Pop star Charli XCX believed her record label might drop her over critically acclaimed 2024 album, Brat, which went on to achieve global success and multiple awards.
The 32-year-old singer, whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison, discussed her mindset during the album's creation with Gwyneth Paltrow on the actor’s Goop podcast.
"I actually made this record being like, ‘OK, I’m just going to do this one for me," she said. "Maybe I’m going to get dropped by my label and that’s fine’. That was kind of the headspace that I was in."
Despite her initial concerns, the album, released in June 2024, soared to number one in the UK and reached the top 10 in 14 other countries.
It garnered nine Grammy nominations, winning three, and inspired a viral "Brat summer" cultural movement. The accolades continued at the Brit Awards in March, where Charli XCX dominated, securing five categories including songwriter of the year, album of the year, artist of the year, dance act, and song of the year for a version of her track Guess featuring Billie Eilish.
Looking ahead, the artist indicated her next album would be "inherently" different from Brat.
"I really like to work in contrast. I think whatever I do next will just inherently be different to Brat because that’s what feels natural," she explained, adding, "I’m exploring a lot of stuff with strings at the moment, which I’m really enjoying and I haven’t really worked in that space before."
Her creative expansion also includes acting roles in a remake of the 1978 film Faces of Death and in The Gallerist, alongside Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega, both of which are already in post-production.
he is also set to star in and co-produce The Moment, an A24 film featuring Alexander Skarsgård, Rosanna Arquette, and Kylie Jenner. "I love making music, but I think there was just a point where I was like, I really need to exercise my creativity in a different way," she said. "I don’t actually really listen to that much music… what I am doing is I’m always watching films."
The Apple hitmaker also touched upon her recent marriage to The 1975 drummer and record producer George Daniel, and her thoughts on starting a family, a theme explored in her Brat track I Think About It All the Time.
"There’s still a bit of stigma around women who don’t want children," she noted. "I swing between the two. Right now, I’m on the side of, ‘I’m not sure that’s for me,’ but that could change."
Charli XCX met Daniel, 35, through The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy, with their bond solidifying during an Australian festival tour when they "realised there’s a spark." She described their early connection: "From there, we were working on one song, and it just sort of blossomed. It was very sweet, very innocent."
