Doja Cat has officially stepped back from her headlining spot at this year’s Austin City Limits Festival.
The Grammy winner announced the news on Friday through her Instagram Stories, explaining that the timing of her new album Vie—set to drop September 26—made it impossible to deliver the kind of performance she wanted.
“When I made the commitment I didn’t know exactly when Vie would be released,” she wrote. “I’ve been working on finalizing the album, making videos, taking the time to put together an album campaign that I am really excited about, and it’s become clear to me that I cannot give you guys the show you deserve within this time frame.”
She went on to thank the ACL organizers for their understanding: “Thank you to the ACL team for their support and I hope to see you all again soon when the time is right. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity.”
Doja was originally set to close out Austin City Limits on back-to-back Sundays, October 5 and October 12. Shortly after she announced her withdrawal, ACL confirmed that The Killers will now take over as Sunday headliners.
“Please welcome @thekillers to the stage,” the festival wrote on Instagram, sharing a throwback clip of one of the band’s past sets. “Your new headliners will perform both Sundays of ACL Fest!”
While fans may be disappointed not to see Doja debut new tracks live, her fifth studio album is just around the corner. She’s already teased the project with its lead single, “Jealous Type.”
This year’s ACL lineup is still loaded, featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Hozier as headliners alongside Luke Combs, The Strokes, Cage the Elephant, Doechii, John Summit, and more.
Speaking with V Magazine, Doja revealed that Vie marks a return to her pop roots, while also pulling inspiration from the sounds of the ‘70s.
“I wanted to play with that nostalgia by using these Lo-Fi sounds and samples and things that reminded you of something from your childhood, but it wasn’t on the nose ‘80s,” she explained.
