Charli xcx is visiting Fingerprints Music in Long Beach on Friday for two 30-minute Q&A sessions with ticketed fans for the release of her seventh studio album, “Music, Fashion, Film,” which dropped overnight.
Rand Foster, owner of the record store on Atlantic Avenue, said they decided to schedule two sessions — one at 4 p.m. and another at 5 p.m. — in anticipation of public demand. Entry was tied strictly to preorders of an indie-exclusive “Yorkshire Smoke” vinyl pressing, capped at two copies per address. By Friday afternoon, a couple dozen eager fans were already lined up along the sidewalk waiting for the 4 p.m. start.
Rather than a traditional meet-and-greet, the event will revolve around a 30-minute conversation moderated by a Fingerprints staff member and using prompts collected and selected from ticketed guests in advance.
“She’s very excitedly prepping as we talk to one of her heroes,” Foster said of the staff moderator.
Fingerprints, a 5,000-square-foot record store that has operated in Long Beach since 1992, has a history of hosting high-profile in-store events, including past appearances by Charli xcx as well as acts such as Foo Fighters, The 1975 and Iron & Wine.
Other release-week celebrations have included a massive fan meet-and-greets with Kehlani and Cardi B, which drew crowds wrapping around city blocks.
Friday’s event with Charli xcx comes less than 24 hours after the British singer-songwriter dropped her latest album and is one of her stops in the greater Los Angeles area as she promotes the record’s release. She is set to launch a tour in September, with stops planned into October.
“The fact that she could be out and doing events that make a lot of money and she instead comes here for this is really awesome,” Foster said.
Foster compared the day’s preparations to the stages of grief. “There’s excitement, there’s disbelief, there’s ‘oh shit,’ and then there’s relief.”
Asked what stage he’s in, Foster laughed. “I’m in the ‘oh shit’ stage right now, because we’re getting close.”