Who is singer and songwriter Charli XCX?
Charli XCX is the stage name of Charlotte Emma Aitchison, a British singer, songwriter and record producer born on August 2, 1992, in Cambridge, England. Known for adventurous pop music that draws on electronic, dance, hyperpop and club influences, she has built a career both as a solo artist and as a songwriter for other performers. Her work includes the hit singles “Boom Clap,” “1999,” and “Von dutch,” as well as acclaimed albums including Charli, how i’m feeling now, CRASH and BRAT.
Background/biography
Charlotte Emma Aitchison was raised in Start Hill, near Bishop’s Stortford in Essex. Her father is Scottish and her mother was born in India; her parents encouraged her early interest in music and performance.
She attended Bishop’s Stortford College and began writing songs as a teenager. At about 14, she started sharing music online through MySpace and adopted the name Charli XCX, which had originally been her MSN Messenger screen name. Her early recordings led to appearances at London warehouse parties and rave events, where she developed confidence as a live performer.
After finishing school, she briefly studied fine art at the Slade School of Fine Art at University College London. She left to focus on music as her recording career gained momentum.
Music career
- True Romance (2013) — her debut studio album.
- “I Love It” (2012) — co-written by Charli XCX and recorded by Icona Pop, featuring her vocals.
- “Fancy” (2014) — Iggy Azalea single featuring Charli XCX that reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
- “Boom Clap” (2014) — featured on the soundtrack to The Fault in Our Stars and became one of her major solo hits.
- Sucker (2014) — studio album featuring “Boom Clap” and “Break the Rules.”
- Vroom Vroom EP (2016) — an influential electronic-pop release produced largely with SOPHIE.
- Pop 2 (2017) — mixtape featuring collaborators including Carly Rae Jepsen, Tove Lo and Kim Petras.
- Charli (2019) — studio album with extensive guest collaborations.
- how i’m feeling now (2020) — written and recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
- CRASH (2022) — reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.
- BRAT (2024) — album featuring singles including “Von dutch” and “360.”
Charli XCX first drew broad international attention through her collaborations with Icona Pop and Iggy Azalea, before establishing herself as a leading experimental pop artist. She has also written songs for other artists, including work connected with performers such as Selena Gomez, Camila Cabello and Troye Sivan.
Her 2024 album BRAT became a major cultural and commercial moment, praised for its club-oriented production, direct songwriting and highly recognizable visual identity. The project later received major industry recognition, including Grammy Awards for Best Dance Pop Recording and Best Dance/Electronic Album.
The cultural impact of BRAT
BRAT became closely associated with a bright lime-green cover design and a deliberately minimal visual approach. The album’s release prompted widespread online discussion, fan-made content and the use of the word “brat” as a pop-cultural reference point.
Rather than presenting a polished, distant pop-star image, Charli XCX’s songwriting on the album addressed partying, insecurity, friendship, public attention and personal grief. The record’s success further expanded her audience while retaining the electronic and underground-pop influences that had defined much of her earlier work.
Fun facts about Charli XCX
- Her stage name, Charli XCX, came from an MSN Messenger username she used as a teenager.
- She began performing at London warehouse parties while still underage.
- She co-wrote Icona Pop’s international hit “I Love It,” which became one of the defining pop songs of the early 2010s.
- She founded the record label Vroom Vroom Recordings in 2016.
- Her 2020 album how i’m feeling now was created remotely during the COVID-19 lockdown, with fans able to follow elements of its development online.
- She has frequently collaborated with producers and artists associated with experimental electronic pop, including SOPHIE, A. G. Cook and PC Music affiliates.
