Charli XCX Warns Fans Might Not Like Her New Album Because It's Different From brat

[Bronco 25,127]

5 minutes ago, littlepotter said:

It's simply fiction to pretend that brat wasn't full of absolute bangers that people loved. Do you chalk down the perfect scores from nearly every mueic critic and user rated websites down to homoseuxal memes?

Don't get me started on the Kamala thing because where did you even pull that from

I mean, some of us are old enough to remember the pre album release singles getting mixed reactions from non fans and fans alike.

They took time to build up traction. Brat wasn't an overnight success.

[doppelganger 4,021]

you gotta respect Charli for making the music she wants to make, at her own terms, and not caring about sustaining commercial success. at the end of the day, she has a healthy catalogue of hits, deep cuts with a cult following, and critical acclaim. all that's while keeping her integrity as an artist intact. 

[A D A M 683]

1 hour ago, NUTELLA said:

"Kamala is brat" is probably what the album will best be remembered for down the line

I am sorry but there is world besides US and we did not care about this Kamala meme at all. We just like great bops with huge replayability value.

[NUTELLA 26,730]

1 minute ago, A D A M said:

I am sorry but there is world besides US and we did not care about this Kamala meme at all. We just like great bops with huge replayability value.

Didn't meant to say that only the US cared about her, I meant that the Kamala bs breathed new life/legacy into an otherwise "fine" album that would have fallen away much sooner without it

The way this upcoming album will, for example

[RaveMonster 613]

2 minutes ago, NUTELLA said:

Didn't meant to say that only the US cared about her, I meant that the Kamala bs breathed new life/legacy into an otherwise "fine" album that would have fallen away much sooner without it

The way this upcoming album will, for example

This would make sense if the whole Kamala is brat thing happened before Brat gained popularity and critical acclaim. That happened after Apple became viral.

You can disagree with people praising Brat but you can’t deny the acclaim wasn’t real. The album received so much praise before any memes happened. 

[gagzus 23,134]

I’ve been a Charli fan since True Romance and I’m glad if it gets rid of obnoxious gays who turned her artistic ventures into circuit party soundtracks. 
 

As if Brat was a new genre she was treading, also anybody who thinks this is anything related to brats commercial success you just don’t know who she is as an artist. No 2 of her albums sound the same anyway (same way Gaga’s don't) and she just makes what she wants, Brat was the lucky one that increased her popularity.

The real fans will stick around (like myself) because we understand the vision and love her as an artist and not as a sound. She’s also not really a popstar she’s still very much that tumblr alt girl at heart and all her references comes from rock bands and punk bands too. Also her being a PoC plays a part in it that nobody talks about. 

[A D A M 683]

6 minutes ago, NUTELLA said:

Didn't meant to say that only the US cared about her, I meant that the Kamala bs breathed new life/legacy into an otherwise "fine" album that would have fallen away much sooner without it

The way this upcoming album will, for example

Just recently I was able to visit raves and smaller parties at Denmark, Germany and Poland. Every had some BRAT songs on the mixes. I am still not sure what point do you want to make about fallen away, good stuff does not have to be part of the charts to be good.

[NUTELLA 26,730]

9 minutes ago, RaveMonster said:

This would make sense if the whole Kamala is brat thing happened before Brat gained popularity and critical acclaim. That happened after Apple became viral.

You can disagree with people praising Brat but you can’t deny the acclaim wasn’t real. The album received so much praise before any memes happened. 

You’re right, the acclaim was real (even though, subjectively speaking, I think it was a bit overblown) & the timeline you describe is accurate.

But I would argue that the garish green memes & kamala stuff helped create “BRAT summer” (& beyond), not the music of its own merit.

But again, let me reiterate that I like some of the songs on the album

6 minutes ago, A D A M said:

Just recently I was able to visit raves and smaller parties at Denmark, Germany and Poland. Every had some BRAT songs on the mixes. I am still not sure what point do you want to make about fallen away, good stuff does not have to be part of the charts to be good.

I promise I am not a "little chartster" or whatever they're called haha

My original comment was not intended to discredit BRAT, but moreso to point out that Charli's new tiktok video seems like she is trying to preemptively save face, because she knows she is not going to match the same level of cultural dominance this time around.

Nothing wrong with that. More power to her for owning it/controlling the narrative ahead of time

[Bronco 25,127]

15 minutes ago, gagzus said:

Also her being a PoC plays a part in it that nobody talks about. 

I mean we do talk about it.

Mainly going 

"Why is she beefing with another poc calling out the white racist friend of her partner"

And

"Why has she said a neo-nazi is a friend and muse"

[gagzus 23,134]

2 hours ago, NUTELLA said:

"Kamala is brat" is probably what the album will best be remembered for down the line

I respect your opinion for not liking Brat but you’re factually incorrect. Heres a rundown of the timeline of how Brat became big.

 

0. Pre-album title and concept reveal she played some of the songs at a Boiler Room set, intriguing people from the Rave scene in her new sound. Later she said in an interview rave music and culture had influenced her new album. Specifically all the raves she went to on tour the year prior.

1. Before the album even released, the artwork went viral because of its simplicity and caused a surge in memes once the album released. People debating whether it was good or bad.

