Charlotte Emma Aitchison (/ˈeɪtʃɪsən/AY-chih-suhn;[2] born 2 August 1992), known professionally asCharli XCX, is a Britishpop singer and songwriter. She began posting songs onMyspace in 2008 before entering the Londonrave scene. Signing a recording contract withAsylum Records in 2010, Charli XCX released a series of singles and mixtapes in the early 2010s. In 2012, she was featured on "I Love It" by Swedish duoIcona Pop, which became her first number-one song in the UK and received global success. Her debut studio album,True Romance (2013), was released to positive reviews but failed to meet commercial expectations.
In 2014, Charli XCX was featured onIggy Azalea's single "Fancy", which became her most streamed song and one of the year'sbest-selling singles worldwide. The same year, she released "Boom Clap", which became her first solo top-ten single in the US. Her second studio album,Sucker (2014), spawned the singles "Break the Rules" and "Doing It". She began working alongside producers associated with the UK collectivePC Music in 2015, developing a moreexperimental sound and image. She released the EPVroom Vroom (2016) and the mixtapesNumber 1 Angel andPop 2 (both 2017). Her third studio album,Charli (2019), produced the hit single "1999". Her fourth studio album,How I'm Feeling Now (2020), was made during theCOVID-19 lockdowns and received critical acclaim.
She has spoken extensively about her difficulties at school growing up, stating that she was a "half-Indian girl with frizzy hair" among predominantly white people and that she was bullied and discriminated against for her Indian heritage.[11][12]
She demonstrated an affinity for music from an early age, being interested in acts such as theSpice Girls andBritney Spears, and began writing songs at the age of 14.[13][14] Her stage name "Charli XCX" was taken from herMSN Messenger screen name as she could not think of anything else and did not have a manager at the time, telling theGrammy Awards that she would stick with it and "Not pull aPrince" (in reference to the singer changing his name to a symbol).[15]
Career
2006–2011: Career beginnings
At 14, Aitchison persuaded her parents to grant her a loan to record her first album,14,[16][17] and in early 2008 she began posting songs from the album, as well as numerous other demos, on her official Myspace page. This caught the attention of a promoter running numerous illegal warehouseraves and parties inEast London, who invited her to perform at them.[7][18] She was billed on flyers under the stage name Charli XCX; "XCX" (or "kiss Charli kiss"[19]) was her MSN Messenger display name when she was younger.[20] Despite the illicit nature of the gigs, her parents were supportive of her career and attended several raves with her.[21] In late 2008, while14 was never commercially released,[22] she released the two singles"!Franchesckaar!" and double A-side "Emelline"/"Art Bitch" under Orgy Music.[23] She has since frequently expressed her distaste for her music of the time, going as far to call it "gimmicky dance tracks" and "fucking terrible Myspace music".[18][24] At the age of 18, Charli XCX moved to London to study for a fine art degree atUCL'sSlade School of Fine Art but dropped out in her second year.[5]
In 2010, Charli XCX was signed toAsylum Records. She later described herself as being "lost". In an interview withThe Guardian, Charli XCX said, "I was still in school. I'd just come out of this weird rave scene, and I wasn't really sure what to make of that. And, when I got signed, I hated pop music; I wanted to make bad rap music. I didn't know who I was. I didn't know what I liked. Even though I was signed, I was still figuring it out."[22] She eventually flew toLos Angeles to meet producers and found it "wasn't working out for me" until she met with American producerAriel Rechtshaid. They had a two-hour session and wrote the song "Stay Away". She stated that was "when things started to come together".[25][22] Early in 2011, she was featured on theAlex Metric single "End of the World". She left during the second year of her degree course at the Slade School of Fine Art to focus on her music career.[26][27] In May and November 2011, she released the singles "Stay Away" and "Nuclear Seasons" respectively, and gained attention from music websitePitchfork, where she earned "Best New Track" accolades for both; the former was eventually named to the site's "Best Tracks of 2011" list.[28][29][30]
