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The day Charli xcx founded a all-girl band with Gabbriette
Chloe Chaidez, Debbie Knox-Hewson, Georgia Somary and model Gabbriette Bechtel form the pop-rock band Nasty Cherry. The beginning of this pop-rock all-girl band was the focus of a Netflix documentary mini-series in 2019. Throwback to the origins and evolution of the girls band founded by British pop star Charli xcx, the artist behind one of the biggest musical successes of 2024: Brat.
by La rédaction.
and Alexandre Chevarin.
Nasty Cherry: Charli xcx’s pop-rock girl band
At the age of 14, singer Charli xcx was already dreaming of an all-girl music band, “a real, badass all-girl punk band”. After a wild night out, the latter met with guitarist Chloe Chaidez for lunch in a Mexican restaurant and an idea popped into her head – she wanted to create the coolest rock band of 2019, with Chloe Chaidez as the lead guitarist.
The British pop star then recruited her own drummer, Debbie Knox-Hewson, and picked Georgia Somary as her bass player, who was then a film set designer. The only thing missing was a singer. Scrolling on Instagram, Charli xcx then thought of model and photographer Gabbriette Bechtel, aka Gabbriette, and immediately asked her for a demo. She was stunned by what she heard and immediately signed the girls to her label Vroom Vroom Recordings in early 2019… The Nasty Cherries were born.
The early days of Nasty Cherry at the heart of a Netflix documentary
The girls soon moved into the same flat with one goal in mind: to write music. They shared tons of inspirations, from the 1970s rock band Roxy Music to the Spice Girls and The Runaways, an all-female Californian band led by Joan Jett.
They imagined a girly pop-rock universe with punk influences. One afternoon, Chloe Chaidez, the group’s hyperactive frontwoman, was rollerblading around the house with a guitar around her neck, chanting “I need to win”. Charli xcx, who would visit them on a regular basis, nervously typed on her iPhone… They all just gave birth to the very first song by Nasty Cherry, entitled Win.
Released on November 15th, 2019, the Netflix documentary mini-series I’m With The Band: Nasty Cherry follows the journey of Charli xcx and her band. The six episodes document the story of Nasty Cherry, from their debut up to their first concert in Los Angeles. In a world where there is no magic formula for success, Nasty Cherry’s glamorous saga gradually establishes its own rules.
The split-up of the band tastes like scandal
Except that things went south in a heartbeat… In 2021, the group went silent and it seemed that something was fishy going on. Chloe Chaidez was reportedly planning to collaborate on
a solo album with musician Ariel Pink. But the once worshipped, hype producer from Los Angeles went to Washington during the Capitol assault encouraged by Donald Trump’s supporters to support the former president in 2021. Enough to incur the wrath of her Nasty Cherry colleagues.
Although the origin of the group’s dissolution remains unknown, Charli xcx and Gabbriette Bechtel have nevertheless managed to avoid a falling out. In May 2024, Troye Sivan’s collaborator unveiled the music video for her track 360, one of the lead singles of her new album Brat, released on June 7th 2024, which has become a worldwide phenomenon.
2024: a landmark year for both Charli xcx and Gabbriette
In her video for 360, the artist calls on a host of social media stars, influencers and long-time friends, including Chloë Sevigny, Julia Fox and Gabbriette. This high-profile appearance echoes the lyrics of the song, which refer to the model: “Call me Gabbriette, you’re so inspired”.
Now engaged to Matty Healy, the lead singer of The 1975, Gabbriette shares one important detail with Charli xcx – the latter is dating George Daniel, The 1975’s drummer. The band took part in Charli xcx’s remix album Brat and It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat by the way.
Just as the British singer continues her phenomenal ascent to fame, the 27-year-old American model is gradually making a name for herself. In addition to photoshoots for several brands, Gabriette has become famous for creating culinary content during the pandemic, sharing videos of her recipes on Instagram. Gabbriette also signed a collaboration with MAC Cosmetics this year and unveiled a limited edition lip kit inspired by her signature looks.
I’m With The Band: Nasty Cherry (2019) available on Netflix.
Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat (2024) by Charli xcx, available now.
Translation by Emma Naroumbo Armaing.
