Charli XCX Brings Tinashe Onstage for an ACL Surprise

Charli XCX turned her second Austin City Limits weekend set into a pop crossover when she welcomed Tinashe onstage for a surprise guest appearance.

The moment gave Tinashe a high-profile festival spotlight inside Charli’s headlining performance. Fan footage circulated quickly after the set, while posts from the artists’ official TikTok accounts amplified the collaboration beyond the Austin crowd.

What Tinashe performed during Charli XCX’s ACL set

Stereogum reported that Tinashe used the appearance to give “Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore,” a fan favorite from her album Popstar, its live debut. She also performed “Melatonin,” the single released earlier in the year.

The pairing was a surprise, but it did not come out of nowhere. Charli XCX and Tinashe appeared together on Ty Dolla $ign’s 2015 single “Drop That Kitty.” Tinashe also joined the 2024 remix of Charli’s “B2b,” giving the two artists a collaborative history that made the ACL appearance feel like a reunion as well as a festival cameo.

Charli had already established a guest-heavy pattern at the festival. During the previous ACL weekend, she brought out Troye Sivan. Returning with Tinashe gave the second weekend its own distinct moment rather than repeating the earlier set’s headline surprise.

A timely stage for Tinashe’s new era

The appearance arrives as both performers are promoting major new chapters. Charli’s Music, Fashion, Film and Tinashe’s Popstar have kept them at the center of the year’s pop conversation, making their shared stage especially resonant for fans who follow both projects.

For Tinashe, the ACL cameo also served as a compact showcase: one anticipated album track receiving its first live performance and one established single reaching a festival audience. The setup allowed her to enter Charli’s set without turning the moment into a full secondary concert.

The result was brief, collaborative and built for social circulation. More than a random celebrity walk-on, it connected the artists’ decade-long recording history with their current releases—and gave ACL weekend two a pop moment of its own.