Charli XCX
Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery by a promoter who invited her to perform at warehouse raves. In 2010, she signed a recording contract with Asylum Records, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012.
Charli XCX
In 2012, Charli XCX rose to prominence with the Icona Pop collaboration "I Love It", which became an international success, reaching top 10 in North America and Europe. Her debut studio album, True Romance (2013), was released to positive reception but failed to meet commercial expectations. In 2014, she contributed the hook and bridge to "Fancy" by rapper Iggy Azalea, which finished the year as one of the best-selling singles worldwide and was nominated for two Grammy Awards. The same year, Charli XCX released "Boom Clap", which became her first solo top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100. Her second studio album, the punk-influenced Sucker (2014) was released at the end of the year, and spawned the successful singles "Break the Rules" and "Doing It".
In 2015, Charli XCX began working alongside producers associated with the UK collective PC Music, developing a more experimental sound and image. While working on her third album, she released the Vroom Vroom EP (2016) and the mixtapes Number 1 Angel and Pop 2 (both 2017), as well as a series of singles including the BPI-certified "After the Afterparty", "Boys", and "1999". Her third and fourth studio albums, Charli (2019) and How I'm Feeling Now (2020), received widespread acclaim. In 2021, Charli XCX co-wrote and provided vocals on the Jax Jones and Joel Corry single "Out Out". The following year, she released her fifth album, Crash, which became her biggest commercial success to date. In 2023, she released the single "Speed Drive" as part of Barbie the Album, the soundtrack of Barbie. In March 2024, Charli XCX released the single "Von Dutch" ahead of her sixth studio album Brat.[1]
In addition to her solo work, Charli XCX has co-written songs for other artists, including Iggy Azalea's "Beg for It" (2014), Selena Gomez's "Same Old Love" (2015), Blondie's "Tonight" (2017), the Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello collaboration "Señorita" (2019), and the Sigala and Rita Ora collaboration "You for Me" (2021).
Early life[edit]
Charlotte Emma Aitchison was born in Cambridge on 2 August 1992, the only child of nurse and flight attendant Shameera and entrepreneur and show booker Jon Aitchison. Her mother was born into a Gujarati Indian family in Uganda, while her father is Scottish.[2] She grew up in Start Hill, Essex,[3][4] and attended Bishop's Stortford College in nearby Bishop's Stortford.[5] After receiving racist comments in 2016, she responded that she is "extremely proud" of her Indian heritage.[6] She demonstrated an affinity for music from an early age, being interested in acts such as the Spice Girls and Britney Spears, and began writing songs at the age of 14.[7][8]
Artistry[edit]
Musical style[edit]
Music critics have described Charli XCX's music in a variety of terms including dance-pop,[139][140][141] electropop,[142][143] pop punk[144][145][146] and alternative pop.[147] Lyrically, her songs deal with numerous subjects including sex,[148] cars, hedonism,[149] and love. Her earliest demos, including those released on Myspace were described as "trashy techno".[150] Subsequent releases were labeled as a blend of dark wave and witch house.[151] As her career progressed, Charli XCX showcased several other musical styles such as gothic pop and synth-pop in her debut album,[152][153] her second album was described as pop punk[154] containing elements of punk rock, new wave and power pop.[155][156][157] Critics marked the beginning of Charli XCX's collaborations with PC Music-signed artists as a turning point in her discography.[158] Releases following Sucker explored an avant-pop[159][160] direction. Vroom Vroom contained elements of Eurodance,[161] meanwhile Number 1 Angel showed influences of trap, R&B, electropop, synth-pop and experimental pop.[162][160] Pop 2 and Charli were noted for their extensive collaborations and maintained their predecessors' avant-pop composition and incorporated elements of avant-garde, eurodance and J-pop music.[163][164] How I'm Feeling Now was described as a "club-pop", hyperpop and experimental pop album with elements of garage, trance, bubblegum pop music in which Charli XCX addresses her life during the COVID-19 lockdowns.[165][166][167] Crash was dubbed a synth-pop and 1980s pop album with hints of synthwave, Eurodance, hard funk, swingbeat, bubblegum pop, Italo disco and indie pop music that was noted for its departure from Charli XCX's previous experimental pop releases. It was noted for its satirical take on pop music and deal-with-the-devil-centered aesthetic.[168][169] Charli XCX's singing voice has been compared to that of Gwen Stefani[170] and Marina and the Diamonds.[171] Charli XCX has been described as a figurehead of the 2010s "hyperpop" style, though she rejected the term on social media, stating that she does "not identify with music genres."[172]
