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How Charli XCX became today’s most exciting pop star
Ever since the ambitious and unconventional British pop star Charli XCX released her excellent sixth album, Brat, in June 2024, social media has been in a frenzy. The release has sparked the “Brat Summer” trend, which has become a full-fledged fashion, societal, and even political phenomenon. At the We Love Green festival on Saturday, June 7th, the British artist set the stage ablaze in her underwear, reaffirming the long-lasting influence of her aesthetic.
by Violaine Schütz. Violaine Schütz,
and Jordan Bako.
Published on October 10, 2024. Updated on June 10, 2025.
Brat by Charli xcx: one of the best albums of 2024
In 2022, the 32-year-old British singer and princess of hyperpop completely screwed up with the album Crash : from sweet bubblegum pop to overdose.
But with Brat, her latest album released on June 17th, 2024, Charli XCX took a sharp turn and made us forget the mishap. Created as a tribute to underground culture and the London rave scene she grew up in, Brat opted for sounds that are less mainstream and sanitized sounds.
Produced by A. G. Cook, Easyfun, Hudson Mohawke and Gesaffelstein, the songs hyperpop, electroclash, pop, acid house and dance leave a lot of room for audacity and experimentation.
Even if Brat is also full of hits such as 360 (accompanied by a crazy video in which we find the it girls Julia Fox and Chloë Sevigny), Von Dutch or Mean Girls.
At the 67th Grammy Awards, the British artist stood out and won three trophies out of eight nominations, including Best Dance Pop Recording for “Von Dutch,” Best Dance/Electronic Album, and Best Album Packaging.
The slap given by Girl, So Confusing remixed with Lorde
Brat also shines with his lyrics, evoking mourning, harassment suffered by famous women, anxiety, love, desire, femininity, rivalry and self-esteem.
In Girl, So Confusing, Charli xcx explores her complicated relationship with another woman in the music industry: singer Lorde.
This allusion in the initial track gives rise to a spectacular remix of the track accompanied by the person concerned.
The two stars talk about their bittersweet bonds, between rivalry, friendship and respect against a backdrop of devastating synthpop.
For its part, Sympathy is a Knife could allude to Taylor Swift.
All pop culture goes through it…
The minimalist cover of Brat announced the artist’s risk-taking.
More raw and fragile than usual, Charli xcx puts on this album the panoply of the “dirty kid” of pop to be more raw and melancholic, like a diary, as on the track Everything is romantic, which stands out as one of the most addictive tracks of 2024.
Is the “Brat Summer” trend dead?
With this complex and invigorating album, which the singer defines as “the most aggressive and conflictual of her career“, but also the most “vulnerable“, the little Charli xcx is at the top of the list of the most exciting artists of the year.
And of the time.
As Rosalía did with Motomami (2022), she redefines the aesthetic and musical canons of the moment.
This summer, all girls (and boys like actor Kyle MacLachlan who filmed himself singing Charli xcx) will want to be Brats (the anti-tradwives/clean girls) and dress in neon green while brandishing one of the best punchlines of the album: “I’m everywhere, I’m so Julia” (in reference to the omnipresent Julia Fox).
Indeed, with this new album, Charli xcx has launched a real phenomenon: the “Brat Summer“.
The singer even revealed (to the BBC) the essentials to take in her suitcase to dive into the trend: a pack of cigarettes (which we remind you are dangerous), a BIC lighter and a white tank top without a bra.
A brilliant duet with Billie Eilish
We can add a leather mini skirt, futuristic glasses, Miista boots, an XXL eyeliner line and a Y2K-inspired dress.
The watchwords?
A certain disorder, an uninhibited state of mind and a lot of self-confidence and freedom.
An enjoyable program…
Except that a few weeks later, the color green and dances choreographed to the rhythm of Charli xcx’s Apple are everywhere, from Linkedin posts to the social networks of Kamala Harris supporters.
An Instagram account has notably taken up the codes of the album to fight against the arrival of the RN in power, before the last elections.
Even more insane, an advertising campaign for sausages is surfing on the trend.
That’s all it takes for the prestigious media outlet Pitchfork to declare with great fanfare “Brat Summer is dead”.
Too many memes would have killed the meme Pantone shade 3507C.
But he didn’t count on the mischief and talent of Charli xcx.
A few days after this article, the singer published a remix of her track Guess (2024) with a guest of choice: Billie Eilish.
In the delirious and sexy video that accompanies the song, the two pop stars are drowning in underwear (10,000 pieces of lingerie that were then donated to I Support the Girls, an organization that distributes basic necessities to the homeless).
And the web, under the overexcited comments.
So it’s a safe bet that August will be as hot as July…?
Talk Talk, a shock duo with Troye Sivan
After a summer punctuated by the irreverence of Charli xcx, some might have expected the phenomenon to bow out as the temperatures cool.
