Wait, Justin Bieber was paid more than Rihanna for a similar gig?
Sometimes, there’s a great and terrible imbalance in the universe.
As part of Justin’s potential 2024 comeback, he played at a wedding. No, he hasn’t fallen on hard times — it was a billionaire’s wedding. (Though the Biebs is expecting his first child, so paydays may feel more important now)
Rihanna recently performed at a similar gig. But why in the world did Justin get paid more?
Justin Bieber is a wedding singer (if you can afford him)
On Friday, July 5, Justin Bieber sang at a sangeet ceremony in Mumbai, India. (Sangeet is literally the Sanskrit word for music)
The pre-wedding ceremony was for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. As you can see from the videos on Instagram, this was a colossal event.
Ambani’s father is Mukesh Ambani, who with a net wroth of $114 billion is Asia’s richest man. Merchant is the daughter of ENCORE Healthcare CEO Viren Merchant.
According to a report by Entertainment Tonight, Justin Bieber was seemingly (yet it does not seem to be confirmed) paid $10 million for this performance.
“Justin was dancing and vibing to the songs all over the stage,” one eyewitness described.
That same source detailed: “He was smiling while the audience sang his songs into his mic.”
It was a crowd of Beliebers
According to the eyewitness, Justin Bieber “played his best tracks, from ‘Baby’ to ‘Peaches,’ and the performance lasted about an hour or so.”
And he received a warm reception.
“The majority female crowd felt fangirl moments when he performed!” the source illustrated. “It was an absolutely unforgettable experience!”
As for the couple themselves, their massive wedding is set for July 12 through July 14.
This extremely wealthy family is going all-out, and have been celebrating their upcoming nuptials for some time.
Months earlier — late this winter, in fact — Rihanna performed at the behest of the Ambani family.
How much was Rihanna paid for the same sort of gig?
Reportedly, Rihanna’s live performance in early March did not pay as much as Justin Bieber’s. She apparently made $8 million.
That has a lot of people scratching their heads. Best case scenario, this pre-wedding ceremony was a bigger deal and required a boost in pay. But then why not hire Rihanna for this one?
While we’re sure that Rihanna isn’t hurting (she is, after all, a billionaire herself), hearing of The Biebs getting a higher payday than Rihanna is making people do a double-take.