In addition to Rechtshaid, she began working with Swedish producer Patrik Berger. He sent her two beats, and she quickly wrote songs for each, one of which became "I Love It" and the other of which became "You're the One".[31] She stated she did not end up releasing "I Love It" herself as she could not reconcile it with her sound,[32] but in 2012, Swedish duoIcona Pop re-recorded the song and released it as a single featuring her vocals. The song became an international hit, hitting number one in Charli XCX's home country and climbing to number seven on theBillboard Hot 100 in 2013.[33][34] In June, she released "You're the One" as a single from her EP of the same name, followed by her debut mixtapeHeartbreaks and Earthquakes, a one-track file consisting of eight songs, including a cover of theBlood Orange song "Champagne Coast" andOdd Future's remix of "You're the One".[35][36][37] On Halloween, she released a new song called "Cloud Aura" featuringBrooke Candy,[38] followed by her second mixtapeSuper Ultra, released exclusively through her website in November.[39][40][41] In early 2013, she released "You (Ha Ha Ha)" and announced her debut album,[42] followed by "What I Like" in March.[43]True Romance was released on 12 April 2013.[44] It peaked at number 85 on theUK Albums Chart,[45] at number five on theUSBillboard Top Heatseekers, and at number 11 on theAustralian Hitseekers Albums Chart.[46] The album was received well by music critics, earning a 76/100 onMetacritic, which assigns anormalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, indicating the album's "generally favorable reviews".[47] In May, she released "Just Desserts", a song with Welsh singer-songwriterMarina.[48]
Charli XCX began writing her second album in mid-2013, saying she initially wanted to go to India to record, but later decided she wanted to record in France, she said: "Two months ago, I wanted to go to India and record it, and now I want to record it in France. So I feel like nothing is definite – like, I feel very all-over-the-place at the moment. But at the moment, my heart's set on going to France and recording it, but that was different two months ago, so who knows what's going to happen?"[49] Frustrated with the music industry, she ended up going to Sweden, isolating herself from her record label, and made apunk-inspired album over a month. Charli XCX worked on the album with Patrik Berger; of their process, she later reflected that it was "not thought-about, everything really spontaneous [...] We don't think – it's like the first thing that comes out of my mouth is the cut on the record."[50][51] Their initial work, however, was eventually scrapped for a more "pop-oriented" album. The album included a song called "Mow That Lawn", which was debuted live a year later atIlosaarirock Festival in Finland.[52]
Charli XCX performing for MTV in 2014
In late 2013, "SuperLove" was released as the lead single from the album[53] and reached number 62 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Charli XCX's first solo entry on the chart.[54] In January 2014, she released a song called "Allergic to Love" on herSoundCloud.[55] While writing the album, she did further sessions withWeezer frontmanRivers Cuomo,Rostam Batmanglij fromVampire Weekend, production duoStargate,John Hill and a session withDr. Luke which she said "wasn't for me". In an interview withDIY magazine, she stated that she wrote the record for girls and wants them to feel "a sense of empowerment".[56] Charli XCX explained in her tour diary with Replay Laserblast that the record's genre is still pop but has a very shouty, girl-power, girl-gang,Bow Wow Wow feel to it at the same time.[57] The album was influenced bythe Hives, Weezer, theRamones and 1960syé-yé music.[58] "SuperLove" was eventually scrapped from the album.[59]
In early 2014, Charli XCX was featured on Australian rapperIggy Azalea's single "Fancy";[60][61] the track topped the USBillboard Hot 100, becoming both artists' first number-one single on the chart.[62][63] Charli XCX expanded her portfolio of songwriting for other artists during this period, with credits on Azalea's 2014 single "Beg for It",Ryn Weaver's debut single "OctaHate", and material for acts includingSky Ferreira,Neon Jungle,Rihanna, andGwen Stefani.[64] In mid-2014, Charli XCX contributed the song "Boom Clap" tothe soundtrack of the filmThe Fault in Our Stars.[65] "Boom Clap" peaked at number eight on theBillboard Hot 100[66] and at number six in the UK[67] and was certified platinum in Australia.[68] In August, a release date of October was announced for her new albumSucker, along with the lead single "Break the Rules". She said the song came about after she had made her punk album in Sweden, when she "came out of the other side of that punk phase and translated it into something more pop". She stated that the album was "obviously [...] about not giving a fuck".[69] The album was pushed back the next month due to the success of "Boom Clap"[70] and was officially released in December 2014 in North America and February 2015 in Europe.[71] It debuted at number 28 on the USBillboard 200, making it Charli XCX's first album to enter the chart[72] and number 15 on theUK Albums Chart.[73] The album's third single, "Doing It" featuring fellow British singerRita Ora, was released in February and peaked at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart.[74]
