Charli XCX

Charli XCX, born Charlotte Emma Aitchison on 2 August 1992 in Cambridge, England, developed her first following by posting songs on Myspace and performing at London warehouse parties while still a teenager. She signed with Asylum Records in 2010 and released her debut studio album, True Romance, in 2013. The record included “You (Ha Ha Ha)” and “Nuclear Seasons,” introducing the dark, synth-driven pop style of her early work.

Her worldwide profile grew through collaborations. She co-wrote and sang the hook on Icona Pop’s 2012 single “I Love It,” which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. In 2014, she featured on Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” which spent seven consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. That year she issued Sucker, her second album, featuring “Boom Clap,” written for The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack. The song became her first solo top-ten single in the United States and reached number one in the United Kingdom.

Charli XCX’s subsequent work increasingly foregrounded experimental pop production and collaborations with A. G. Cook, SOPHIE, and Danny L Harle. Her 2016 EP Vroom Vroom, produced largely by SOPHIE, was followed by the mixtapes Number 1 Angel and Pop 2, released in 2017. In 2019, she released Charli, an album including “Gone” with Christine and the Queens and “1999” with Troye Sivan.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she recorded How I’m Feeling Now in roughly six weeks, sharing parts of its creation online with fans. Released in May 2020, the album yielded “Forever,” “Claws,” and “Enemy.” Her fifth album, Crash, arrived in 2022 and became her first UK number-one album.

In 2024, she released Brat, a stark, club-focused record whose lime-green cover and provocative promotional campaign became widely recognizable. Its singles included “Von Dutch,” “360,” and “Apple.” Brat debuted at number one in the United Kingdom and reached number three on the Billboard 200. In October 2024, she issued Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, a remix album featuring guests including Lorde, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, and Caroline Polachek. At the 2025 Grammy Awards, Brat won Best Dance/Electronic Album, while “Von Dutch” received Best Dance Pop Recording.

Outside her own releases, Aitchison co-wrote “Same Old Love” for Selena Gomez and “Speed Drive” for the 2023 Barbie soundtrack. Her career has moved from underground party performances to chart hits, album experimentation, and a visible role in twenty-first-century pop culture. Fans call themselves Angels.