Charli XCX admits she thought Brat would end her career before it became 2024’s biggest pop comeback

Highlights:

• Charli XCX thought Brat might end her deal, not make her a global hit
• Record hit No.1 in UK, top 10 in 14 other countries
• Won five BRITs and three Grammys, sparking “Brat summer” craze
• Singer says next album will sound “inherently different”
• Now expanding into acting and co-producing A24 films

Pop star Charli XCX has said she feared her label might drop her over her chart-topping Brat album. Album came out June 2024 and no one expected much. But it blew up and the whole year was basically Brat season. “I actually made this record being like, ‘OK, I’m just going to do this one for me. Maybe I’m going to get dropped by my label and that’s fine’,” she told Paltrow.

Charli XCX says she almost gave up on pop before Brat changed everything Getty Images

Why Charli XCX thought Brat could have ended her record deal

Back then, Charli wasn’t chasing streams or trying to please anyone at the label. She was tired of the pop treadmill, unsure if she even fit in anymore. “That was the headspace I was in,” she admitted. “I just needed to do something that felt true.”

But Brat turned into a cultural moment, that fans quickly claimed as their own. The neon-green album cover and unapologetic sound inspired the “Brat summer” trend, spilling into fashion, TikTok edits, and even politics.

The album’s success stunned even her. It went No.1 in the UK and landed in the top 10 across 14 countries. Critics praised its raw tone and confident writing. Then at the 2025 BRITs, she cleared the table again. Five awards in one night.

Charli XCX on Brat and fame pressure as she opens up about marriage motherhood and creative freedomGetty Images

What’s next for Charli XCX after Brat

Now, she’s heading in a different direction. “I really like to work in contrast,” she said. “Whatever I do next will just inherently be different to Brat because that’s what feels natural.”

She’s been experimenting with strings and orchestral sounds, something she hasn’t explored before. Alongside that, she’s taking on acting, with roles in a Faces of Death remake and The Gallerist alongside Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega. Both are in post-production.

Charli’s also stepping further into film. She’s co-producing and acting in The Moment, an A24 project with Alexander Skarsgård and Kylie Jenner. “Music will always be my thing,” she said, “but I needed another outlet for all the ideas in my head.”

The Brat era turned Charli XCX into one of the year’s biggest pop voicesGetty Images

A personal turn in her story

Charli, who’s 32 now, talked a bit about her husband George Daniel from The 1975. She said they’ve had a few honest chats about kids, the same thing she sang about in I Think About It All the Time. She said people still look at women funny if they say they don’t want kids. “I don’t know if it’s for me right now,” she said. “Maybe one day, maybe never. I just don’t know.”