Charli XCX considers herself afeminist and wrote one of the songs onSucker, "Body of My Own", as a feminist statement.[75] She appeared in the documentary about gender equalityThe F Word and Me, which premiered onBBC Three in 2015.[76] Charli XCX opened forKaty Perry on the European leg of Perry'sPrismatic World Tour in early 2015,[77] headlined her own UK tour,[78] and featured alongside R&B artistTinashe on fellow singerTy Dolla Sign's single "Drop That Kitty".[79] A music video for the single "Famous" was released on 23 March 2015.[80] and was ranked byTime andPitchfork as the 5th and 19th best pop music video of the year, respectively.[81][82] In July and August 2015, Charli XCX co-headlined a US tour withBleachers.[83] She announced on 21 August that, for "personal reasons", a planned second leg of the tour would not go ahead.[84]
In a July 2015 interview, Charli XCX said that she was working on her third album and described it as "the most pop thing, and the most electronic thing" she had ever done.[85] In October 2015, she premiered the new song "Vroom Vroom" on the Beats 1 Radio Show, claiming it would be the first song released from what would be her next studio album.[86] On 23 February 2016, it was announced that she had set up an experimental pop record label, Vroom Vroom Recordings, and that she would release anEP entitledVroom Vroom on 26 February 2016. The title song was officially released that day.[87] The second song released from the EP, entitled "Trophy", received its first play onZane Lowe'sBeats 1 show that night.[88][89] It was also announced that she would host her own Beats 1 show titledThe Candy Shop.[90]Vroom Vroom was mainly produced by Sophie as a teaser for her EP.[91] Theavant-pop[92] EP marked a sharp shift in tone from her previous album and was released to divided reviews.[93][94]
On 17 March 2017,Mura Masa released his single "1 Night", which featured vocals from Charli XCX.[103] On 26 July 2017, Charli XCX released "Boys", along with a self-directed music video featuring an ensemble cast of male celebrities, includingJoe Jonas andBrendon Urie, among others.[104][105][106] On 6 August, Charli XCX performed atLollapalooza music festival 2017.[107][108] On 20 August 2017, the majority of Charli XCX's third studio album was leaked with the remainder of the tracks leaking the following year. The leak of the album featuring the then-lead single "After the Afterparty" led to the cancellation of the album release and Charli XCX deciding to make an entirely new third studio album.[109]
On 5 October 2018, Charli XCX released the single "1999" with South African–Australian artistTroye Sivan, as the lead single from her third albumCharli. The single reached number 13 on theUK Singles Chart and became Charli XCX's tenth Top 40 single and also her first Top 15 single since 2015.[117] The music video for "1999" was released on 11 October and starred Charli XCX and Sivan, featuring various references to 1990s pop culture.[118] Charli XCX was featured onMØ's albumForever Neverland with the song "If It's Over".[119]
On 16 May 2019, Charli XCX released the second single fromCharli, "Blame It on Your Love", featuring American singer and rapperLizzo.[120] The track was written in Los Angeles and produced by long standing collaborators Stargate with additional production byA. G. Cook andEasyFun.[121] Elements from "Blame It on Your Love" were taken from a previous release, "Track 10", from her 2017 mixtapePop 2.[122] On 25 May, Charli XCX pulled out ofBBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, with Chase and Status replacing her. On 30 May, she performed a new song fromCharli withChristine and the Queens titled "Gone" atPrimavera Sound inBarcelona.[123][124] On 30 May, Charli XCX collaborated withDiplo and Herve Pagez on the song "Spicy".[125] On 7 June, Charli XCX released a collaboration track titled "Dream Glow" withJin,Jimin andJungkook of the South Korean boy bandBTS for the soundtrack to their upcomingNetmarble game,BTS World.[126] On 17 July, "Gone" was released as the third single from the album. The firstpromotional single, "Cross You Out" featuringSky Ferreira, was released on 16 August,[127] followed by the second to fourth promotional singles: "Warm" featuringHaim, on 30 August;[128] "February 2017" featuringClairo andYaeji, on 6 September; and "2099" featuring Troye Sivan, on 10 September. The album was released on 13 September byAsylum andAtlantic Records.
