“I always knew Charli xcx was going to be a megastar,” says Jodie Harsh backstage at Lido Festival. “She’s had such an amazing career, so it hasn’t exactly been a slow climb, but everything has just exploded with ‘Brat’. It’s amazing to see because she’s a very, very hard worker.”
Released last June, Charli’s sixth studio album quickly took over the world and has kept a firm grip on culture ever since. “Everything about it was very ‘I don’t give a fuck what everyone else is doing; here’s what I’m feeling’, and people just went, ‘yes’,” Jodie explains. “It just felt so incredibly real.”
Thanks to a number of high-profile remixes, viral online moments and that very recognisable shade of green, ‘Brat’ was impossible to ignore. It spread like wildfire but the reason people still care twelve months on is because it’s an incredible collection of songs. Sonically, it mashes together stadium-filling pop spectacle with a snarling, industrial club energy while the lyrics give space for both swaggering self-confidence and unavoidable anxiety. “She’s always done whatever she’s liked, and what she likes is really fucking cool,” says Jodie. “Yes, she’s now a ginormous superstar, but she’s the superstar I saw when she was 15 and her parents were dropping her off at my club night.”
The fact it’s so her is perhaps why Charli has been so conflicted about the death of ‘Brat’. She’s never been one for standing still, but there have been questions about ‘Brat’ overstaying its welcome and how Charli can possibly follow it up since before the album was even released. See, pop music is fickle and obsessed with the next shiny thing, while guitar bands will celebrate album anniversaries at every chance they get.
‘Brat’ was never supposed to take over the world either. It was more a creative purge after the high-concept ‘Crash’ dealt with major label pop superstardom. “I didn’t think any of it was crazy because we were just doing our thing,” says FIFI AKA Sophia Ziskin, who starred in the ‘Guess’ remix music video and snogged The Dare onstage at The Grammys. “It’s incredible how something that is so not commercial became so commercial. I knew people would think ‘Brat’ was cool because it’s objectively cool, but I really didn’t know it would be a whole thing.”
Onstage at Lido, Charli asked the crowd, “Is it Brat Summer again? Do I drag it out, or shall we put a bullet in it?” while at the end of her blistering, 75-minute set, a track she’d dubbed ‘Dread’ played out as an onscreen message explained that she doesn’t think Brat Summer is over. “Tell me the truth, will you hate me if I stick around? Because honestly, I don’t know who I am if it’s over,” the message continued in typically blunt fashion. “And so, I’ve decided I want this to last forever. It wasn’t just a summer thing; it’s a forever thing. Please don’t let it be over.”
And it really does seem like ‘Brat’ will be a forever thing. The album has already shown a new generation of artists they can take risks, and be successful. It’s going to shape pop music for years to come. “‘Brat’ is authentic and industrial. It’s weird, but there’s so much craftsmanship to it,” explains Rose Gray. “That has just given space for more experimenting within music. It’s been so inspiring to see,” she continues. “I feel like I’ve been doing weird pop for ages, but now people get it. I think we’re about to enter the era of weird pop.”
Massive shows at Lido, Parklife and Primavera have been less about Charli proving her popstar credentials and more about giving space for her community of fans to come together and party as well.
“‘Brat’ kickstarted the return of messy club culture, and people have been crazing that,” FIFI says of the world’s continued obsession with the album. “There’s nothing better than going to a festival, a club or a concert with your friends and making it a whole thing. It’s not about drink or drugs; it’s for that sense of togetherness.” Britpop did the same thing in the 90s, and we know how influential that era has been.
Alex Chapman and Zoe Glitter have been on the frontline of ‘Brat’ ever since George Daniels popped up at the one-year anniversary party for their GAG club night last April, alongside FIFI and Charli. ‘Von Dutch’ had only been out for a few weeks but there was already this “frenzied energy” around it, explains Zoe. A string of official Partygirl events followed, as did fan-created club nights that Charli frequently crashed. “That’s been hugely important because it’s shown that ‘Brat’ isn’t just about mainstream pop, it’s about culture. That’s why the album was so significant for so many people – it encouraged dancing, community and being together at a time where there was a lot of darkness in the world.”
“It created this sense of belonging as well. You’d hear her music and know you’re with your people,” added Alex.
“Clubbing is so important for the culture of music, and it also provides a little moment of escapism for people,” continues Jodie. “Clubs form safe spaces for communities, which is so important right now when the world’s becoming more dangerous for so many marginalised communities. Going out and dancing is vital for a lot of people – I reckon if more politicians went out and had a bit of a dance, the world would be a better place to live.”
“Ultimately, ‘Brat’ is about being with your mates,” Jodie adds. It’s why people have clung so tightly to the idea of Brat Summer. “It’s an album that’s going to be around forever, isn’t it,” Jodie continues. “All those kids here today are still going to listen to ‘365’ in 30 years’ time because it’s an album that’s defined a generation.”
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