Charli XCX Performs Surprise Pop-Up Show in Times Square

Just days after taking over New York City by way of double-duty on Saturday Night Live, Charli XCX has performed a surprise pop-up show in Times Square.

The event, which took place on Monday evening (Nov. 18), saw the English singer, was marketed as an H&M & New York City Secret Event. Hints were provided by way of an online event page sharing the text in Brat green – a color associated with the musician’s culture-affecting sixth album – and Charli XCX’s own history with H&M.

In August, the singer took part in the launch of H&M’s A/W 2024 Campaign alongside the likes of Arca, Lila Moss, Ajus Samuel, Loli Bahia, Okay Kaya, Alewya, Lux Gillespie, and more. In turn, this collection was promoted by a special London performance on Sept. 12 which also featured DJ sets from Jamie xx and Sherelle.

Now, the H&M partnership has spread to New York City, with the retailer promoting the surprise performance only 30 minutes before launch with a social media post which confirmed Charli XCX’s involvement, noting she was “about to make history in Times Square wearing the H&M Holiday Collection”.

Indeed, the five-song set featured Charli XCX dressed accordingly, performing tracks from her Brat record. Alongside album singles “360”, “Von Dutch” and viral hit “Apple”, the singer opened and closed her set with remixes of album tracks “365” and “Guess”, respectively.

Footage of the event shows a sizeable crowd gathering to take part in yet another chapter of the musician’s impressive year.

Following the release of Brat in June, the record peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, becoming a pop culture phenomenon in the process and earning widespread acclaim, including a Grammy nomination for album of the year.

On Saturday (Nov. 16), Charli XCX made her third appearance on Saturday Night Live, and her first pulling double-duty as both host and musical guest, delivering electrifying performances of Brat cuts “360” and “Sympathy Is a Knife”.