On 13 January 2020, Charli XCX was featured on theGalantis song "We Are Born to Play", which was used as the theme song for the Japanese theme parkSuper Nintendo World.[129] The following month, she was featured on100 gecs's single "Ringtone" withKero Kero Bonito andRico Nasty. Amid theCOVID-19 pandemic, Charli XCX announced a new album, titledHow I'm Feeling Now in April 2020.[130] She subsequently released the singles "Forever", "Claws" and "I Finally Understand".[131]How I'm Feeling Now was released on 15 May 2020.[132] The album was written and recorded in the span of six weeks during theCOVID-19 lockdowns. She used her platform on Instagram to communicate with fans while making the album, posting different variations of lyrics, single covers and sound samples that could be voted on, the most popular being the one she released officially.[133] In reviews,Kitty Empire ofThe Guardian described it as "truly a work of its time".[134] Charli XCX's first post-pandemic performance was at Wynwood Pride inMiami in June 2021.[135] Early in February 2021, theDirty Hit signed musicianNo Rome announced he was working on a track featuring Charli XCX along with label matesThe 1975.[136][137]
On 19 February, she featured on a new version of a track called "Charger" by the Welsh-Canadian artistElio.[138] In aTikTok posted on 16 March, she revealed that she is working on her next studio album, saying she was "feeling very inspired".[139] Her next album would be her final record with Atlantic Records.[140] On 28 April, Charli XCX was featured on a remix of the song "Drama" from the albumGood Luck byBladee andMechatok.[141] On 2 September, "Good Ones" was released as the lead single from her upcoming album.[142] A second single, "New Shapes", featuringChristine and the Queens andCaroline Polachek, was released on 4 November. Along with the single release, Charli XCX officially announced her fifth studio album, titledCrash, which was released on 18 March 2022.[143] A third single, "Beg for You" featuringRina Sawayama, was released 27 January.[144]
In February 2023, Charli XCX revealed in an interview withBritishVogue that she had signed a new recording contract for her next two albums.[145] On 15 April, she co-headlined theCoachella Festival. She contributed to the soundtrack of three films, releasing the singles "Hot Girl", from the soundtrack to the 2022 filmBodies Bodies Bodies, and "Speed Drive", fromthe soundtrack to the 2023 filmBarbie.[146][147] "Speed Drive" entered the UK Singles Chart at number nine and theBillboard Hot 100 at number 73, her first singles to chart since "Boom Clap" and "Break the Rules" in 2014. She also served as thescore co-composer alongsideLeo Birenberg for the 2023 filmBottoms.[148] In August 2023, Charli XCX collaborated with singerAddison Rae on the song "2 Die 4" from Rae'sextended play (EP)AR.[149] The following October, she teamed up with English singerSam Smith on the single "In the City".[150] Smith andDevon Lee Carlson also appear in the video of "Speed Drive".[151]
In 2024, Charli XCX played her secondBoiler Room set since 2020, titled PARTYGIRL, which took place on 22 February in Brooklyn. The set received about 37,000 RSVPs,[152] the largest number in the history of Boiler Room,[153] and of that number, only 400 were permitted entry. The set featured guest performances fromA.G. Cook,George Daniel,Doss,Easyfun,Addison Rae andJulia Fox, and songs from her upcoming album were teased.[154]
"Von Dutch", the lead single for Charli XCX's sixth album,Brat, was released on 29 February 2024.[155] "360" was released as the second single from the album alongside a music video on 10 May 2024.[156] The video was described by Harper's Bazaar as "Brimming With the Internet's Favorite It Girls".[157] The album was released on 7 June 2024.[158] Brat quickly received universal critical acclaim;[159] it achieved aMetacritic score of 95, the highest for any album released in 2024, thus becoming one of Metacritic's top 20 highest-rated albums of all time.[160][161] Its lime-green cover art and aesthetic became a viral Internet trend and received widespread media coverage, including for its use by theKamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign.[162]
After her song "Party 4 U" began to resurge in popularity andstreaming in early 2025 aftergoing viral onTikTok, a music video for the track was released on 15 May 2025, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the release ofHow I'm Feeling Now, its parent album.[175] On 7 June 2025, she made a surprise appearance duringAir's set atParis's We Love Green Festival, and performed "Cherry Blossom Girl" with the band.[176] On 21 June 2025, she made another appearance asDua Lipa's surprise guest on the 2nd night of the London dates of herRadical Optimism Tour, where they performed "360" together.[177] On 22 October 2025, Charli XCX joined the stage atAddison Rae'sdebut album tour inLos Angeles.[178]
