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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Susan Knox

Justin Bieber defends Frank Ocean after fans slam 'disappointing' Coachella headline set

Justin Bieber has rushed to defend Frank Ocean after the singer has come under fire following his headline set at Coachella.

The Canadian singer, 29, posted a gushing tribute to Ocean, 35, on Monday where he confessed that after watching the Novacane singer on stage in California, he feels compelled to keep working hard on his music and 'get better as an artist'.

Ocean's set on Sunday left many festival-goers underwhelmed and disappointed with the musician’s first live performance in six years.

His performance was also several years in the making due to the fact he was originally cherry-picked to headline the star-studded festival in 2020 before the pandemic hit and was eventually rescheduled on stage again for 2023.

Ocean's headline set ultimately left hundreds of fans scratching their heads as they took to social media to slam the singer for his lack of enthusiasm and the overall lack of 'atmosphere' and 'excitement' during his long-awaited set.

Justin Bieber has defended Frank Ocean (AFP via Getty Images)

However, Bieber appeared to have had a musical and creative awakening as he watched the talented songwriter onstage.

Sharing a photo of Ocean's set - which featured a documentary-style photo of his face enlarged on a screen - the Love Yourself singer backed the headline set all the way as he gushed over how much it meant to him.

"I was blown away by Frank Ocean's Coachella performance," the singer penned.

Justin said that the set has inspired him to keep making great music (Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)

"His artistry is simply unmatched, his style, his taste, his voice, his attention to detail. I was deeply moved.

"It made me want to keep going and get better as an artist.

"He continues to set the bar high and gave me a night I will never forget. Thanks Frank."

Justin shared a photo of Ocean's set - which featured a documentary-style photo of his face enlarged on a screen (justinbieber/Instagram)

Despite his kind and well-meaning post, it appears that Justin has been forced to turn off comments under his post due to the onslaught of negative comments from festival-goers and fans alike to disagree with his statement on the headline set.

Ocean has continued to be been criticised for changing the arrangements, speeds, and melodies of his well-known hits - making it almost impossible for his fans to sing along in time.

The singer has also been criticised for exiting the stage for long stretches of time, and coming back to only sing snippets of his most loved songs rather than the entire song.

The singer has also been criticised for exiting the stage for long stretches of time (Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Justin Bieber has stood up for Ocean's set (Getty Images for The Recording A)

According to Rolling Stone Magazine, for fan-favourite tracks such as 'Chanel', 'Nikes', and 'Nights', Ocean didn't even offer live vocals.

Instead, he decided to play their studio versions and mouth along while walking around the stage.

The Mirror has reached out to Frank Ocean's representatives for comment on this story.

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