ “I had to go back and listen,” he admitted.
The Biebers, he said, were really moved.
“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 top and we’re still appreciating and it’s cool what you said.’ And Justin was like, ‘Man, you drop some big bars, you drop some bars, man.’ I think I didn’t even do it, I didn’t mean to.”
The two have been friends since 2011 and Sean spoke warmly about what Bieber has been through.
“He’s someone who has given his entire life to music, he’s grown in the public eye and he’s gone through ups and downs and I think a lot of people have taken advantage of that,” he said, adding that Bieber “is not a perfect man and he knows it and he’s been learning with all of us.”
The event also featured a book signing for Sean’s 2025 bestseller. Go Higher: Five Practices for Achieving Purpose, Success, and Inner Peacewhich includes a foreword by Jay Shetty.
He hinted that a second book might follow, describing writing as a passion and purpose.
He also revealed, to milder laughter, that skydiving will not be among his future wellness practices. “When I was on the air, I was like, I don’t need to do this again,” he joked.
