Brit singer Charli XCX, has been nominated for a staggering 7 Grammys for her hit album ‘Brat.’
The album is smart, funny, moving and full of big belters, the in-your-face masterpiece was the right album at the right time, striking a cultural nerve too. It was referenced in the US presidential election, turned into a paint swatch, and named “word of the year” by Collins Dictionary.
Now the album has been named the best release in a “poll of polls” compiled by BBC News. In the star’s own words, the record is “chaos and emotional turmoil set to a club soundtrack”.
“The louder you play it, the more honest it gets,” the Los Angeles Times added.
Charli XCX is a rarity in the music industry. Unlike other Brits she cracked the US market well before becoming a force to be reckoned with in the UK.
Charli (the XCX stands for “Kiss Charli Kiss” – her old MSN Messenger username) wrote and sang on the smash electropop hit ‘I Love It’ for the Scandinavian duo Icona Pop. The track sold more than 2.5 million copies in the US and was such a catchy song it became known as “the US soundtrack to the Summer.” She also co-wrote and provided vocals for the Iggy Azalea track, ‘Fancy’ which sold 7 million copies worldwide and became the most streamed track on Spotify in the States at the time.
In 2015, her breakthrough single ‘Boom Clap’ featured on the soundtrack to the US box office film ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ and catapulted her to further superstardom. As a result, she toured the US with her own headline show, ‘Girl Power’, and was awarded “Hit Maker of the Year” at the 9th Annual Billboard Women in Music Awards. Not that the Brits and Europeans missed a trick here…they were soon to follow.
Charli then had a few years out partying in Brazil and dating a producer 11 years her senior. It was her time to “grow up” away from the media spotlight she recalls. It wasn’t until after being out of producing, writing and performing that the singer acknowledged her real calling and came straight back to the UK and spent 4 months in the recording studio.
“I realised that I just wanted to be a f***ing boss. I decided I didn’t have to choose between being an artist and being a songwriter and just started to do both. I felt ready to go and make songs and not feel worried about making a cool record or getting a hit. I just wanted to make songs that I really like. “I figured out who I was; it took me ages but was so liberating and amazing. I think it’d be cool for young girls, especially, not to worry about what people think of them and not try to replicate what they think is the right thing to do.”
Despite being only 32 now, Charli XCX has 6 albums under her well styled belt. Charli made her first album aged only 14, back in 2007, with money she was loaned from her parents – which she was quick to dismiss as an “experiment!” To this day, she is slightly annoyed that her early tracks, including the strangely titled ‘I Wanna Be Darth Vadar’ and ‘Dinosaur Sex’ are still easily found online. “I don’t count that as the beginning of my career. But whatever. Everyone did embarrassing s**t when they were 14. My mistakes are just live online for everyone to hear!” she admits.
However, it was exactly this and her hugely successful My Space page which alerted industry music moguls to the young, raw talent. Charli also interestingly used to perform at Warehouse raves in London when she was too young to even have a drink at them! She was briefly signed by Asylum Records in 2010 but Warner Music was the label that catapulted her to success. Her second album and first proper studio album signed as an artist, entitled ‘True Romance’ was released in 2013 and the third, ‘Sucker’ released the following year to critical acclaim.
Charli XCX’s stock was starting to rise at home. She opened for Katy Perry on the European leg of her Prismatic World Tour and later headlined her own UK tour. She also featured alongside R&B artist Tinashe on rapper Ty Dolla Sign’s single ‘Drop That Kitty.’
Other highlights of her career include performing at Coachella in 2023 and headlining Glastonbury in 2024 and she was such a huge success with the crowd. She also got critical acclaim for her 5th studio album ‘Crash’ which featured her lying on a car bonnet covered in blood on the album artwork. She also received a much sought-after ‘ASCAP Global Impact Award’ which were previously awarded to powerhouse singer and songwriters, including the likes of Lana Del Ray. In the music industry it is at the pinnacle of your career when you are awarded an accolade of this esteem. It’s like winning an Oscar!
Whether you’re a fan of Charli XCX or not she does tick all the boxes. A talented writer, lyricist, singer, dancer, director and she knows the direction she wants to head in. Whilst she was embarrassed about her pop heritage she has now firmly embraced it – and blends a perfect mix of electropop, breathy singing and clever lyrics to provide mass appeal in the US, Europe and the UK.
