mike. has announced his final Australian tour, confirming a run of headline shows across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane this September as part of his Upside Down Tour Pt.3.

The New York rapper is set to perform at Oxford Art Factory in Sydney on Sept. 5, Max Watts in Melbourne on Sept. 12 and The Triffid in Brisbane on Sept. 18. The dates mark what has been billed as his last tour of Australia before his planned retirement from music.

Tickets for the shows will go on sale to the general public on April 24 at 10 a.m. local time, following a Live Nation presale beginning April 22.

The announcement arrives as mike. continues a prolific run that has positioned him as one of the defining voices in independent hip-hop. Emerging from New York’s underground rap scene in the late 2010s, he built momentum through a steady stream of self-released projects, often blending lo-fi production with introspective, diaristic writing.

Albums including Weight of the World, Disco! and Burning Desire have drawn critical attention for their minimal, sample-driven sound and emotionally direct lyricism, frequently addressing themes of grief, memory and personal change. That approach has helped cultivate a dedicated fanbase while placing MIKE. within a broader wave of independent artists reshaping the boundaries of contemporary rap.

The Upside Down Tour has seen the artist perform across North America and Europe, with the Australian leg forming part of its third installment. The choice of mid-sized venues for the upcoming shows reflects the scale of his touring approach, which has largely centered on intimate live settings.

While details around his retirement timeline remain limited, the framing of the tour suggests these dates could mark his final performances in Australia. MIKE. has not extensively toured the region in recent years, making the September run a rare opportunity for local audiences to see him live.

For complete tour and ticket information, visit: livenation.com.au or livenation.co.nz.

mike. Australia and New Zealand Tour Dates

Sept. 3 — Auckland, The Tuning Fork
Sept. 5 — Sydney, Oxford Art Factory
Sept. 12 — Melbourne, Max Watts
Sept. 18 — Brisbane, The Triffid

Emily Saliers, one-half of the Indigo Girls (alongside Amy Ray), says she’s facing two incurable medical conditions that will affect her vocal performance on the duo’s upcoming tour.

Saliers shared she’s “had this diagnosis for a while” in a post published on the band’s Instagram account on Saturday (April 18). She said “the conditions get incrementally worse over time.”

In a video recorded during tour rehearsals in Atlanta, the artist explained she “wanted to be completely forthcoming” about her experience with cervical dystonia (a neurological movement disorder) and essential tremor (a nervous system disorder).

“Many of you have noticed that my voice — maybe all of you have noticed, it’s pretty noticeable — that my voice is not what it once was,” she said in the clip. “So I wanted to share with you that I’ve been diagnosed with two movement disorders. One is called cervical dystonia with torticollis, which basically is in the part of my brain that controls movement … And in other people with this condition, the brain sends signals to tighten muscles. So because of the cervical dystonia, my head twists to the right and is misaligned. It can cause shaking of the head. It’s impossible for me to hold my head centrally without shaking, things like that. So structurally, obviously, that is problematic for this whole throat area.”

Saliers continued, “But the other diagnosis, which is harder in fact for me, is an essential tremor. And the essential tremor causes involuntary shakes or movement, and it affects all the parts of my singing apparatus, the larynx, the pharyngeal muscles, my jaw and my diaphragm from which I get all the air for singing. So I’m unable to make the connections muscularly and structurally because of the essential tremor. What else the essential tremor does is give me this — I am gonna call it horrible, because it’s horrible to me — vibrato that I never used to have. I am completely physically unable to hold a straight tone the way I used to.”

“What you, our community, have come to, I think, appreciate and love about some of our harmonies is the way we can hold long straight tones together. So I want to give you a heads up about that, in full transparency,” she said.

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The Indigo Girls — whose Swamp Ophelia and Shaming of the Sun albums were top 10 hits on the Billboard 200 in the mid-’90s, who’ve had five albums reach the top 5 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart, and who are Grammy winners, having received the best contemporary folk recording award in 1990 for their self-titled Indigo Girls set — are launching a U.S. tour this week. They kick things off in Athens, Ohio, on Friday (April 24). Dates are scheduled through mid-December.

