Rema Coachella Backlash: Afrobeats star arrives 20+ minutes late, faces lip-syncing claims, sparking ‘tardy’ and ‘unprofessional’ labels from fans. Technical issues cited by team

Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Rema has faced a wave of criticism from fans following his performance at the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Also read: Rema tops YouTube streaming charts in Q1 2025

The Grammy-nominated artist took to the Mojave stage over 20 minutes past his scheduled start time, leaving many attendees and online viewers disappointed.

Rema was slated for a 45-minute set, but his delayed arrival significantly cut into his performance. Eyewitnesses at the festival also reported that the singer appeared to be lip-syncing during parts of his performance and took multiple breaks to drink water.

Fans took to social media platform X to voice their displeasure. One user wrote, “The Rema set at Coachella is a disaster. 20 mins in and Rema is nowhere to be found. The DJ has been hyping the crowd while the band just stares at each other. It’s the DJ’s set at this point.”

Rema’s team has since issued a statement explaining the situation, citing “unexpected technical malfunctions with the festival’s on-stage audio system” as the cause of the delay. They also stated that Rema and his band experienced “significant issues which prevented Rema from hearing himself while on stage.”

However, this explanation has done little to quell the negative reactions, especially considering Rema’s history of underperforming at major events.

In 2023, he left the stage mid-performance in Atlanta, and in 2024, he walked off stage during his set at the Dreamville Festival, both instances reportedly due to production or sound issues.

The incident has left many Afrobeats fans worldwide questioning the professionalism of the performance, despite the technical difficulties cited by Rema’s team.