From “2 Die 4” to the “Von Dutch” remix, the duo’s bond runs deep
When Rolling Stone hopped in Addison Rae‘s black Range Rover for her cover story interview, the influencer-turned-pop star still had her VIP pass from Charli XCX‘s Brat release party in the door. It proved that, though it was early December, Brat summer still wasn’t over.
During our 48 hours with Rae in Los Angeles, Charli XCX came up frequently, from their duet on the “Von Dutch” remix to Charli’s now-iconic Boiler Room party in Brooklyn (Rae sang her and Charli’s song “2 Die 4,” marking her first-ever public singing performance).
“[Meeting] Charli XCX was an obviously pivotal moment in my life,” Rae told RS. “She has been such a big sister and mentor for me.” In turn, Charli — who recently commemorated her massive Brat year in an Instagram post that featured Rae — tells Rolling Stone she thinks Rae is a “fucking genius.”
“It’s been fun to watch her evolve,” Charli said. “Everything she does relates back to her art — every item of clothing she wears, everything she says in a red-carpet interview, everything she tweets — it all is a part of the world-building.”
Elsewhere in the story, the two musicians reflect on collaborating together, with Charli sharing a memorable moment of Rae walking into a West Hollywood studio. “She burst into the room in Ugg boots and hot pants after parking her pink Tesla in the driveway and exclaimed, ‘Boys are stupid!’ and then immediately was like, ‘Wait, we should write a song about that!’” Charli told us. “I know that sounds simple and maybe silly to some people, but to me that was such a sign of instinct and fearlessness.”
“[Charli] respected me and my ideas,” Rae added. “It was the first time I really took the step on my own to be confident in the ideas I had and follow that. I owe that all to Charli.” As Rae cements herself as a genuine pop star, here’s hoping the duo have more collaborations in store.