Saliers detailed her treatment plan, which consists of therapeutic massage, physical therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and Botox shots in her neck and shoulders — all of which can mitigate symptoms. She says she’s also working with a vocal coach with expertise in helping singers who are diagnosed with movement disorders.

“Unfortunately there’s no cure for these, so the honest fact is that my voice will not be what it was,” she said of her diagnoses. “That’s really hard for me. Amy’s been super supportive, and we want you to know that as we get ready for these shows, we are doing everything we can to make the songs sound as good as they can possibly sound or ever sound, which includes all the modern digital tools that front-of-house engineers use to help singers sound better.”

Later in the video, Saliers shared, “I hate that I’m only 62 and it’s happened to me, but we are both aging. People age. We are trying to look at this organically as a process of our own aging.”

Saliers received support from bandmate Ray in the video, as well as many industry peers and fans online.

“You are the definition of authenticity, courage and grace,” Chely Wright, echoing the sentiment of many, said in a comment.

Lifelong fan Brandi Carlile — who covered the Indigo Girls’ “Cannonball” on her 2017 Cover Stories album — shared the duo’s video update on her own Instagram account and wrote, “This is why these two have been my heroes and the only reason I ever picked up a guitar. Being an @indigogirls fan is a life-long privilege. Indigo Girls fans already have an evolved perspective on aging and a deeper understanding of how badass vulnerability really is. This is because of the music they have given us. Wisdom breeds wisdom. To say we have Emily’s back is the understatement of the century. If you love to sing, Emily, sing. We will be there singing with you. We are the luckiest fans in the world – we know our verses, and we know the words to every song. Let’s sing them back at the Indigo Girls louder than ever.”

Cardi B nearly canceled her Atlanta concert over claims that venue staff disrespected her team.

In the hours leading up to her second Little Miss Drama Tour show at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Saturday (April 18), the 33-year-old rap star went live on Instagram, showing a heated argument with what appeared to be venue staff over their alleged treatment of members of her team.

“Your f—king employees are being disrespectful … I’m not performing today,” Cardi is heard yelling in the clip, demanding to speak with management.

“We got in here, your employees are being f—king rude for no reason, being rude for no reason,” she continued. “I feel a certain type of way, because you being disrespectful. I did 35 shows, and I never had a problem, and we’ve been kind to everybody.”

Despite the confrontation, Cardi ultimately performed at State Farm Arena for the final night of her Little Miss Drama Tour, which marked her first headlining arena run.

In a follow-up post on X after Saturday’s concert, Cardi wrote, “When you hold power and authority, use it with kindness and respect. Never abuse it… because not everyone will endure your arrogance in silence. Treat others exactly like you demand to be treated. Atlanta… I’ll see you soon.”

Billboard has reached out to State Farm Arena and Cardi’s representatives for further comment.

The Grammy-winning rapper’s 30-plus-date tour supported her long-awaited sophomore album, Am I the Drama?, which topped the Billboard 200 in September 2025.

The Little Miss Drama Tour launched in Palm Desert, California, on Feb. 11 and has featured a range of special guests, including Meek Mill, Megan Thee Stallion, Tyla, Kehlani, Lil’ Kim, Fetty Wap, GloRilla and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.

Guy Oseary is celebrating Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter’s show-stopping collaboration at Coachella 2026.

On Saturday (April 18), the Queen of Pop’s longtime manager took to social media to reflect on Madonna’s full-circle Coachella moment — 20 years after her first performance at the festival in 2006 —and to show love to Carpenter.

“20 years since @madonna first performance at @coachella, a beautiful full-circle celebration,” Oseary began his Instagram post, alongside a video of Madonna and Carpenter sharing the stage during Carpenter’s headlining set on Friday (April 17).

“On behalf of @saramariezam and I at @maverick, thank you to the very kind and talented @volaramgmt team. And most of all, @sabrinacarpenter.”

