WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT THIS WEEK
Most artists would be content with one career-defining moment, but Charli seems to be delivering them on a weekly basis.
Words: Dan Harrison.
Charli xcx has always had a knack for keeping us on our toes. Her journey, from the revolutionary ‘Pop 2’ – a chaotic hyperpop manifesto – to her first chart-topper ‘Crash’, has been a fearless reinvention, constantly tearing down and rebuilding the boundaries of mainstream music. Now, with her remix album ‘BRAT and it’s completely different but also still brat’ about to drop this coming Friday (11th October), Charli’s once again reminding us why she remains the daring architect of pop’s most vibrant and unpredictable avant-garde fringe. It’s a true spectacle, a musical chinwag between some of pop culture’s most exciting – and individual – voices.
Remix culture, not so long ago, felt like it had been reduced to lazy edits meant to boost streams – like the countless slowed-down versions we scroll past on TikTok. But Charli has always approached things differently. By treating them as something far more exciting and artistically rewarding, in her ‘BRAT’ era, every track has been reimagined with care, each remix feeling like a genuine extension of the original piece rather than a quick cash-in.
Take Billie Eilish’s verse on the ‘Guess’ remix, for example. Her deadpan delivery of “Charli likes boys, but she knows I’d hit it” captures their irreverent chemistry – a mix of confidence and flirtation that feels authentic to their dynamic. It’s a line that resonated because of its unexpected, candid wit – an unfiltered moment that showcases a genuine connection. Rather than just a verse, it embodies their shared spirit of irreverence, sparking conversations, inside jokes, and endless reinterpretations across social media. These remixes are less about breaking down the original songs and more about adding a new angle – like Charli and her collaborators are just casually hanging out, riffing off each other’s inventiveness in real time.
Most artists would be content with one career-defining moment, but Charli seems to be delivering them on a weekly basis. ‘Girl, so confusing’ gave another standout, with Lorde jumping in to bring her signature wit and honesty to a track that started life as a one-sided confessional about the two’s relationship. It’s a track that’s equal parts confessional and chaotic – a perfect balance of Lorde’s introspection and Charli’s full-throttle intensity. The remix transforms the song from an introspective reflection into a back-and-forth between two of pop’s most intriguing minds, truly working it out on the remix.
This feeling – that every remix is an event – is what makes ‘BRAT’ so different from other remix albums. Charli has never been one to phone it in, and with collaborators like Ariana Grande, Caroline Polachek, Bon Iver, and The 1975, each new voice brings something distinct – Ariana’s powerhouse vocals, Polachek’s ethereal touch, Bon Iver’s haunting production, and the 1975’s genre-bending flair – delivering moments that truly matter. These are artists who don’t just show up to churn out a few lines; they help rewrite the song’s DNA.
Pop, at its best, is bratty, defiant, and never takes itself too seriously – just like Charli. The whole ‘BRAT’ era feels like Charli reclaiming her true space in the music industry, stepping back from the more commercial leanings of ‘Crash’ and instead diving headfirst into her chaotic, high-energy roots. With the main record, she aimed to strike a balance between the wild experimentalism of ‘Pop 2’ and the commercial success of ‘Crash’. Now that ‘BRAT’ has made her one of the biggest, most recognisable stars of 2024, its rework is set to deliver outright chaos.
Even the rollout of the new rework felt like an art culture and a pop culture moment in itself, with billboards appearing around the world to announce the lineup of collaborators. Spotted in cities across North America and Europe, each has given a name – Addison Rae, The Japanese House, Bladee, Robyn. The eclectic mix of collaborators shows Charli’s desire to reach across genres and sounds, pulling together artists who bring their own unique flair and, in the process, pushing the boundaries of ‘BRAT’ even further.
But it’s not all fun and games. Underneath the gloss, ‘BRAT’ explores a lot of the anxieties that Charli has wrestled with over the years – fame, self-worth, relationships. ‘Rewind’ revisits the euphoric nostalgia of her earlier hit ‘1999’, but, this time, there’s a rawness to it. Charli is looking back at a time when things were simpler, unburdened by the pressures of chart positions and commercial success. Lines like, “I used to never think about Billboard / but now I started thinking again” are a stark reminder of the toll the industry can take, even on pop’s most carefree stars.
The beauty of Charli’s ‘BRAT’ remixes lies in their conversational nature. These aren’t carefully manicured collaborations designed to maximise commercial appeal; they’re genuine moments of artistic expression. It’s pop that already had something to say the first time around. On its second lap around the block, it’s positively screaming.
Charli has always been about breaking down the barriers between the artist and the audience. On ‘BRAT’, she takes that a step further, making the music itself feel like a living back-and-forth – both with her collaborators and with her fans. It’s an idea that invites you in and lets you listen in on the inside jokes, the anxieties, the euphoria. The days of pop stars being held at arm’s length ended with the social media explosion of the previous decade, but Charli’s willingness to let us see her messiness, her contradictions, and her chaos is what makes her so compelling – a pop star who thrives in the imperfect, inviting us to embrace the chaos alongside her.
What really sets ‘BRAT and it’s completely different but also still brat’ apart is the sense that it’s a love letter to remix culture itself. It’s as much a nod to the mashups of the early 2000s as it is a futuristic take on what a remix album can be. There’s a DIY ethos running throughout the album, a feeling that anything is possible and nothing is too weird or too risky. A willingness to play, to experiment without overthinking, is what made ‘BRAT’ such a defining statement for Charli. Years of pushing at the blurred edges of mainstream awareness, occasionally peeking through with her raw talent for a hook, she’s finally cemented her position not just as a pop star but as a pop visionary – someone who understands that true creativity comes from tearing up the rulebook and starting over.
In an algorithmic landscape that can sometimes feel sterile and overly calculated, Charli xcx’s ‘BRAT and it’s completely different but also still brat’ stands out with its spontaneity and emotional authenticity. It’s messy, joyful, rebellious, and deeply emotional. But Charli isn’t just working things out on the remixes, she’s proving that she had the answers all along.
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