ACL Festival 2026 Q&A - Elijah Delgado

ELIJAH DELGADO

ACL: Friday, October 2 • 2:00 PM • Snapchat Stage • Weekend 1
RIYL: Gigi Perez • Bon Iver • Novo Amor
Start Here: “Talk”

ACL Festival 2026 Q&A

Austin-born singer-songwriter Elijah Delgado has been releasing music since he was a teenager, but 2026 feels like a significant step forward. After playing his first official SXSW showcase earlier this year, he’ll now take another major hometown stage at ACL Festival.

Delgado’s music moves between intimate singer-songwriter moments and expansive indie rock, but what stands out most is the combination of strong storytelling and surprisingly sophisticated musical composition for an artist this early in his career. “Talk” immediately caught my attention with its soft, ethereal flow, but the more I listened, the more surprised I was that he doesn’t already have a much larger following. Hopefully, an ACL stage helps change that.

Ahead of ACL Weekend 1, Elijah talked with WAALT Music about growing up in an incredibly supportive musical environment, finding confidence as a performer, staying present while building a career, living and working in Austin and where he hopes all of this takes him next.

WMB: You started releasing music while you were still really young, but your family had been encouraging your music long before that. As your career has become more serious, has the way they support you changed, and do they still play a role in how you make decisions as an artist?

ED: My family and their support have been such a grounding presence as my career has evolved. It's really special to me how their support looks the same now as it did when I was first discovering that music could be an option for me. They have always championed what I’m doing, whether that meant showing up for a little after-school showcase when I was 11 or being there for ACL in 2026! I think that consistency has been instrumental, and knowing that I have their support no matter what has given me the ability to simultaneously keep pushing and stay as grounded as I can be. 

WMB: “Talk” has this really soft, ethereal flow that reminds me a little of Gigi Perez’s “Sailor Song.” What were you trying to create emotionally with that track, and do you find yourself naturally drawn toward songs that feel intimate and atmospheric?

ED: Ouuu I love that Sailor Song! Huuge compliment thank you hehe. I think the way that song naturally unfolded was this idea of tension - lyrically and sonically. That's the word I always come back to for that song. I loove songs that feel intimate, yet somehow huge and atmospheric. Bon Iver is a huge inspiration in that way for me. I love digesting music that feels so personal and intimate, but also creates a massive world for me to sink into and feel small in some weird way. Talk is my attempt at that, and I will definitely be exploring that concept more!

WMB: You grew up going to SXSW, played your first official showcase this year, and now you’re heading to ACL in the same year. Do those two milestones feel different emotionally, or does ACL feel like the next chapter of the same Austin story?

ED: It’s tough to say... It’s an absolute dream and honor to get to do both, especially in the same year, but I think they feel pretty independent from each other emotionally! I think everything accumulates and builds, and stories evolve as you go. As an artist born and raised in Austin, there’s something really special about getting to experience these festivals from different perspectives at different points in my life. I grew up going to SXSW, so getting to play my first official showcase there felt surreal in one way, while ACL feels like a completely different kind of milestone. I think there’s a shared emotional connection to both because they’re such a big part of the story of Austin music. So many artists and bands from Austin who have gone on to do amazing things have their own version of that story, and I feel really lucky to have my own story unfolding. More than anything, I’m just happy to be here!

WMB: Your songs can feel really intimate through headphones, but ACL is obviously a completely different setting. When you take something that personal onto a festival stage, do you try to make the arrangements bigger, or is the goal to preserve that closeness even in front of a much larger crowd?

ED: It truly varies song to song and set to set! Generally, my music can be all over the place, from acoustic singer-songwriter to loud indie rock, which makes preparing for sets very dynamic. One of my favorite things about developing live sets is visualizing the moment: What will the stage look like? How many people do I anticipate being there? What will the weather be? How will the band and I be feeling? How long is the set? What is the setting and demographic? I like to consider all of those factors and base my decisions around them to craft a show that I think will be most fulfilling for everyone. All that to say, it’s important to me that I preserve a sense of intimacy and closeness, but I’ve learned that it has much less to do with the pace or tempo of a song and much more to do with making people feel connected and seen. My goal is for every show to feel like one cohesive piece of art and connection, using intimacy and high energy intentionally and at the right moments!

WMB: You shared that Wherever You Go, There You Are is about presence, longing and learning to be where your feet are. Was there a particular season of your life or personal experience that pushed those themes to the surface?

ED: I absolutely love what I do, and have learned to love the grind, but it is tough to be present and grounded when my default headspace is in the future and up in the clouds. As things have progressed, it's only gotten harder to take a breath. It's a much deeper thing and I should probably go to therapy more often lol, but I know that there is a reality in which I can have my head down and work hard, and also be able to look up every once in a while! Writing the EP was super therapeutic for me to be able to communicate these things, and now I feel like these concepts are on the table for me to sit with and sift through. I am definitely still in the particular season in that way, and part of me thinks it will always be a struggle, but I feel very grateful to be able to put it to sounds and words.

WMB: You’ve already gone from releasing music as a teenager to playing SXSW and ACL within just a few years. What do you feel has changed the most about you as a songwriter and performer since those first releases?

ED: I think the biggest thing that has changed for me is learning to harness conviction and confidence. Early on, performing felt like learning a completely new instrument. I had to figure out how to be comfortable on stage, how to communicate with an audience, and how to feel like I belonged there. Over time, I’ve become much more confident as a performer, and genuinely enjoy it more and more! I’m excited to see what that continues to look like for me three, five, or ten years down the line. With songwriting, I think I’ve simply just gained more life experience and, with that, a better understanding of what I want to say. I’ve become more confident in my perspective and more willing to trust my instincts. I feel like I’ve developed a stronger sense of conviction around who I am as an artist and what I want my music to communicate!

WMB: You’ve had a really busy and exciting year between SXSW, new music and now ACL. What’s on the horizon next, and what are some of the goals you’d love to accomplish as an artist over the next couple of years?

ED: I think overall, I’m just excited to continue growing as an artist and to keep finding my voice! More music, more growth, and more opportunities to connect with people through what I’m making. A huge goal of mine is to start touring and take this thing beyond Texas, so I’m excited to see where the next couple of years take me. I plan on reporting back in a couple of years from the road. :)

If Elijah Delgado isn’t on your ACL radar yet, now is a good time to fix that. Start with “Talk” below, then catch him Friday, October 2 at 2:00 PM on the Snapchat Stage during Weekend 1.

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