Charli XCX has shared that she’s having a hard time letting go of the ‘Brat‘ era.
- READ MORE: It’s Charli XCX’s world and we’re just living in it: a timeline of ‘Brat’ summer so far
Following its release last year, ‘Brat‘ quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon, with both the concept of ‘Brat’ summer and the record’s simple lime green artwork becoming a meme as fans worldwide embraced the album’s hedonistic aesthetic and attitude.
The album’s impact even extended beyond the pop world and worked its way into Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, sparking a wave of serious political pundits trying and failing to explain the album’s ethos.
After dominating the cultural conversation for almost a year, during her Coachella performance earlier this month, Charli seemed to finally declare the ‘Brat’ era over, with the giant screen behind her on stage reading: “maybe it’s time for a different kind of summer?,” before listing the artists and directors primed to take over this year.
The list consisted of acts with recently released projects or new releases on the horizon, including Lorde, Addison Rae, PinkPantheress, Haim, Pulp, and many more.
— media (@entplus_) April 13, 2025
Now, though, it seems she may be having second thoughts on ending ‘Brat’ for good. In a newly shared video, Charli told fans: “Yesterday I made this TikTok about, ‘Summer again?’ And I was kind of joking but also maybe serious.
“I don’t know. Um, but it got me thinking about it is really hard to let go of ‘Brat,’ and let go of this thing that is so inherently me, and become my entire life.”
She goes on to say: “You know? I started thinking about culture and the ebbs and flows of the lifespan of things. Then, how when you get a level of success, you can become oversaturated and then people want you to disappear – which I understand, and I am sort of a believer in that.
“I think it allows artists to retain their cool when they are so in everyone’s faces, then they vanish. But I am also interested in the tension of staying too long. I find that quite fascinating in what that does.”
Charli adds: “But yeah, it’s obviously hard to just be like, ‘Ok. It’s over now.’ I kind of want it to go on and on and one because it is who I am. I’ve been thinking about ‘Brat’ long before the record came out. I’ve sat here on my own for two year prior thinking about how I’m going to communicate this record to the world. Not just the music but the whole visual identity of the album.”
She went on to say: “I just kind of want it to keep going.”
Charli xcx ponders the lifespan of the ‘BRAT’ music era in new video:
“When you get to a level of success you can become oversaturated and people want you to disappear…but I’m also interested in the tension of staying too long.” pic.twitter.com/YLRb6Q1Ads
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 27, 2025
‘Brat’ was named as the Album of the Year by NME, and awarded a four-star review that read: “It all paints a picture of who XCX is in 2024. Growing pains, grief and aching doubts come alongside self-confidence, celebration and the knowledge of the place XCX holds in the musical landscape – indeed, she kicks off ‘360’ with the knowing: “I went my own way and I made it / I’m your favourite reference baby”.
The subsequent remix album, ‘Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat‘, received five stars from NME, with Aneesa Ahmed writing: “In some ways, ‘Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat’ is a home run for its creator, letting her finish the game on her own terms.
“She has perfected the art of remixing, keeping the songs moving by giving them a brand new lease of life rather than letting them exist statically in their original form.”
