HEAVY HITTER
“I personally try to shut the [critics] down. I don’t like to get carried away. I just like getting lost inside my own brain.”
confidence to live by her own standards shouldn’t be confused for teenage angst. It’s Charli’s way of paying tribute to the glory days of pop. “I always felt like my melodies were more ‘80s and my lyrics were more ‘90s. I think that’s because I always watch ‘90s movies before I begin writing a song, like The Craft, Clueless, or Jawbreaker; all the colors and grades in those movies really inspire me.” The visual aspects that she integrates into her creative process makes her songs take off from the speakers and animate a life in technicolor. The risks that Charli takes as she puts down lyrics have been fair to her as she releases Sucker. Describing the album as raw, wild, and pop, she promises to showcase the innocence that she makes her songs with and the carefree attitude that is the cornerstone of pop music. For the smash hit, “Boom Clap,” she confesses, “It was inspired by romance. I just wanted to make a classic love song.” The second single, “Break The Rules,” is an ode to pop music’s eternal theme of going out and having fun as it goes, “I don’t wanna go to school / I just wanna break the rules / Boys and girls across the world / Putting on our dancing shoes.” Accompanied by a video where Charli dances on top of a yellow school bus and steals the mic during prom so she could perform right in the middle of the audience is a very vivid visual representation of Charli’s mission in the industry.
Adding up to her throwback sound, the album also comes from Charli’s eager collaborations with artists like Weezer, Stargate, and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij. “It’s been especially amazing working with Rostam,” Charli gushes “He pushes me so much; he’s become like a brother to me. We get the best out of each other. When we write together, it’s intense, but the music we’ve made has been brilliant.” It’s refreshing to see how Charli looks at her stardom after years of being in the sidelines, writing songs for music’s up and coming. Her wideeyed approach to the array of possibilities that now lay ahead is evident as she talks about her desire to write for Gwen Stefani. “She’s badass. She dresses like a superhero. I have no idea what the song would be about, but the best thing about Gwen is that she can do anything.” It is with this attitude that Charli not only makes her sound boom through stereos but also convinces us that in the middle of all the glitter, candy-coated lyrics, and rainbow-inspired themes, the music scene is overdue for a real pop takeover.
charlixcxmusic.com @charli_xcx
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