Charli XCX and Tinashe Electrify ACL 2026 with Surprise Performance
Charli XCX surprised fans at the Austin City Limits Festival by bringing Tinashe to the stage, where she performed tracks from her new album "Popstar." The album marked a career high for Tinashe, debuting at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. The festival also saw Troye Sivan perform and is set to conclude with other major headliners.
During her headlining set at the Austin City Limits (ACL) Festival, Charli XCX brought out a surprise guest, Tinashe, at Zilker Park on Friday, October 9. Tinashe joined Charli on stage to perform two tracks from her new album, "Popstar," which had recently debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in early October. The surprise appearance was hinted at earlier that day when Tinashe shared a video on her Instagram Stories, showing herself and Charli dancing backstage to their 2015 collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign, "Drop That Kitty." During her performance, Tinashe made the live debut of her song "Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore" and also performed the dance-pop standout "Melatonin" from her new album.
This reunion followed their 2015 collaboration "Drop That Kitty," and Charli and Tinashe also reunited in 2024 for a remix of "B2B," featured on Charli's albums "Brat" and "It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat." Beyond Tinashe, Charli XCX also invited her Sweat Tour mate Troye Sivan to the stage during ACL Festival’s opening weekend on October 2, where he performed his songs "Le Boy" and "Party."
Tinashe is celebrating a significant career milestone with "Popstar" debuting at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. This marks her highest-charting album to date and her first top 10 appearance on the chart. Expressing her gratitude, Tinashe wrote on X, "I’m so unbelievably grateful, this is CRAZY! #6 BILLBOARD DEBUT," adding crying emojis and thanking fans for their immense love and support. Her previous major-label debut, "Aquarius" (2014), peaked at No. 17, while "Nightride" and "Joyride" reached Nos. 89 and 58 respectively. Her 2024 album, "Quantum Baby," debuted at No. 199.
The 25th anniversary edition of the ACL Festival is set to conclude over the weekend. Saturday, October 10, will feature headlining performances by RÜFÜS DU SOL, Lorde, Lola Young, and Young Miko. The festival will wrap up on Sunday, October 11, with closing sets from Twenty One Pilots, The xx, Geese, and Sofi Tukker.