Madonna and Carpenter made headlines over the weekend after Madonna’s surprise appearance during the evening set, where the pair teased a new song from Madonna’s upcoming Confessions II album, along with memorable duets of “Vogue” and “Like a Prayer.”

In his post, the veteran music executive also recalled the first time he met Carpenter at the SNL 50 party in February 2025.

“I first met Sabrina at the SNL 50 party, where we bumped into each other walking thru the party,” Oseary wrote. “She told me how much she loved Madonna. Minutes later, she was asked to join the house band at that party to sing an impromptu song: the song she chose: ‘Like A Virgin.’”

He closed his post, writing, “She has always shown love for the Queen, repeatedly… and last night the mutual love was shown and shared with the world.”

Carpenter showed her appreciation for the shout-out by commenting with three pink revolving heart emojis.

Hours later, the “Please Please Please” singer also took to Instagram after her Coachella weekend two headlining set to reflect on the experience.

“Coachella weekend 2 might take the damn cake,” Carpenter captioned a photo gallery of images from the night, which included backstage shots with Madonna.

“Madonna …..I’ve got something i wanna talk about! thank you for coming out, bringing your love, and gracing the audience with everything you are + astrology knowledge + the greatest songs of all time. Last night was straight out of a dream. spending so much time laughing with you and then above all sharing the stage with you is a privilege I’ll never forget.”

Justin Bieber brought out a host of special guests during his Coachella weekend two set — including one superfan: Billie Eilish.

The 32-year-old pop superstar took the stage in Indio, California, for his second headlining performance on Saturday (April 18), where he welcomed self-proclaimed diehard Eilish for a rendition of his 2009 track “One Less Lonely Girl.”

During the serenade, the two artists laughed and embraced as Bieber sat Eilish on a stool during a segment of the set that revisited his early YouTube-era videos.

Eilish has previously spoken about her friendship with Bieber, noting that he offered her support early in her career.

“He’s a good friend of mine,” she told SiriusXM Hits 1’s Morning Mash Up in 2020. “He, you know, has been so helpful for me, in terms of just, like, dealing with fame. And he’ll call me sometimes and just say stuff that makes me just feel heard, and like there’s somebody else that goes through the same stuff. So it’s really nice to have him.”

Later in the Coachella set, Bieber welcomed SZA for an acoustic duet of her 2022 track “Snooze,” as well as Sexyy Red for “Sweet Spot.” The pop star also brought out Big Sean for performances of “As Long As You Love Me” and “No Pressure.”

Bieber logged his biggest streaming day of 2026 on Sunday (April 12), following his widely discussed opening weekend Coachella headlining set, where he primarily performed songs from his 2025 Swag album alongside a mid-set segment revisiting and performing over his early YouTube-era hits. He earned 24.6 million streams that day, marking his highest total since July 2025, according to Luminate.

Bieber’s weekend one Coachella set included guest appearances by Kid Laroi, Tems, Dijon and Wizkid.

PinkPantheress turned her weekend two Coachella set into a guest-filled celebration — complete with surprise appearances, live collaborations and an onstage birthday moment.

Performing at the Mojave tent during the second weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the British pop artist elevated her already buzzy set with a rotating lineup of guests, building on her weekend one performance with a more expansive, star-driven show.

Among the night’s biggest moments was the appearance of Zara Larsson, who joined the festivities after fans spotted her on festival grounds earlier in the weekend.

While she didn’t appear for the opening performance of “Stateside” — the track she features on — Larsson took the stage solo to perform the title track from her album Midnight Sun, before teasing that PinkPantheress could feature on an upcoming deluxe edition of the project.

PinkPantheress’ “Stateside,” with Zara Larsson, recently hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts last month. The song has grown in prominence since Alysa Liu skated to it in her exhibition performance at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics Feb. 21, two days after she became the women’s figure skating champion, winning the first gold medal in the event for the United States in 24 years.

Janelle Monáe also made a brief but notable appearance during the festivities, joining PinkPantheress on guitar during the set. The performance continued to unfold with appearances from Australian DJ Ninajirachi, alongside actor Tyriq Withers, Chase Infiniti, Slayyyter, and Manon, giving the set a party-like, cameo-heavy feel.

PinkPantheress ran through a string of fan-favorite tracks, including “Stateside,” “Romeo,” “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” and “Illegal,” maintaining her signature mix of fast-paced, club-ready production and understated vocals.

The set’s most personal moment came during “Illegal,” when Withers returned to the stage to mark the singer’s birthday.

“I really had something important to say… a birdie told me that it is your birthday,” he told the crowd, before presenting her with a rose as dancers held up a “Happy Birthday” sign. The crowd erupted as the two embraced before exiting the stage together.

PinkPantheress’ performance was one of several guest-driven highlights from Coachella’s second weekend. Elsewhere, Olivia Rodrigo joined Addison Rae onstage, while Sabrina Carpenter brought out Madonna during her headlining set on Friday night.

Zayn has hinted at a potential return to Australia and New Zealand, telling fans “you might be seeing me soon” as he looks ahead to future touring plans.

The singer-songwriter made the comment during a recent appearance on KIIS FM’s The Smallzy Show, where he discussed his newly released album KONNAKOL and reflected on his history performing in the region.

“I’ve got plans to come to Australia – you might be seeing me soon,” Zayn said when asked about touring, pointing to Australia and New Zealand as priorities for a future visit.

Zayn elaborated on his connection to the region, referencing his earlier visits as part of One Direction. “Australia and New Zealand are two of the big places in my mind,” he said. “I remember performing there in the band… what the crowds were like, what the people were like… I feel like I want to go back there.”

While no official dates have been confirmed, the comments mark one of the clearest indications yet that the artist is considering a return to the market as a solo act. Zayn has not toured Australia independently since launching his solo career, with his last visit to the country dating back to February 2015 during One Direction’s tour — shortly before his departure from the group.

The remarks arrive as Zayn begins a major international touring cycle elsewhere. The artist is set to embark on a 31-date run across North America, South America, Mexico and the U.K., spanning from May through November. Any potential Australia and New Zealand shows would likely follow that schedule, placing them in a later touring window.

The timing also aligns with the release of KONNAKOL, Zayn’s latest studio album, which arrived April 17. The project marks his return with new material and signals a renewed phase of activity following a quieter period in his career.

During the interview, Zayn also spoke about his artistic growth and reflected on aspects of his earlier career, including moments he described as inauthentic during his time in One Direction.

Since leaving the group in 2015, Zayn has carved out a distinct solo identity, scoring a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with “Pillowtalk” and releasing multiple studio albums that blend R&B, pop and alternative influences. However, live touring has remained relatively limited compared to his peers, making the prospect of new international dates — particularly in Australia — notable for fans.

For now, Zayn’s comments remain exploratory rather than confirmatory. But for audiences in Australia and New Zealand, the suggestion of a return marks a potential full-circle moment for an artist who has not performed in the region in over a decade.

Andrew Lloyd Webber spoke with The Times about his addiction to alcohol, saying in a profile published Saturday (April 18) that he started a current journey to sobriety more than a year ago. The 78-year-old composer, who’s an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner), says checking into a rehab clinic “didn’t work,” but joining AA meetings is something he’s “adored.”

“I am a recovering alcoholic,” he told publication. “Sixteen months ago I decided that I needed help and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Though he’d previously talked about quitting drinking in 2015 and 2016, while producing School of Rock on Broadway, Lloyd Webber says he’d started to drink again.

“I was doing what they call ‘white-knuckling’, without any backup, and I started to worry that I wasn’t being creative. And I thought, ‘But I’ve said to everybody that I’m not drinking.’ So I started to drink secretly,” he told The Times.