2. After release the Metacritic for the album was announced as 95, making it one of the highest rated albums of all time, which got people talking and got them listening and started debates over whether or not the album deserved that score. Most notably PitchFork’s review which declared it was the best album of the 21st century so far.

3. Apple went viral on TikTok and a user invented a dance trend to go with it which Charli herself used as a part of crowd participation on her tour later. Celebrities also joined in on the trend.

4. The term “Brat Summer” was coined online by gay fans in July 2024 (referencing the phrase Hot Girl Summer that came from a Meghan Thee Stallion song). During this period celebrities were asked about brat and brat summer on talk shows as well.

5. During “Brat Summer” endless interviews asked her to define what “brat” meant and it entered the lexicon as a description of someone who basically was a party centric and chaotic person. 
 

6. The colour related to Brat itself influenced beyond the album. So much so that now if you see a specific colour of lime green you automatically associate it with Brat.

7. Charli started touring the album and made the show like a giant warehouse rave with remixes of new and old songs as well on the tour cementing the rave culture ingrained in the initial album.

8. She announced a Brat remix album (which I say is still inspired by Dawn of Chromatica but I digress) 

9. THEN during Kamala’s run did she share her support for her (as she’s a resident of LA but cannot vote, which to me is crazy but once again — digression)

Brat was already a cultural phenomenon in early - mid 2024 long before the Kamala tweet. The tweet just expanded its cultural reach more.

And this isn’t just my opinion it’s a factual timeline of everything happened before the campaign race. And “brat summer” and things relating to the album and its songs continued into 2025 until Charli did Coachella and declared “brat summer is over” during her 2025 set.

It was accidental but still brilliantly marketed.

Yes the marketing played a big part in it, but the music is entirely where it started, Boiler Room and Metacritic were the turning points of intrigue from it’s intended audience (rave enthusiast) and then music/pop fans. 

Edited June 1 by gagzus

[A D A M 683]

8 minutes ago, NUTELLA said:

My original comment was not intended to discredit BRAT, but moreso to point out that Charli's new tiktok video seems like she is trying to preemptively save face, because she knows she is not going to match the same level of cultural dominance this time around.

 

Nothing wrong with that. More power to her for owning it/controlling the narrative ahead of time

But Charli already said that part about "not going to match the same level of dominance" during BRAT era, she acknowledged back then that she will not repeat the same success with next project.

I understand that you do not intend to discredit BRAT, but you still used wording cultural meme to explain its phenomenon, when people actually listen to these songs cause she knows how to make catchy stuff (she proved that way before brat existed).

[NUTELLA 26,730]

3 minutes ago, gagzus said:

Brat was already a cultural phenomenon in early - mid 2024 long before the Kamala tweet. The tweet just expanded its cultural reach more.

Yeah

My original point being: this album will not have the same cultural reach

& she seems content with that. She just wants to beat others to the punch saying so

PS never said I don't like BRAT, just that it's overrated imo

1 minute ago, A D A M said:

she knows how to make catchy stuff (she proved that way before brat existed).

Agreed

To me, her best songs are Good Ones, Porsche & Claws

But I like 360. Apple is cute. & the chorus of Talk Talk is catchy

[gagzus 23,134]

16 minutes ago, Bronco said:

I mean we do talk about it.

Mainly going 

"Why is she beefing with another poc calling out the white racist friend of her partner"

And

"Why has she said a neo-nazi is a friend and muse"

Well I meant more about the fact that people don’t consider her a “real” popstar, but to the effect of this; I obviously don’t support her decisions to do with this. 

But to play devil’s advocate, as a person you would naturally defend your friends and idols. Gaga has basically done black face before in a Testino shoot but we’re still fans, she has performed in Israel before but we’re still fans, she has made a song with a r*pist and had another r*pist as a photographer and director (both of which she admitted was intentional and twisted) but we’re still fans, she has said the word “r*tarded” before in an interview but we’re still fans, she is a massive Michael Jackson fan and he was potentially a pedophile but we’re still fans. She admires and has worked with a lot of artists who have murky pasts like Koons and Abromavich (sp?)

Also look at Azealia Banks, a literal Zionist, racist and transphobic rotten moron (whom I used to be a fan of sadly) but she still has a following of (mainly) white gay men who think she’s just quirky. 
 

It’s all a dichotomy of being human really. 

[Pandacadabra 9,180]

I cant believe I just read all that. Why cant people like Brat and other people not like Brat. A lot of you are so hellbent on ensuring you change another person's opinion. 

[gagzus 23,134]

6 minutes ago, NUTELLA said:

& she seems content with that. She just wants to beat others to the punch saying so

To be fair she said she knew that Brat would never happen for her again when she started working on new music anyway. I don’t think it’s her necessarily “beating people to the punch” I think it’s just more self awareness and her lack of desire to repeat herself. Because if she were someone like Gaga or Beyoncé for instance, once one formula works it tends to become a need to recreate the success (not from them but from their marketing and PR teams) hence why all of Beyoncé’s albums now basically drop out of nowhere and Gaga has a specific aesthetic and push for live performances over anything