Charli XCX brought Kim Petras onstage at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Monday night (Sept. 14) for a surprise performance of “Unlock It,” reuniting the pair for one of the most requested songs from Charli’s Pop 2 era. The appearance marked Petras’ first unannounced special-guest appearance on the Music, Fashion, Film Tour.
The performance came during the first of Charli’s two sold-out Barclays Center shows and three days after the tour opened in Philadelphia. Charli and Petras traded vocals on “Unlock It,” the 2017 track from Pop 2 that helped establish their creative connection.
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The reunion dates back nearly a decade. Charli and Petras first met at a SOPHIE show, and Charli subsequently sent Petras an unfinished version of “Unlock It.” Petras recorded her verse the following day, and the two later performed the song together during Charli’s Pop 2 live shows in 2018.
Their latest appearance also follows another reunion this summer. Petras joined Charli at a July 10 pop-up at Music Hall of Williamsburg, although the pair performed Petras’ “Jeep” rather than “Unlock It” on that occasion.
The moment arrived as Charli continues the North American leg of her Music, Fashion, Film Tour, which supports her eighth studio album of the same name. Released July 24, the 11-track project debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart with 22,322 equivalent units and opened at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 78,000 equivalent units, giving her the biggest U.S. debut of her career.
Her 90-minute live show moves between the new album and songs from across her catalog, including “Rock Music,” “Wink Wink,” “Persona,” “Apple” and “Yeah,” alongside Brat favorites such as “360,” “Von Dutch,” “Sympathy Is a Knife,” “Girl, So Confusing” and the Billie Eilish remix of “Guess.” The Philadelphia opener also featured Underscores returning to the stage for “Do It,” while Charli performed “Stay Away” as that night’s rotating surprise song.
Photo: xcxsource /X
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