All-Time Best Charli XCX Songs

BRAT is Charli XCX's sixth studio album released in June 2024, and it became a massive cultural phenomenon. The album spawned 'Brat Summer' - a whole aesthetic and lifestyle movement. It's described as her most aggressive and confrontational record, but also her most vulnerable. The album channels the illegal London rave scene where she started performing as a teenager. It's been called everything from hyperpop to electroclash, and it basically made her a mainstream star after years of being more of a cult favorite.

Charli XCX's biggest hits include 'I Love It' with Icona Pop (which she co-wrote), 'Boom Clap' from The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack, 'Break the Rules,' and '1999' featuring Troye Sivan. From her BRAT era, songs like '360,' 'Apple,' and 'Guess' featuring Billie Eilish became huge. She's also written massive hits for other artists like 'I Don't Care' for Icona Pop and has collaborated with artists like Rita Ora on 'Doing It.'

Hyperpop is a genre that takes pop music to extreme levels - think super distorted vocals, aggressive electronic beats, and an overall maximalist approach. Charli XCX is considered one of the pioneers and queens of hyperpop, especially through her collaborations with producers like AG Cook and the PC Music collective. Her mixtapes 'Pop 2' and 'Charli' really established her as a hyperpop icon. She basically took mainstream pop and made it weirder, louder, and more experimental, influencing a whole generation of artists.

Charli XCX started super young - she began posting songs on MySpace in 2008 when she was just a teenager. She got into the London rave scene early and even released her first self-funded mixtape at age 14. She was discovered after performing at illegal warehouse raves in East London, and eventually signed with Asylum Records in 2010. She actually dropped out of art school to pursue music full-time after connecting with producers in Los Angeles.

Charli XCX is known for her amazing collaborations. She's worked with everyone from mainstream artists like Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish to experimental artists in the PC Music scene. She co-wrote 'Señorita' for Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, and has a close friendship with Troye Sivan - they even went on tour together for the SWEAT Tour in 2024. She's also part of a tight-knit community of hyperpop and experimental pop artists who frequently collaborate.

Charli XCX is influential because she's constantly pushing pop music's boundaries. She bridges the gap between mainstream pop and experimental electronic music. Many credit her with helping to shape the sound of modern pop through her work with PC Music producers and her willingness to take risks. Artists like Billie Eilish, 100 gecs, and countless others have cited her influence. She's basically proven that pop music doesn't have to follow traditional formulas and can be weird, experimental, and still catchy as hell.

Brat Summer became way more than just an album era - it became a whole lifestyle and aesthetic. The lime green album cover became iconic, and 'brat' as a concept represented being messy, confident, and unapologetically yourself. It resonated with Gen Z especially, and even influenced politics when people started calling Kamala Harris 'brat.' The whole thing showed how Charli had evolved from underground darling to mainstream cultural force. It was basically the perfect storm of great music, perfect timing, and social media virality.