At the 2024 Coachella music festival, Will Smith surprised the audience by making a musical comeback during J Balvin’s set. Smith, dressed as his character “Agent J” from the movie Men in Black, performed the film’s theme song and danced with alien backup dancers in front of a giant alien head. Towards the end of the performance, Smith used a neuralyzer from the Men in Black universe to pretend that the MiB agents were never there, though clips of the performance were still shared online.
Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and his son Jaden Smith were reportedly in the audience to witness his musical return. Jaden was spotted hanging out with friends including Justin Bieber at Coachella. Despite transitioning out of music to focus on acting, Will Smith began his career as a rapper with DJ Jazzy Jeff. His last album was released in 2005, but he has appeared on singles in the late 2010s, including Nicky Jam’s 2018 FIFA World Cup official theme song.
While the Coachella performance was the first time Will and J Balvin shared the stage, they had previously crossed paths musically. In 2018, Smith posted an Instagram video of himself enjoying J Balvin’s music, and the two artists collaborated on the song “Ritmo” for the Bad Boys for Life soundtrack. J Balvin performed “Ritmo” at Coachella before Will’s Men in Black performance, and also performed other hits like “La canción,” “I Like It,” and “Con Altura.”
J Balvin concluded his set at Coachella with an alien dance break to the songs “Que Calor” and “In Da Ghetto.” Before exiting the stage, he announced in Spanish, “New season coming soon.” The performance was well-received by the audience and showcased J Balvin’s energetic stage presence and impressive catalog of hits. Will Smith’s surprise appearance added an extra level of excitement to the festival and delighted fans of both the music and film worlds. The collaboration between these two talented artists was a memorable moment at Coachella 2024.
