“This has been the total opposite of like an overnight success story,” Charlie XCX said in “The ‘BRAT’ Interview” with Zane Lowe.
From feeling like an “underground artist” to selling out arenas, Charlie XCX has recently seen massive success. On the Sweat Tour, the singer and her best friend Troye Sivan, get to live out fame that she never thought would come.
In the interview with Zane Lowe, the singer describes how she tried to fill the mold of a pop star for a while, chasing after the success of label executives. She even opened for artists like Taylor Swift and Halsey on their respective tours.
After the tiredness of chasing something that she said didn’t fulfill her, she made “BRAT.” It was an album that sounds so simple, with some on social media predicting it to be a flop before it dropped.
However, when the album came out this past June, it proved those people wrong, shattering records from her past five studio albums. “BRAT” was her highest debut and her highest selling album to date.
While surface listeners may depict “BRAT” as a shallow party album, Charlie XCX further describes the album as a truly honest record, one where she left nothing on the table.
I believe “BRAT” gained so much attraction due to lyrical honesty. She didn’t try to put her feelings in fancy words or beat around the bush, she told listeners exactly what she was feeling.
The third track, “Sympathy is a knife” has lyrics like “I couldn’t even be her if I tried” describing real and honest jealousy. Song titles like “I might say something stupid” or “I think about it all the time” tell listeners how she is feeling without putting it into poetic words. This over-simplified version of songwriting connected with listeners all around the world.
The over-simplified theme is carried on through the plain lime green album cover with a blurry font. It was originally meant to save money. However, it’s also serves as commentary in an industry where women feel the need to always look perfect or fill a beauty standard.
I think the essence of being a brat is being your honest self. This album is the model that once you start living life authentically, everything else will fall into place.