Lloyd Webber, whose Cats: The Jellicle Ball is presently on Broadway, says he began “getting into a downhill spiral and about 18 months ago the family were in a desperate state, and added, “My wife was feeling she couldn’t go on.”

“When you’re a wine drinker, you don’t think of yourself as… well, alcoholics drink spirits,” he added in the interview. “That was the shocking thing for me, when I realized that I was drinking vodka to hide it.”

“I’m lucky that nothing did go very wrong. I haven’t had some frightful accident. But then you begin to think of the near misses,” he admitted.

“I thought that I was getting away with it,” said Lloyd Webber. “The thing is, I am deeply sorry and I can only apologize to people if I made a mess.”

On attending AA meetings, which he now attends daily, he shared, “People had always said, ‘Oh no, you wouldn’t like that.’ And you get this thought that it’s a load of meth drinkers coming in off the streets. Not at all. What I love about it is you go into a room and everybody’s equal. I’ve made friends that I wouldn’t have thought possible.” 

When asked whether he’d written any of his musicals while drinking, he said, “Probably not a lot, but I can think of a couple of songs that have been hits where I’d definitely had a glass of wine and thought, that was all right.”

Lloyd Weber is currently working on two new musicals, according to The Times — one that’s based on the 2006 film The Illusionist and the other based on the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911.

Olivia Rodrigo performed her brand-new single “Drop Dead” live for the first time at Coachella Saturday night (April 18) as a surprise guest during Addison Rae‘s set.

Rodrigo surprised the audience at the festival’s main stage when she joined Rae to sing “Headphones On,” from Rae’s Addison album. Her appearance was previously unannounced.

As The Hollywood Reporter recaps, Addison sang her “Headphones On” lyric “I compare myself to the new It Girl,” and out came Olivia to applause from the Indio, Calif., crowd — whose excitement would grow even more when the pair launched into Rodrigo’s “Drop Dead” for its official live debut.

Rae traded lines with Rodrigo on the song’s verses, while both pop stars jumped around the stage to hype the crowd up for the song.

“Drop Dead” is the first single to be released from Rodrigo’s upcoming third full-length album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. It arrived on Friday alongside a Petra Collins-directed music video filmed at the Palace of Versailles.

“I realized all my favorite romantic love songs were beautiful because they had a tinge of fear or yearning in them,” Rodrigo said of the album’s concept in an interview with British Vogue, to which she also revealed the collection is full of “sad love songs.”

You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love is set for a June 12 release via Geffen. Before then, Rodrigo will be both host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live on May 2.

In Coachella’s humid Mojave tent, TAEMIN emerges for his Saturday (April 11) evening performance from a fleshy, spherical cage. It’s more than just aesthetic set dressing — speaking later with Billboard, the singer explains that the prop represents a poignant line from Herman Hesse’s Demian about a bird that cracks free from its egg: before you can really live, you first have to deconstruct the only world you’ve ever known. 

The 32-year-old knows a little something about that kind of leap of faith. Introduced in 2008 as part of K-pop five-piece SHINee, TAEMIN’s (then still developing) voice barely appeared on their debut single, “Replay,” yet through a potent combination of unrivaled dance skills and trailblazing creative vision, he grew to become one of K-pop’s most sought-after soloists. After 16 years operating under the tutelage of legacy management company SM Entertainment, the singer opted not to renew his solo contract in 2024, instead signing with smaller label BPM Entertainment. (He moved again to Galaxy Corporation, home to fellow K-pop veteran and 2026 Coachella performer G-Dragon, just one month ago.)

Given the recency of that label shift, it seems like a miracle TAEMIN’s festival set came together at all, let alone nearly as well as it did. As always, the perfectionist has a few notes ahead of weekend two. But from an outside perspective, the show convincingly asserted his status as an artist among idols, from the elaborate staging and lighting cues to how he throws himself into every move with full-bodied commitment to the craft.

In addition to old favorites “WANT,” “Advice,” “IDEA” and “MOVE” — the choreographed restraint for which was so innovative that it unleashed a rash of imitators upon release in 2017 — TAEMIN debuted six tracks from an upcoming project: “Permission,” “Parasite,” “Frankenstein,” “Let Me Be the One,” “Sober” and “1004.”

