It’s been a full year since Charli XCX dropped Brat, and the album’s neon-green grip on pop culture has not loosened. Forget fading summer anthems; Brat feels permanently wired into the now. How did an artist long celebrated for being ahead of the curve finally make the whole world tune in? Well, she did it entirely her own way.
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From cult hero to centre stage
Charli was no newcomer. She smashed charts a decade ago with “Fancy” and penned hits for others. Yet mainstream stardom on her own terms felt elusive until Brat. The rollout was masterful, starting with the divisive “Von Dutch”, then the It Girl-packed “360” video featuring faces like Julia Fox and Chloë Sevigny, who soon became unavoidable.
Charli XCX arrives for the 2025 Met GalaGetty Images
Crucially, she nurtured her core fans (“Angels”) with intimate pop-up shows, birthing the iconic Brat Wall, where teasers about collaborations and the deluxe album kept excitement boiling. When Brat landed, hitting No. 3 in the US and No. 2 in the UK, it was a moment of absolute cultural takeover.
Beyond the music: building a movement
Brat’s fire spread far beyond the songs. A simple tweet : “Kamala IS brat”, saw the US Vice President’s campaign adopt the album’s aesthetic overnight, sparking global chatter. Charli directly addressed fan speculation, confirming “Girl, So Confusing” was about Lorde, then brilliantly working it out with her on a remix weeks later. She refused to let the moment die, dropping a full remix album (Brat and It’s the Same but There’s Three More Songs so It’s Not), featuring everyone from Billie Eilish to underground stars, which pushed Brat to UK No. 1.
Charli XCX performing on stage Getty Images
The Sweat and Brat tours became must-see events, packed with surprise guests. Grammy wins followed, plus SNL, Coachella and film cameos. Even her older song “Party 4 U” surged up the charts years later. Charli questioned at Coachella: “Does this mean brat summer is finally over?” The answer seems clear. Brat wasn’t just a seasonal hit. It was almost like Charli XCX meticulously crafting a phenomenon, proving that staying fiercely true to her vision was the ultimate key to connect with a wide audience.
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