On 10 November 2025, Charli XCX released the song "House" in collaboration withJohn Cale ofthe Velvet Underground. The song serves as the lead single from her upcomingsoundtrack album forEmerald Fennell's drama film,Wuthering Heights (2026), based on the novel ofthe same name.[179][180] The album was formally announced on 13 November 2025, coinciding with the release of second single "Chains of Love" and the film's official trailer featuring the song.[181] A music video for "Chains of Love" was released on 17 November.[182]
Charli XCX is set to produce her first film,The Moment, under the umbrella of her production company Studio365. The film is expected to be released in 2026 and will also beKylie Jenner's acting debut.[183]
Charli XCX's "party girl" aesthetic seen inBrat has drawn similarities and comparisons toKesha.[219] Charli XCX's singing voice has been compared to those ofGwen Stefani[220] andMarina Diamandis.[221] She has been described as having analto vocal range.[222][223] Charli XCX has been described as inspired heavily by the2010s "hyperpop" style, though she rejected the term on social media, saying she does "not identify with music genres".[196]
Charli XCX has expressed her admiration for1990s pop culture, which she prominently used as the inspiration for the video for her single "Break the Rules", her single "1999" and its music video, and her albumCrash. She has also said that to her the 1990s are epitomised by "Spice Girls and Britney".[218][243][244] She reiterated her love for the former after the release of the single "Spicy", which interpolates the group's single "Wannabe", and called the latter her "first big pop icon", whom she desired to emulate.[245] Charli XCX also considers Spears's albumBlackout one of her favourite records, citing the album's song "Piece of Me" as her favourite Spears song.[246] Other musicians Charli XCX admired during her childhood includeJustin Timberlake andChristina Aguilera,[225] and she named Aguilera'sStripped "one of [her] favourite albums ever".[247] She has also citedAvril Lavigne and the fictional charactersCher Horowitz,Wednesday Addams andNancy Downs as inspirations for her fashion style, which she describes as "90s schoolgirl".[248][249] She wore ties during her adolescence to imitate Lavigne.[250]
Personal life
Charli XCX experiencessound-to-colour synaesthesia. She has said, "I see music in colours. I love music that's black, pink, purple or red – but I hate music that's green, yellow or brown."[251]
In light ofracist comments about her Indian heritage and skin tone being labelled as "dirty", Charli XCX expressed pride in her Indian roots on Twitter, writing, "i am extremely proud of my indian heritage. i love my roots & my family. don't call me/anyone 'dirty' bcoz of the colour of someone's skin."[252] In 2024 she discussed her mixed heritage in an interview withVogue Singapore, saying: "I grew up in two half-lives, I suppose. When I would go and visit my mum's family, I felt very Indian. It was all the classic scenes of mynani andbappa cooking withBollywood films playing in the background and everybody speaking inGujarati... But then I'd go home to this other world which was largely white. It was almost like I would experience the Indian part of my identity only on the weekends. I never quite felt like I fit into either world, which I think commonly happens with mixed-race kids."[12]
Until 2022, Charli XCX was in a long-term partnership with Huck Kwong, whom she had previously dated in 2014 and been friends with since 2012.[253] In 2022, she began publicly dating British musicianGeorge Daniel, the drummer for the alternative bandthe 1975. The couple met while working on theNo Rome track "Spinning", released on 4 March 2021, and they collaborated again on her albumCrash, released on 18 March 2022, on the album's title track and several songs on its deluxe edition. They became engaged in November 2023.[254][255] Charli XCX and Daniel married at theHackney Town Hall on 19 July 2025.[256][257] The intimate ceremony was attended by a small group of people, including Charli XCX's parents and Daniel's bandmates from the 1975;[258] lead vocalistMatty Healy was absent due to other obligations.[259][260] On 14 September 2025, the pair had a second wedding inScopello, Sicily, attended by friends and family.[261]
^Seacrest, Ryan (26 August 2014)."Charli XCX explains "XCX"".YouTube channel On Air with Ryan Seacrest.Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved15 October 2024.
^Jacobs, Ethan (3 March 2016)."How Charli XCX's New EP 'Vroom Vroom' Cements Her Pop Star Status".Inverse.Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved4 August 2024.Compared to Charli XCX's previous projects, which consist of straightforward pop songs with an enlivening push to put your middle finger up, theVroom Vroom EP represents a critical branching out phase in the pop star's career.
^XCX, Charli (1 February 2017)."Charli XCX in Studio" (Interview). Interviewed by KiddNation. YouTube.Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved9 February 2018.
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