Charli XCX Reflects on 'Brat' Era and Newfound Fame: 'It Was Heavy'
Charli XCX discusses the impact of her album 'Brat' and the making of her satirical mockumentary, 'The Moment,' which captures the hysteria surrounding her recent success.
Charli XCX has opened up about the whirlwind of attention that followed the release of her album 'Brat,' describing the experience as “heavy.”
'Brat,' released in 2024, quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Its bold aesthetic, minimalist lime green artwork, and unapologetic attitude resonated with fans, while also sparking unexpected attention – even baffling political commentators when it became part of social media discussions related to the US Presidential race.
Charli XCX in 'The Moment'.
On Friday, Charli unveiled The Moment, a fictionalized mockumentary that satirizes the 'Brat summer' frenzy. The film blends real footage from her 'Brat' tour with fictional backstage scenes, offering a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the mainstream music industry.
Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, Charli reflected on how the unexpected surge in her audience size after 'Brat' directly influenced the creation of The Moment.
"I had just come out of this huge change in my life where I’d made the album Brat, which opened me up to a whole new audience,” she explained. “I’d not experienced that scale of interest in what I had to say before and it was heavy, confusing and a very vulnerable change.”
She continued, “My response was to make art, so when I was asked to make a real documentary – a concert film – I wanted to poke fun at myself and that world. The music industry is ripe for satire, and I really enjoyed doing it.”
When asked about her interest in acting, Charli revealed, “I realised even when I am making music I am not listening to music. I’ve always watched and got inspiration from films so, after a while, I thought, ‘How could I work in that world?’ I don’t feel I have to decide which world I work in. I want to do what makes me feel good in the moment.”
NME gave The Moment a three-star review, noting its meme-worthy potential despite its flaws: “too protracted and tonally uneven to work as a great mockumentary, but it has plenty of meme-worthy moments that TikTok will lap up. If that sounds like faint praise, well, just remember it was enough to make Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn a sensation back in 2023.”
Charli XCX also contributed to the soundtrack for Fennell’s new Wuthering Heights adaptation, starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, releasing a companion album featuring a collaboration with Sky Ferreira. The album received a four-star review from NME, hailed as “delicious gothic pop for a winter of yearning.”
The Wuthering Heights soundtrack also secured Charli XCX her third Number One album, topping the Official Vinyl Albums Chart. The film itself has dominated the UK box office in its opening week.
This success follows Charli's response to backlash regarding her attendance at an afterparty for The Moment, which allegedly had ties to Russia. She clarified on Instagram Stories: “For clarity, neither me nor my team were aware of any of the alleged affiliations around the party in Berlin. I would like to take this opportunity to say I stand against the atrocities committed by the Russian government in Ukraine and I stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.”
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