Who is Charli XCX: Her net worth, new album ‘Brat’, viral Lorde collab and more

It’s a BRAT girl summer, and we’re all just living in it, judging by the mammoth success of Charli XCX’s latest album of youthful, anarchic, female irreverence.

Charli XCX aka Charlotte Aitchison, has been in the music industry for over a decade. In this time, she has cemented her place as a pop icon who is a mainstream, and yet obscure artist at the same time. Her dance-pop hits have topped charts, while also underscoring popular shows like HBO’s Girls and more. From recently featuring on the Barbie soundtrack (Speed Drive) to declaring ‘Brat Girl summer’ with her new album Brat in 2024, the singer has hit a new pinnacle in her journey to fame. Here’s everything you need to know about Charli XCX, her emergence as the new pop queen, net worth, and more.

One of the biggest highlights of Charli XCX’s new album Brat has been the song Girl, So Confusing. A rare pop gem that addresses the musician’s insecurities, the self-aware track speaks about a relationship that Charli shares with someone distant yet close, presumably fellow musician Lorde. For years, the media has pitted the two two pop divas against each other for their similarities in fashion, musical leanings, and more, which fed a narrative of an ongoing feud between the two.

Did Charli XCX and Lorde have beef?

Back in 2010 when Lorde released her debut track Royals, it dominated the Billboard charts. It was during the same time that Charli collaborated with Icona Pop on the song I Love It which also gained momentum. While both artists enjoyed their share of fame, they were often mistaken for one another due to the resemblance of their hairstyles and fashion, with the mix-ups also bizarrely happening in media interviews.

Unlike Drake and Kendrick Lamar who dove deep into an all-out rap battle to settle the scores on their beef, the two pop stars chose a smarter way to deal with their conflict. It has been a gradual journey, but as of 2024, Charli XCX and Lorde have showcased maturity by reconciling and collaborating for a remix of Girl, So Confusing, the very song that fans believed Charli wrote about Lorde.

The collaboration is almost as iconic as Taylor Swift and Katy Perry putting away their differences and reaching a no Bad Blood conclusion, with the latter cheering for Swift at her mega-successful Eras tour this year.

With Charli XCX finding her groove with a sixth studio album, and also starting a TikTok trend, here’s a look at her musical journey, net worth, and more.

The breakout hits and musical influences of Charli XCX

Born in Cambridge, UK, Charli grew up listening to one of the most iconic girl groups of all time — the Spice Girls. Much like every other fan of the band, she was fascinated by the bond shared by the five women who revolutionised pop music. Her other major musical influence was Britney Spears, American pop princess who braved multiple controversies to create music that remains iconic to this day. Much like her role models, Charli herself has carved out a brilliant niche for herself, showcasing her bold, experimental style of music early on. Her breakout hits I Love It (Feat. Icona Pop) and Boom Clap (2014) were met with instant success, placing her among emerging artists to watch out for.

She released her debut album True Romance in 2013; however, Charli first began releasing her music on Myspace when she was merely 14, and somehow began to gain popularity among the underground music scene of London. She started performing at illegal rave parties in warehouses across London and eventually got signed by Asylum Records in 2010. Impressively, her music today brings out the dichotomy of her beginnings as an underground star, to her breakthrough into the mainstream pop scene. In an interview with The Guardian, she also spoke on her familiarity with living a double life on account of her heritage, addressing her half Indian and half English ethnicity and heritage.

Beyond the release of her own music, Charli has also showcased her songwriting prowess, delivering bigger hits with major artists including Selena Gomez (Same Old Love) and Camilla Cabello and Shawn Mendes (Señorita). It all began when she first worked with then up-and-coming rapper, Iggy Azalea for Fancy, which became a massive hit that propelled the rising stars to newfound heights. Most notably, the song helped Charli XCX to score her first two Grammy Award nominations (for Record Of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance).

