Charli XCX gave her Austin City Limits Festival headlining set a surprise second act on Friday, Oct. 9, inviting Tinashe onstage to perform two songs from Tinashe's new album, Popstar. According to Billboard, the guest spot included the live debut of "Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore," followed by the Popstar dance-pop standout "Melatonin."
Rolling Stone and Billboard both reported that the appearance was hinted at earlier in the day. Tinashe shared a clip on her Instagram Stories of the two singers dancing backstage to "Drop That Kitty," their 2015 collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign.
A second weekend, a second guest
It was not the first time Charli used her ACL slot to bring out a friend. Billboard reported that on the festival's opening weekend, Oct. 2, she welcomed her Sweat Tour mate Troye Sivan, who performed "Le Boy" and "Party."
The Charli and Tinashe connection runs back a decade. After "Drop That Kitty," the two reunited in 2024 on a remix of "B2B," which appeared on Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat, per both outlets.
Tinashe's chart moment
The timing suits Tinashe. Billboard reported that Popstar opened at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in early October, her highest-charting album to date and her first top 10 on the chart. Rolling Stone called it her eighth studio album and said it has drawn the best reviews and chart position of her dozen-year career.
The context in Billboard's account shows the size of the jump. Her 2014 major-label debut, Aquarius, peaked at No. 17. Nightride and Joyride reached Nos. 89 and 58, and 2024's Quantum Baby debuted at No. 199. On X, Tinashe thanked fans after the debut, writing in capital letters that it was a No. 6 Billboard debut.
Rolling Stone framed her moment alongside Charli's own rise. Brat, her sixth studio album, capped a climb from hit songwriter to critical favorite to arena-filling pop star, and the magazine said Tinashe looks set for a comparable breakout. Speaking to Rolling Stone in September, Tinashe addressed her long run in the industry: "I can only speak for myself, but how I’ve felt is that I’ve been perhaps underrated."
She added, in the same interview, that she is happy to see peers who have worked for a decade or more finally getting recognition.
What's left at ACL
The 25th anniversary edition of the festival closes out this weekend. Billboard listed RÜFÜS DU SOL, Lorde, Lola Young and Young Miko as headliners on Saturday, Oct. 10, with Twenty One Pilots, The xx, Geese and Sofi Tukker closing on Sunday, Oct. 11.
For Tinashe, sharing a festival stage with a pop star whose own breakthrough came after years of steady work, days after her best chart week, is a fitting punctuation mark on the Popstar rollout.
Reporting sources: Music News, “See Charli XCX Bring Out Tinashe at ACL Festival” · Billboard, “Charli XCX Welcomes Tinashe for Surprise Performance at 2026 Austin City Limits Festival”.