Charli XCX at the 2024 Billboard Women In Music event in Los Angeles in March 2024.Photo:Amy Sussman/Getty
Amy Sussman/Getty
Charli XCXis “just living that life” and doesn’t have time for any naysayers.
In anew cover story interview withVogue Singapore, the British pop star, 31, responded to fan criticism of the cover artwork for her upcoming record,Brat, which simply features the title blurred out over a lime green backdrop. The hitmaker questioned why fans feel “ownership over female artists” so much so that they demand their photograph be on all of their work, and admitted that she intended for theBratart to be a bit “offensive.”
“They were like, ‘Why isn’t she going to be on the cover? She needs to be on the cover,'” Charli recalled of the fan response that broke out social media. “Why should anyone have that level of ownership over female artists?”
Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ album artwork.Courtesy of Atlantic
Courtesy of Atlantic
The alt-pop artist (whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison) also opened up about her vision behind the cover.
She told the outlet that she thinks the color green has become “oversaturated” in pop culture and fashion and detailed the bright, neon choice she went with instead. “I wanted to go with an offensive, off-trend shade of green to trigger the idea of something being wrong,” she shared.
The “Good Ones” singer explained that there’s a larger concept behind her choices, which is drawn from her inspiration behind the music on the album, as well. “I’d like for us to question our expectations of pop culture — why are some things considered good and acceptable, and some things deemed bad?” she said.
“I’m interested in the narratives behind that and I want to provoke people,” the hyperpop phenom continued. “I’m not doing things to be nice.”
Charli XCX.Harley Weir
Harley Weir
Charli toldVogue SingaporethatBrat"is going to be confrontational” — so fans can expect the cover artwork to be only the beginning of what’s to come from the highly anticipated project.
This is not the first time the"Speed Drive"singer has reacted to commentary aboutBrat’s minimalist visual, which select fans began voicing their opinions on immediately after she announced the LP in late February.
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Shortly after the musician teased the project and unveiled its cover artwork on social media, she took toX(formerly Twitter) to slam critics of it.
ThePop 2artist first responded to a post featuring the album covers forAriana Grande’sEternal Sunshine,Dua Lipa’s forthcoming effortRadical Optimism,Taylor Swift’s upcoming LPThe Tortured Poets Departmentand her own album that said, “art directors must be on strike. dear god…”
“there is literally so much to say on this….” replied the singer-songwriter.
Shortly after, she also posted, “i think the constant demand for access to women’s bodies and faces in our album artwork is [misogynistic] and boring.”
Charli properly announced her sixth studio albumBratonsocial mediain late February. Although she didn’t share an official release date, she teased that it’s due out “this summer” and confirmed that it’s set to feature 15 tracks.
She then dropped the album’s lead single, “Von Dutch,” and has since followed the track up with a remix featuringAddison Raeand her frequent collaborator/producer A.G. Cook.
Charli XCX at Vanities: A Night For Young Hollywood in Los Angeles in March 2024.Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Before she revealed the album title, the “Unlock It” singer offered fans a bit of insight about what they can expect from the new music she’s been working on with a post onX, calling it a “club record.”
Few details are known about her follow-up to 2022’sCrash, but Charli toldThe Facein a cover story that it’s her “most aggressive and confrontational record” to date and explores society’s “fascination with mean girls,” among other topics.
“There was a lot of distance between us because I was in awe of her and wanted to impress her,” the recording artist told the outlet of the late avant-pop star. “She believed in me in ways that I didn’t believe [in] myself. But I felt like I would never be interesting enough to operate in her world outside of the studio, which was the safe space where we could connect and bond over music.”
She added: “I didn’t feel like I was magical enough for this unbelievably magic person. And that makes me ashamed now I don’t have the opportunity to experience that anymore, because she’s gone. I feel ashamed for being a coward. It’s hard to write about. I’m sad for myself that I didn’t experience all this person had to offer.”
source: people.com