Over the years, Charli has played around with multiple themes and genres. One particular standout came with the release of her third album, Charli, which explored her personal feelings. However, with her newest album Brat, she takes it one step further as she truly comes into her own, declaring it to be an anthem for her ‘Brat girl summer.’

What is the Brat girl summer trend?

With bops such as 360 and Club Classics from Brat raking in millions of streams on Spotify, Charli XCX seems to be ruling the summer charts. But beyond these hits, Charli has also made a strong impact on the latest summer fashion trends, with the green shade from her viral album cover art kickstarting a ‘brat green wave.’ It’s no coincidence though; in a recent interview, Charli revealed that the choice of the colour was intentionally selected to set off a conversation on bending pop culture norms. She said, “I wanted to go with an offensive, off-trend shade of green to trigger the idea of something being wrong.” The shade is supposed to be provocative, conveying a sense of ownership.

Fully embracing the vibe, Tiktokers have now committed to ‘Brat girl summer’ with a list of activities that define the phrase. A list on the social media platform has revealed “Things that are brat summer’, including activities like sleeping in your makeup, making TikToks on a whim, randomly getting a tattoo, and wearing sunglasses indoors among others.

Many are also drawing fashion inspirations from Charli’s 360 music video, which features models Julia Fox, Gabbriette Bechtel, and Chloë Sevigny, all of whom were dressed in eye-catching ensembles.

Brat has become one of Charli XCX’s most successful albums, debuting at No. 3. on the US Billboard 200 chart. It has also found immense success in the UK. While the British pop star was expected to top the UK charts with this album, fans believe that it was Taylor Swift who robbed the musician of that position. Let’s find out why.

The problem of Brat vs The Tortured Poets Department

Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department has been dominating Billboard charts ever since it was released on April 19 2024. Despite facing stiff competition from artists like Billie Eilish, whose album Hit Me Hard And Soft has proven massively popular, Swift has remained on top. However, the singer has raised eyebrows among Eilish’s fans for releasing additional versions of The Tortured Poets Department, seemingly in a bid to maintain her position. A similar instance seems to have taken place in the case of Charli XCX.

Charli’s fans accused Taylor of blocking the No 1. UK spot after she released a UK-exclusive digital version of her album in the same week as Charli’s latest album, Brat. However, the connection between Swift and XCX is not limited to just this, with rumours also suggesting that the song Sympathy is a knife on Brat was written about Swift. The song lyrics, “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show. Fingers crossed behind my back. I hope they break up quick” are seemingly a reference to Swift, who briefly dated The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, who is the bandmate of Charli’s fiancé George Daniel.

Charli XCX has scolded fans after footage shared on social media showed ‘Taylor Swift Is Dead’ chants at one of her live shows

Despite these speculations, it would appear that Charli does not wish to be pitted against Swift. At a recent performance in a São Paulo nightclub, she shut down her fans who yelled “Taylor [Swift] is dead!”. Her stance on the supposed beef could also stem from their past connection, given that she was once an opening act on Taylor’s Reputation stadium tour.

Charli XCX net worth: Her earnings from music, film, and TV

The net worth of Charli XCX is, for the most part, made up of earnings from album sales and tours. As of 2024, as per Celebrity Net Worth, Charli XCX boasts a net worth of USD 10 million. Given how 2024 has kicked off for the singer, particularly with the success of Brat, she is expected to further bolster her net worth with a significant boost in earnings.

Besides her musical career, she has also dabbled in film and TV.  Her popular voice acting projects include a role in the animated series Major Lazer, where she voiced the character of Lady Vanessa Rothchild. She also voiced Willow in the animated film The Angry Birds Movie. Charli also appeared as herself in the Gossip Girl reboot series on HBO Max; however, no information exists as to how much she was offered for the cameo. The British pop star also made waves when she released her documentary Charli XCX: Alone Together, which captured her journey of putting together an album in the throes of the pandemic.

(Main and featured images: Charli XCX/Instagram)

This story first appeared here.