A tweet, posted by Charli xcx on September 2, 2024, launched more than one Internet user on this track. “Forever, Brat Summer.”
A farewell that the singer quickly cut short.
The next day, the singer published another tweet, a photo of herself this time with her long-time collaborator (and friend!) Troye Sivan.
On a pink background, the two artists wear a white tank top, with the inscription on the chest: “About f***ing time! / It was f**king time!”
A rumor has it that anyone wearing it will be involved in a new edition of Brat. Paris Hilton, Madonna, Hayley Williams (Paramore) and PinkPantheress have all recently been spotted in similar tank tops… Is Charli xcx about to bring our wildest dreams to life?
In the meantime, Troye Sivan is the next artist to be canonized in a Brat remix.
After Addison Rae, Robyn or Billie Eilish before him, we can hear him on a re-interpretation of the track Talk Talk, carried by frenzied bass.
A great comeback for this tandem, already seen on the track 1999 (2018), an ode to Y2k fashion enhanced by a touch of irony. Dua Lipa is also there: she whispers into the microphone in French and Spanish at the beginning and end of the track, her voice sublimated by the club atmosphere of the remix.
What comes after Brat?
Will we ever have an after-Brat era? Charli xcx is very far from having said her last word.
On September 12, she becomes one of the faces of the new Autumn-Winter collection of the H&M brand, alongside Sega Bodega, Loli Bahia, Arca, Lila Moss and Sage Elsesser.
Described as “bold, modern and refined“, the collection composes with a range of patterns and references, partly inspired by the timeless charm of Hollywood cinema.
This date also marks another big news for the British singer.
With a post with the same spelling as the cover of Brat, Charli xcx announces that a remix album of Brat is about to see the light of day. It bears the (modest!) name of Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat.
Grammy Awards, remixes, Coachella… the reign of Charli XCX continues
According to Pitchfork, this new edition is made up of all the remixes unveiled so far, in addition to as yet unknown versions of Brat’s songs. Expect eclectic collaborations with Caroline Polachek, Shygirl, Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Addison Rae, Robyn, Bb Trickz, Bon Iver, and Tinashe.
And the recognition keeps coming: Charli XCX took home multiple Grammy Awards at the ceremony held on February 2nd, 2025. Just a few weeks later, on March 1st, 2025, she won Artist of the Year for 2024 at the Brit Awards.
And one more showstopping moment? Charli XCX lit up the stage at Coachella – coined “Bratchella” – with an electrifying performance. She was joined by fellow pop rebels Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Troye Sivan. As a result? A frenzied crowd capturing the show in a sea of smartphones.
Passing the torch on to the heirs of Brat Summer
More than just a concert, her Coachella performance felt like a symbolic transition. As if the singer were trying to channel the glittering, disheveled spirit of Brat Summer into other artists through pounding basslines and blinding strobe lights. Indeed, her set on April 19th, 2025, ended on a striking note. Behind her, a giant screen displayed a rotating list of names: “Lorde Summer,” “PinkPantheress Summer,” “Addison Rae Summer,” “A$AP Rocky Summer,” “Paul Thomas Anderson Summer”… A roll call of artists from both the music and film industries.
Who will be the rightful heir to the Brat Summer? Perhaps, rather than belonging solely to Charli XCX, Brat Summer has become a mindset, something to be reached, embraced by a whole new wave of creatives. These are the questions swirling in our minds after witnessing her Coachella performance.
Charli XCX returns to her roots?
Perhaps the final sign of the Brat Summer era winding down is Charli XCX seemingly to be hinting at a return to her roots. Indeed, on May 15th, 2025, she released the long-awaited music video for party 4 u, a track from her 2020 album How I’m Feeling Now. Long a cult favorite, the song has recently enjoyed a viral resurgence, likely sparked by its appearance in the 2023 film Bottoms, whose soundtrack has been co-produced by Charli XCX.
The music video pulls together all the signature elements of the Brat Summer aesthetic: a pack of cigarettes, tangled earbuds, a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps tossed to the ground in anger… Directed by Mitch Ryan, known for his work with Addison Rae, Rosalía, and on Saint Laurent campaigns, the video perfectly amplifies the song’s desperate message – the pain of unreciprocated affection.
A live performance at We Love Green
What does this video tell us about the end of Brat Summer? In its final scene, Charli XCX rips down a billboard featuring her, smears it with black paint, and sets it ablaze. A literal way of closing a book up in flames? One thing is certain; the anti-trend has become a real trend and it has proven to be one of the most enduring one.
In 2025, we will see the star appear in several feature films (Sacrifice) and performing at major festivals (We Love Green). She will even host her own festival at Victoria Park in London on June 14th, with a stellar lineup including Gesaffelstein, 070 Shake, and Yseult…
Brat (2024) by Charli XCX, available now. Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat by Charli XCX, available now. Live concert at We Love Green festival on June 7th, 2025.