Even within a stifling industry, TAEMIN has long defined himself and his trajectory on his own terms. Now, following his historic stint as the first Korean male K-pop soloist to perform at Coachella — and first K-pop soloist with a dedicated display at the Grammy Museum — the “idol’s idol” is ready to take the next step.

“Although I’m not caught up in results, I want my team and I to accomplish something tangible together,” he tells Billboard, pointing to future tours and awards as his more immediate goals. But there’s one lofty aspiration the singer has set his sights on for further down the line: “I want to be someone who’s mentioned when people think about art.”

He breaks down the creative behind his 50-minute Coachella set — and what it meant to be one of two second-generation K-pop acts performing over the weekend — below.

Billboard: How are you feeling after your Coachella debut? 

Taemin: I was very nervous, but now that weekend one is done and the videos people took are showing up on my feed, I’m less anxious. For this second weekend, I think I will have more fun and hopefully make up for my shortcomings.

What was the preparation process like? When did you start making the setlist? 

I started planning the setlist last year, but the details were filled in around January, mostly February. Truthfully, I was set to perform at Coachella early on. So, any time I was running or exercising since then, I would listen to my music and envision a good way to perform each song. 

Tell me the story of the set design, especially the beginning, where you emerge from that egg-like structure.

There’s a verse in Demian: “The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world.” I was really inspired by that, so I made it part of the concept for the performance and for my album. Something about always pushing and breaking the mold, despite it being an unknown world, resonated with me.

The staging for “Parasite” was also really amazing. What inspired that?

I feel like when I was younger, I was more at peace. But now, there’s a lot of pressure and there are more times when I am facing hatred and negativity. I wanted to portray this artistically through my music. I’m pained that there is so much hate in the world. It makes me sad, and I made this song to portray my genuine feelings. I took a lot of time to think about this, so it’s nice to hear that the song is being enjoyed.

One of the biggest reactions from the crowd was for “MOVE.” How do you feel about the response to that song, now that it’s been almost a decade since its release?

Honestly, it’s an iconic song and one that people think of when they think of me. So I thought I should definitely perform it — but since it’s an older song, I’ve performed it a lot. [This time], I was thinking I should redevelop it in some way. There’s this sexiness that comes from the restraint in the motions, so I hoped to upgrade the song while preserving that vibe.

The live arrangement of “IDEA” is also a fan favorite. Would you ever consider recording that version?

I never thought about it. I’ve always heard people say that if the music is too much, it’s tiring for the ears. Personally, I like being a bit more extreme. So the tempered version is the one that gets recorded, while the performance is more reflective of the style I want.

But hearing you say this, if the opportunity arises, I think it’d be a good idea to record the live version of this song and some of the other ones.

What made you want to play the piano during this set?

I performed a lot of new tracks this time. The recorded version will be calmer — again, I wanted to go all out for the live performance.

Going from “Frankenstein” to “Advice” to “Idea”… I am someone who thinks that developing an emotional journey is really important — not just across the entire performance but within each section. I wondered how to show something people hadn’t seen before, which is how the piano came to be. I wanted to start in a smaller moment, so as the show went on, things would escalate and then explode at the finale. 

Tell me about “1004,” the set’s closer.

As a date, it’s October 4th [the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi]. In Korean, 1,004 also sounds like angel.

I am Catholic, and my baptismal name is Francesco, so there’s a personal element to this. I wanted to imagine fans seeing me, how they see me from their perspective, and that’s where the song came from. 

I thought it was a nice note to end on — there’s some choreography, but it puts more emphasis on your vocals and how much you’ve grown as a singer.

I actually just wanted to start the overall performance really strong. It wasn’t necessarily so that I could feature more vocals at the end.

At the beginning of the performance, I thought that everyone — including the audience — might be a bit anxious. So with the beginning of the set, I wanted to release that tension and change it to a more enjoyable mood.

