Charli xcx will release the Brat follow-up Music, Fashion, Film on July 24.
The Von Dutch hitmaker has a passion for all three sectors and has been involved in a string of movie projects, including her soundtrack album for Wuthering Heights and her Brat mocumentary The Moment, alongside upcoming roles in I Want Your Sex, The Gallerist, and Faces of Death.
The album artwork, shot by longtime collaborator Aidan Zamiri, features a trio of heavy‑hitters: Velvet Underground legend John Cale, fashion icon Marc Jacobs, and filmmaker Martin Scorsese, signalling Charli’s intention to blur the lines between pop, style and cinema.
Her new material has already stirred conversation. On the glitch‑driven Rock Music, Charli declares: “I think the dancefloor is dead,” a line that instantly split listeners. Meanwhile, SS26 sees her leaning into apocalyptic fashion satire, singing: “Spring Summer 26 / When the world is gonna end no hope for any of it / Yeah we’re walking on a runway that goes straight to hell / Nothing’s gonna save us not music fashion or film.”
She also appears to poke fun at celebrity PR culture, dropping lines about “being hacked,” “context,” and crafting the perfect Notes App apology.
Responding to the intense discourse, Charli compared the reaction to the early days of PC Music and her 2016 Vroom Vroom EP.
She wrote: “Seeing all the different reactions to my song ‘Rock Music’ has been really interesting… it reminds us of the initial discourse around pc music.”
She added that she loves when art sparks conversation, saying things can be “funny, earnest, sincere and joyful all at the same time.”
But the biggest twist came when Madonna appeared to enter the chat.
After Charli’s “dancefloor is dead” lyric went viral, the Queen of Pop posted a series of disco‑themed images on Instagram with a caption many fans saw as a direct clapback:
“If your Dance Floor feels dead Maybe you’re playing the wrong music.”
The timing was unmistakable - Madonna is gearing up to release Confessions II in July, the long‑awaited sequel to her 2005 dance classic Confessions on a Dance Floor, once again teaming with producer Stuart Price.
