According to Pitchfork, last month, Sufjan Stevens made a surprise onstage appearance during Meg Lui’s show at Tempo in Kingston, New York. Stevens accompanied the singer-songwriter on piano and backing vocals for her song “Elvis Queen,” taken from her new album Instant Validation, which Stevens produced.

The moment marked Stevens’s first public musical performance in over eight years. Back in 2023, Stevens revealed he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, which is a rare auto-immune disorder where the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. For the artist, he has been working to relearn how to walk and use his hands.

September 25 concert was Lui’s record release event for Instant Validation, which came out that same day via Asthmatic Kitty Records. Although it’s technically her debut album, the Hudson Valley-based singer-songwriter has written music before and worked with Stevens in the past, she contributed background vocals to his most recent album, 2023’s Javelin.

The two met through mutual friends in the Catskills and recorded Instant Validation at Stevens’ home studio. “With Sufjan there was so much more out-of-the-box thinking, and we ended up adding layers upon layers that created an unrestrained soundscape for the record,” Lui previously said of the experience.

Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna