On Wednesday, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan made Los Angeles SWEAT at their co-headlining tour. Making their second sold-out night at the Kia Forum, the pop stars made a lasting impression on the city and its attendees.
With notable hits such as “Boom Clap” and “I Love It,” Charli has been in the industry for over 10 years. However, the English singer-songwriter has skyrocketed to a new era of fame with her sixth studio album “Brat” which was released in June and redefined summer for the foreseeable future. Hits like “360,” “Von Dutch” and “Apple” introduced a new club-centric sound to the mainstream pop scene.
Similarly, the Australian singer-songwriter, Troye Sivan, evolved from his early pop hits “YOUTH” and “Bloom” with his most recent release “Something To Give To Each Other.” Troye Sivan has spiked in popularity once again with songs such as “One Of Your Girls,” “Rush” and “Got Me Started.”
With the hit releases from both artists in tandem with TikTok trends and dances, the SWEAT tour has become a sought-after experience. From outside to inside, the love for music protruded. Outfits included: statement colors such as “BRAT” green, neon blues and hot pinks; textures like fishnets, furs and glitters; and accessories with boots, chains and (of course) sunglasses.
Shygirl opened the night with an ecstatic tracklist hyping up the crowd for the rest of the show. As Shygirl and Charli’s main genres are dance and electronic pop, their performances were mainly themselves and the crowd, with no need for background dancers. Instead of background dancers, flashing lights, interactions with the stage, and the camerawork on the jumbotron gave more substance to each of their performances keeping the crowd engaged and hyped. The set itself resembled an abandoned warehouse including a cage underneath the stage and scaffolding at the back of the stage. Troye, however, took a more traditional approach to his performance with intense choreography and the notable appearance of background dancers, most notably with “Rush” and “Got Me Started.”
A co-headlining tour was a risky choice, however, but these two international pop stars successfully pulled off this type of concert. Troye and Charli build off of each other exceptionally well and have formed a one-of-a-kind relationship with one another. The banter, hype, and overall connection between the two artists can be felt throughout and by the crowd, especially with their collab performances, such as the remixed “Talk Talk” and “1999.” The two artists continuously supported their co-headliners during transitions by keeping the crowd alive and excited.
Despite the ecstatic crowd and hype performances, the concert was lacking with guests. Night one included Tate McRae and Kesha as guests to perform, but night two did not feature any performing guests. While Vinnie Hacker made a special appearance for Sivan’s “One of Your Girls,” concertgoers expected at least one special artist appearance. Many speculated Ariana Grande, Addison Rae or Tinashe to perform songs off of “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat,” but these expectations were unmet.
Despite the lack of special guests, the concert was still phenomenal. Some of the most notable performances included Charli XCX’s “365,” “Everything is romantic” and “Apple” with L.A.’s “Apple” girls, with one being Brittany Broski, and Troye Sivan’s “One of Your Girls,” “Rager Teenager” and “What’s the Time Where You Are?”. Los Angeles fans can agree on one thing — we are always ready to SWEAT.