Influences[edit]
Charli XCX's influences include Shampoo, No Doubt, t.A.T.u., the Donnas, Bikini Kill, Avril Lavigne, the Feminine Complex, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Donna Summer,[173] Bread, All Saints, Uffie, Brooke Candy, Lil Wayne,[174][175][176] Kate Bush, Twin Peaks,[177] Paris Hilton,[178] Justice, Crystal Castles, Calvin Harris,[179] Björk, Quentin Tarantino and Siouxsie Sioux whom she has named as her "hero."[180][181] She has also named Rihanna as her "favorite pop girl"[178] and hopes to write a song for her.[182] Charli XCX also aspires to write songs for Katy Perry and Gwen Stefani.[183] Charli XCX has said that True Romance was based around "Martika, and also The Cure and Britney [Spears]"[173] while influences of Belinda Carlisle, Marina and The Knife were noted.[183] The Hives, Weezer, Ramones and 1960s yé-yé music all influenced her second album.[184] She cited Kanye West as an inspiration for her idiosyncratic use of Auto-Tune.[185] She has said that "the best artists are the ones who constantly change—Madonna, [David] Bowie"[186] and that her "dream collaboration would be with someone like Björk, Kate Bush, or even Dionne Warwick".[187]
Charli XCX also said that she learned about performing and attracting a crowd from Taylor Swift.[188] She has also cited Marilyn Manson's live performances and visuals as a source of inspiration,[189] and has cited him as an influence for her performance at the American Music Awards of 2014.[190] Charli XCX's live performances during have been noted for their influences of rave culture.[191][192] In her live shows, she frequently performs with guest stars.[134][193] Charli XCX named her collaborators, A.G. Cook, Caroline Polacheck, Rina Sawayama and Sophie as inspirations for her live performances during Crash the Live Tour.[191]
Charli XCX has expressed her admiration for the 1990s' pop culture which she prominently used as the inspiration for her music video for her single "Break The Rules," her single "1999" and its music video and her album Crash. She has further stated that the 1990s to her was "Spice Girls and Britney [Spears]."[169][194][195] She reiterated her love for the former following the release of the single "Spicy" which interpolates the group's single "Wannabe" and called the latter her, "first big pop icon" and desired to emulate her.[196] Charli XCX also considers Spears' album Blackout to be one of her favorite records, citing the album's song "Piece of Me" as her favorite song from the singer.[197] Other musicians Charli XCX admired during her childhood include Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera.[174] She has also cited Avril Lavigne and the fictional characters Cher Horowitz, Wednesday Addams and Nancy Downs as inspirations for her fashion style which she describes as "90s schoolgirl."[198][199] Charli XCX wore ties during her adolescence to imitate Lavigne.[200]
Impact[edit]
Charli XCX is known for her significant influence on the music scene, particularly with regards to experimental pop and pop culture in general. She emerged as an important figure in pop music, and also in the insertion of the hyperpop musical style, being seen as a visionary who challenged the conventions of the genre.
Charli XCX is known for her innovative approach to pop music, incorporating elements of electronica, dance, and even experimentalism into her compositions. She is not afraid to venture into unique sonic territories and often pushes the boundaries of what is considered conventional "pop." Her music often combines pulsating beats, catchy melodies and heartfelt lyrics that explore themes of love, youth and party culture.
On April 4, it was announced that she would receive the ASCAP Global Impact Award, for her importance and innovation in the pop scene.
Activism[edit]
In July 2020, she signed an open letter to the UK Equalities minister at that time, Liz Truss, calling for a ban on all forms of LGBT+ conversion therapy.[201]
Personal life[edit]
Charli XCX has spoken about her experiences with sound-to-colour synesthesia. She states, "I see music in colours. I love music that's black, pink, purple or red—but I hate music that's green, yellow or brown."[202]
In 2019, Charli XCX was in a long-term partnership with Huck Kwong, whom she had previously dated in 2014, and has been friends with since 2012. They broke up before 2022.[203]
In 2022, Charli XCX began publicly dating The 1975 drummer and producer George Daniel. The couple first met while working on the No Rome track "Spinning", released on 4 March 2021, and they collaborated again on her album Crash, released on 18 March 2022, on the album's title track and several songs on its deluxe edition. They got engaged in November 2023. Also in 2022, she appeared in the " Malibu" music video by Kim Petras. They are known to be good friends, and XCX praised Petras' 2019 mixtape "Clarity"[204] [205]
Charli XCX divides her time between London and Los Angeles.[206]