Highlights
- Charli XCX says she never claimed her upcoming album was a rock record
- Debate erupted after the release of lead single Rock Music
- The singer described the song's title as an inside joke created in the studio
- She also revealed she is in "the worst place mentally" she has experienced
Charli XCX has addressed the debate surrounding her latest single Rock Music, insisting she never set out to make a rock album despite widespread speculation about the direction of her new project.
The British singer said the conversation around her upcoming album Music, Fashion, Film had developed independently of her own comments, as she also opened up about the toll recent years have taken on her mental wellbeing.
Charli distances herself from ‘rock album’ narrative
Confusion emerged after the release of Rock Music, the lead single from Charli's forthcoming album.
The track's chorus includes the line: "I think the dancefloor is dead, so now we're making rock music," prompting some listeners to assume she was moving away from the dance-pop sound that helped define her recent success.
The discussion intensified after British Vogue described the project as a "rock reinvention", fuelling expectations that the album would mark a dramatic genre shift.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Charli dismissed that interpretation.
"Obviously, I know that there's been a lot of conversation around me making a rock album, which is something I never said," she said. The singer added that she has never viewed music through rigid genre boundaries, preferring to focus on creating songs with long-time collaborators AG Cook and Finn Keane.
She had previously explained on Instagram that the title Rock Music originated as an inside joke during studio sessions.
A response to life after Brat
Charli also clarified that the song's reference to the dancefloor was not intended as a criticism of dance music itself.
Instead, she said the lyric reflected her own relationship with Brat and the personal experience of moving on from an album that became a cultural phenomenon.
She pointed out that dance and electronic music remain in a strong position, highlighting artists such as Slayyyter, Underscores and PinkPantheress as examples of the genre's continued vitality. The comments came after Madonna appeared to reference the lyric in an Instagram post, writing: "If your dance floor feels dead/ Maybe you're playing the wrong music."
Singer opens up about mental health struggles
Away from the debate over genre labels, Charli made a more personal revelation during the interview. The 33-year-old said she had reduced her time online and was stepping back from constant digital engagement because it had become increasingly difficult to manage.
"I have actually been a lot more offline," she said. "I don't really look as much anymore. It's just better for my brain."
Charli also suggested the Rolling Stone profile could be her last major magazine interview for some time, adding that she is currently in "the worst place mentally that I've been in my life".
The singer's new album, Music, Fashion, Film, is scheduled for release on 24 July. As anticipation builds around the project, Charli appears keen to shift the focus away from genre expectations and back towards the music itself, even as she navigates one of the most challenging periods of her career.
