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Born on August 2, 1992, Charlotte Emma Aitchison, more famously known as Charli XCX, always knew she wanted to be a part of the music scene. From making music on Myspace during the late 2000’s, to gaining over 30 million monthly listeners on Spotify, to eventually having her own indie movie, the popularity of Charli XCX has been consistently growing.
In an interview with The Guardian, Charli described her first gig for a rave at just 15-years-old, needing her parents to drive her to the venue. After a few years, Charli was signed to Asylum Records. Despite this signing, Charli began to feel disconnected from music, stating in the same interview, “I didn’t know who I was. I didn't know what I liked.” Her label, worried about her career after just being signed on, sent Charli to LA to meet new producers. She finally found Ariel Rechtshaid, and from here they began the work of “True Romance.”
Working with Asylum records, Charli created “True Romance” as her debut album. “True Romance" went on to reach Official Charts’ top 100, and even peaked on Billboard’s “Top 100,” at 36 back in 2013. Her first studio released album was a success, but it would only be the beginning.
A year after the debut of “True Romance” she released “Sucker.” “Sucker” contains popular early songs by Charli, including “Boom Clap” and “Red Balloon,” which would eventually be used for the popular children’s movie “Home,” by DreamWorks. Many regard this as the beginning of the Charli we know now. “Sucker” went on to reach the “Top 100,” hitting 30th for the Billboard.
Between “Sucker,” and her next studio album, Charli released several mixtapes and EPs, including “Vroom Vroom” in 2016, “Number 1 Angel” in 2017, and “Pop 2” also in 2017. Some of the most notable songs from these EPs include: “Vroom Vroom,” “Lipgloss,” and “Track 10.” Some of these songs have gotten more attention recently due to TikTok, revealing how her music has been able to stay constant and easily listenable.
In 2019 she released her third studio album, “Charli.” The album was originally named “XCX WORLD,” but after a hacker leaked the album, she decided to change the name and some songs. Regardless, “Charli,” would go on to be extremely successful, reaching 16 on the “Top 100,” for Billboard. This was also the introduction of her collaboration with Troye Sivan, who would invite her to his “Sweat Tour,” and be featured on her future albums.
Keeping the momentum going, in April 2020, Charli released her fourth studio album, “how i'm feeling now.” The album was created and finished in just six weeks, according to The Independent. The album charted the “Top 50,” from Billboard at number eight! At the time, this was Charli’s highest ranked and most acclaimed album yet.
Her fifth album, “Crash,” was in March 2022. Charli wanted to portray the album as a “major sell-out record,” as she stated in an interview with the BBC, explaining the album adapting to a more pop-centered sound. “Crash” went on to chart at number two on Billboard’s “Top 100.”
Finally, her most recent and most popular album: “Brat.” “Brat” has won two Grammy’s, five BRIT awards, Variety’s Hitmaker award, and was named the Music Innovator for 2024 by the Wall Street Journal. The album has three different versions: “Brat,” “Brat and It’s the Same but There's Three More Songs So It’s Not,” and “Brat and Its Completely Different but Also Still Brat.” The album even created its very own summer, “Brat Summer.” The phenomena expanded globally, but was especially present in the United States, and even garnered attention from former Vice President Kamala Harris who used songs from “Brat” in her campaign.
Most recently, Charli produced the music for “Wuthering Heights.” Since then, Charli has not released any music or albums, and has supposedly gone on a hiatus until further notice. The story of Charli XCX is certainly an adventure. Where Charli will take us next is unknown, but it is safe to say that she will be continuing in her art of beautiful music.