The Pop Futurist

Charli XCX has always been ahead of the curve, but with the release of Brat in 2024 she cemented her place as one of the most influential pop stars of her generation. Born Charlotte Aitchison in Cambridge in 1992, Charli began her career at London’s rave nights and on MySpace, before storming the charts with hits like Boom Clap and I Love It.

But while her early success could have led her down a safe mainstream route, Charli chose experimentation. She embraced the avant-garde world of PC Music, collaborating with SOPHIE and A.G. Cook to help shape hyperpop. Records like Pop 2 and Charli became touchstones of pop’s future — bold, messy, emotional, and daringly futuristic.

Then came Brat. With its neon-green aesthetic and laser-focused beats, the album became a cultural phenomenon, hailed as both a party record and an artistic triumph. Critics adored it, fans devoured it, and its influence spilled out far beyond music. In the U.S., Brat became unexpectedly political: Vice President Kamala Harris, running for President in 2024, embraced the “Brat” aesthetic on the campaign trail. “Kamala is Brat” became a meme, a slogan, and a symbol of empowerment. Few British artists have ever reshaped American political pop culture in quite that way.

Charli XCX is more than a pop star. She is a futurist, a cultural provocateur, and a woman who redefined what it means to be mainstream and radical at the same time. With Brat, she didn’t just make an album — she made history.

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