But it’s nice to hear you say that about my vocals. [Laughs]

How did you feel the performance went? I saw you rated yourself a 5/10.

I wasn’t able to fully rehearse because I didn’t have time. There were some technical defects with the lighting — with “Parasite,” for example, it wasn’t the performance I had pictured, so I felt regretful.

That’s why I gave it a 5, and I want to try to get as close to a 10 as possible. Since I’m less nervous this weekend, I think I will do better. 

What would you change about “Parasite” for next weekend?

The performance features projections of philosophical words and quotes that I felt inspired by. But because the audience couldn’t see them, I wasn’t able to get the full message across.

The words come down while there is also thunder, lightning and rain effects. I wanted the words to portray hatred coming down and lifting back up at the end of the song, but I am sad that people weren’t able to see that.

Who were the quotes from?

I don’t know the names very well. [To his team] Can I check my phone?

It doesn’t say who the speaker is, but there are things like “capitalism makes people into props” and “we are in jail performing freedom.” “The moment we stop thinking, evil slowly begins to grow,” and “people are born free, but wherever we go, we are still in shackles.”

Why is that a message you wanted to convey? 

It’s different depending on the culture, but in Korea, it’s hard for singers and idols to speak their truth. Everything needs to be packaged and delivered carefully — that’s how to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations. I thought that using these quotes would be a more approachable way to portray my thoughts. So I borrowed the words.

I saw you watched Justin Bieber’s headlining set, which, to me, seemed like a reflection on growing up in the spotlight and having all these online artifacts to look back on. Since you’re the same age as him, and similarly became famous in your early teens, did that resonate with you?

As I watched [the performance], I felt like I would be reacting to it differently than anyone else. I really saw myself reflected. Of course, the language and the country are different, but I also look back at my younger self through videos. I can’t say anything, but I watch on the sidelines.

I think Justin Bieber likely felt those similar emotions and portrayed them on stage. I just really want to root for him. I thought that it must’ve been so hard. All that attention, as grateful as you are for it, was probably really difficult for one person to shoulder. And despite this, through good music, he has continued to inspire. I want to thank him for that. 

BIGBANG also performed over the weekend. How did it feel to see second-generation K-pop so well represented at Coachella?

It feels good. There’s so much that we can relate to each other about. There aren’t many people — even around me — who can really understand and sympathize with this experience and those times. We survived, and steadily, we made it here.

Back in 2008, the American market felt so distant. We’re the generation of dreams coming true. I’m grateful that we can celebrate these joys and successes together. 

After your set, I saw people make comparisons between your performance style and Michael Jackson’s. And, coincidentally, your Grammy Museum exhibit is right next to his.

I dreamed of becoming a musician like him. I was very influenced by him — you follow what you like, and it becomes part of you. There are times when I [deliberately] pay homage to Michael Jackson, but even at times when I don’t intend to, there are similarities because he’s a part of me.

As a fan, it’s really touching to hear people say that I’m like him or to even be in such close proximity at the museum exhibit. What fan is as successful as me? To have our stage outfits be displayed together feels like a dream.

The exhibit is called “TAEMIN: Performer. Artist. Icon.” What do each of those titles mean to you?

It feels like one thing. Music is expression. I try to convey my emotions through music and, visually, through performance. It’s one of the fundamentals that I strive to achieve, and a characteristic of the artists that I admire.

What are you trying to express now?

I’ve done a lot of abstract and ambiguous concepts, using my music to build them out and share them as a story or fiction. Now, I am trying to convey who I am and what I feel more tangibly through my music. 

What do you hope your legacy as an artist will be?

Whether it’s an artist like David Bowie or with fashion, art is something you experience with all five senses. I want to be someone who’s mentioned when people think about art. Even when they taste something, I want people to think about me — to say this, this feeling, is like Taemin. I want to be that kind of sensational and iconic artist while I’m alive.

Additional translation provided by Gene Kim.