Undoubtedly, one star has taken over the world this summer. Three words. Green. Brat. Apple.
Charli XCX has taken the world by storm with her iconic album, Brat. Released in June, this album has catapulted Charli into a pop icon and the mainstream. But this is not her first experience.
Across her decade-long career, Charli has dipped her toe into pop mainstream but has not submerged herself till now.
For British fans, Charli has always been on the edge of cultural-icon status and the underground dance scene. Now it seems the rest of the world has woken up and fully accepted Charli XCX as this summer’s ‘it girl.’
But why has it taken this long for her to break into the mainstream fully? Especially after so many hits and chances. Why is the public now understanding this?
The Start of Charli XCX
In true Brat fashion, Charli started her career at the age of 14, performing at underground raves. She was discovered by a promoter on MySpace and adopted her screen name as her stage name, so Charli XCX was born.
She made a name for herself on the underground scene and got the attention of Asylum Records. But it wasn’t until 2012 that Charli had her first taste of mainstream success. During this year, she had a massive collaboration with Icona Pop.
‘I Love It’ reached No. 1 on the UK charts and No. 7 on the Billboard charts. At the time of its release, the song was impossible to escape. It was played on every radio station, and the video was on every channel.
Like most of Charli’s features, they do exceptionally better than her solo work. In an interview with Complex, Charli said, “I don’t care if my record doesn’t sell or anything like that; I just care that it’s a good album.” Since the start of her career, Charli has focused on her craft rather than her popularity.
While perfecting her craft, she has garnered a dedicated fanbase that cannot compare to mainstream success. Everything she does is for herself and her fans. Outside of that bubble, it is not of interest to her. This is what makes Charli so unique and different from other stars. But that is also what makes Brat summer so interesting.
The Year of Charli XCX
In 2014, Charli was welcomed into the main pop scene for the first time. ‘Fancy’, her collaboration with Iggy Azalea, launched her into pop stardom.
Till now, Charli had only ever seen success as a featured artist. But one song was about to change that. ‘Boom Clap’ from the Fault in Our Stars soundtrack made Charli go global. In 2014, she was set to become the next pop girl.
She had two massive hits that appealed to the masses, and she got her first Billboard No. 1. It was truly Charli’s year; she performed everywhere with Iggy Azalea, and ‘Boom Clap’ cemented her as a true popstar. A fun, catchy hit that every teenage girl was singing after having their heart crushed by John Green.
Her sophomore album, Sucker, did pretty well on the charts, reaching No. 28 in America and No. 15 in Charli’s home country. In the UK, there was no escape from her; she was the it girl.
Charli was recognised by every teenager and twentysomething in the 2010s. But why was it that this popularity didn’t stick?
Genre-Hopping
Every now and then, she has resurfaced with a pop banger that gets stuck in your head for days. Such as her 2017 hit, ‘Boys’, or her first collab with Troye Sivan, ‘1999’. However, no matter how big the hit, she inevitably fades from the public eye.
There is no denying that Charli knows how to make good music. She has so many hits under her belt. So, it is not the music that is turning people away. It is because she doesn’t make music for the sake of popularity.
No album or mixtape is the same. Each album is different from the last, but it still has that Charli XCX sound. She is dedicated to her craft and wants to make music that sounds good to her.
Her 2020 lockdown album is probably the best example. This is How I’m Feeling Now was made with fans during the first lockdown. Over the course of six weeks, Charli hosted Zoom calls, released snippets and lyrics, all for her fans. This was a passion project between her and her people.
Every fan had their input and created a beautiful body of work, which until Brat was critically her best. This is How I’m Feeling Now, put Charli in a whole different league as an artist. It showed her love and dedication to making music. In an interview with the BBC, Charli said, “It’s so fun and nice to work like this.”
Brat changed the way the public viewed Charli. It allowed the public to understand her dedication to the craft. Charli takes her craft very seriously and is dedicated to creating a true pop era.
Everything about this album rollout has been perfect. And thanks to TikTok, it has become one of the biggest music projects of the year.
The End of Brat Summer?
From Kamala Harris to ColourPop, everyone is having a Brat summer. Anyone can be a Brat or have a Brat summer. That’s why it has taken over the internet! Sure, the main essence of a Brat is to go clubbing and be messy. But at its core, being authentically you and carefree about what you’re doing is true Brat behaviour.
Brat Summer may be ending. But the mentality of a Brat will never die, and neither will Charli’s legacy. The more and more brands that tag onto Brat summer will further kill the meme, but the legacy will never go.
To take over for three months with a simple green album is insane. Charli created a summer truly for the girls and for those who have been wronged, snarled at, or stared at for being weird. She created a space for all girls to come together and thus revived her career. The core of Brat Summer is to be you to the fullest extent.
And with one more remix to come, Brat Summer will live forever.
