Audrey Hobert performs at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman
Sue me: She’s weird but I love her.
Audrey Hobert is, above all, relatable.
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She dances around the stage with the unselfconscious energy of a kid putting together choreography with a friend in the living room, trying to convince their parents to let them have a sleepover. On Sunday at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, that vibe was on full display.
Hobert vs. Swift? There’s a clear winner in 2026
Audrey Hobert performs at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman
Hobert opened her set with “I like to touch people,” immediately establishing the unserious, slightly unhinged tone that would carry through the rest of her performance. She appeared onstage standing on a ladder, wearing a ridiculously long trench coat and a comical disguise mask. Underneath it? Another, shorter trench coat.
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Hobert’s fans sang along to practically every word, from “Thirst Trap” to “Phoebe,” proving that her appeal isn’t just in the catchy hooks or TikTok virality. Her lyrics feel like the debrief you have with your best friend after ending a summer situationship — the kind of conversation where you analyze every text, every red flag and every regrettable decision until it finally becomes funny.
Fans cheer for Audrey Hobert at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman
“Don’t go back to his a–” is a perfect example of why Hobert feels like one of the next big things in pop.
She has drawn comparisons to Taylor Swift for her lyricism, but dare I say Hobert might be better? She is unashamed of being completely herself.
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Her songs are about gin and tonics. Watching “Sex and the City” and “Friends” and wondering why it took her so long to start. Getting to the bar before your date and overthinking the fact that you got there first in “Wet Hair.”
That specificity is part of what makes Hobert’s songwriting work. She takes the tiny, embarrassing, deeply mundane moments of being a young person and turns them into something thousands of people can scream back at her.
At ACL Fest, that connection was impossible to miss.
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‘Sue Me’ once, twice, it never gets old
Audrey Hobert performs at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman
When she performed “Thirst Trap,” the title felt comically fitting. Thousands of festivalgoers stood in muddy Zilker Park, phones raised to document themselves for Instagram despite the rainy conditions — and, perhaps more importantly, despite the smell. Good times. Let’s take a picture.
Hobert seemed to understand exactly how ridiculous it all was.
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At one point, she told the crowd it was in her contract that it stops raining when she performs. And, somehow, she willed it into existence.
For the first time all weekend, the clouds began to break. Blue sky appeared above the T-Mobile stage, and sunlight spilled over the crowd.
In an electrifying set, singer-songwriter Audrey Hobert performed at ACL Festival on Sunday. The sun poked out from the clouds for a brief moment during her performance, giving fans a reminder of what Austin is normally like — and a break from ACL Mudfest.
Hobert sang “Sue Me” twice, as she has been doing at previous performances, to give the crowd a phones-off experience for her hit song.
Ana Gutierrez/Austin American-Statesman
Then came “Sue Me.” And not just once, but twice.
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The first time, she ran around the stage while fans pulled out their phones, trying to capture the moment. The second time, she told everyone to put their phones away.
As the rain finally let up, the sky cleared and the sun came out over a muddy Zilker Park, I reached something approaching euphoria.
Maybe that was the magic of Hobert’s set. It felt like hanging out with the funniest, weirdest friend you have — the one who says exactly what everyone else is thinking.
Audrey Hobert performs at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman
At one point, Hobert talked about being a writer and feeling a little off while performing.
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Then she corrected herself.
“Just f—— kidding, I was born for this s—,” she said.