Stepping away from the spotlight at Austin City Limits Festival, Grammy-nominated artist Doja Cat has announced her withdrawal from both weekends of the event, scheduled for October 5 and 12, 2025, to focus on completing her upcoming album *Vie*.
The artist revealed her decision through an official statement on Instagram, expressing regret while emphasizing the importance of delivering a quality album and performance experience over maintaining her current schedule.
In response to the last-minute change, festival organizers swiftly confirmed that rock band The Killers will replace Doja Cat as Sunday headliners for both weekends. The Las Vegas-based rock band, known for their hit song Mr. Brightside, has previously performed in Texas, including a show at Emo’s Austin in 2023. This substitution allows the festival to maintain its momentum while potentially attracting different audience demographics, effectively mitigating potential disruptions to the event’s programming and avoiding ticket refund complications.
Doja Cat’s upcoming album *Vie* is set for release on September 26, 2025, just days before the festival’s first weekend. Her decision highlights the prioritization of album completion tasks, including final production work, video creation, and marketing preparations. The artist’s team has emphasized the need for metadata accuracy in preparing the album’s digital distribution across streaming platforms. The artist plans to utilize playlist pitching strategies across major streaming platforms to maximize the album’s reach upon release.
The artist thanked ACL Festival organizers for their understanding and expressed hope to return to the event in the future.
The cancellation follows an extensive touring period for Doja Cat, who recently concluded a successful global tour running from October 2023 to July 2024. The tour launched at Chase Center in San Francisco before concluding at London’s Wireless Festival. Her touring statistics underscore her commercial impact, having sold 361,138 tickets and grossed approximately $39.3 million across 37 headline reports to date.
The artist’s representation by SALXCO Management and CAA booking agent Jenna Adler reflects her established industry position.
Fan reaction to the announcement has been mixed, with initial excitement about her headlining spot now tempered by disappointment.
The professional handling of the withdrawal by both parties demonstrates industry best practices for managing schedule conflicts, with clear communication minimizing negative impacts on stakeholders.
The collaborative approach between Doja Cat’s team and ACL Festival organizers illustrates the balance required between artist priorities and event planning in the music industry.
