If you missed the news, pop superstar Taylor Swift announced she’s bringing UK artist Charli XCX along for her Australian tour. They’ll be playing arenas all around the country, and if you want to witness the next big thing in pop, then you’ll do anything in your power to make sure you catch her supporting Tay-Tay - before she’s playing arenas in her own right. And if you're in Sydney, you're lucky enough to be able to witness the Pop2 show exclusively as well.
Charli XCX might be the leader of forward-thinking pop and she’s one of the most exciting acts going around. By introducing different sounds, and eschewing typical pop clichés, she’s updating the genre for a new generation. As she put it herself on her Twitter, “I might not be the biggest, but I’m definitely one of the best.” Forward-thinking pop is taking off at the moment, with good reason. Artists like SOPHIE, Zara Larsson, Dua Lipa and labels like PC Music are taking the genre into previously uncharted places.
Since releasing her second album, SUCKER, in 2014, Charli’s overhauled her sound. Mixing PC Music’s warped pop with hard, trappy-style instrumentals that match her vocals perfectly, Charli is shaping out an exciting, fast-growing niche for herself. This year alone, she’s released No Angel, Focus, 5 In The Morning and Girls Night Out, all singles that showcase different sides of her sound. Fans of hers are always clamouring for more music, and she doesn’t seem like she’s going to disappoint them any time soon.
read more: how charli xcx built a fanbase just as excited about her unreleased music as her released
Boring isn’t in Charli XCX’s vocabulary, and this comes through in the way she chooses producers. Working mostly with AG Cook, who’s worked with artists like QT and Hannah Diamond, Charli XCX helps to embody the craziness that is driving pop. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she said “I like artists who are extreme – people who are extravagant with everything they put out. I don’t have interest in people who aren’t willing to break barriers. I find it boring.” Every aspect of Charli’s music can sound chaotic, but it comes together to produce sounds that may not sound technically correct, but they sound right, and you can’t help but dance along.
However, Charli has already touched the far-reaches of the top of pop. With hits like I Love It, Fancy (written with Iggy Azalea) and Boom Clap (featured on the soundtrack for The Fault In Our Stars), Charli has shown not only does she have the ability to become a cult favourite, she also has the writing chops to achieve chart success. It’s a skill that not many artists have, and it’s a testament to her ability that she can straddle the line between genre-pushing artist and reaching a huge audience. As she put it in an interview with the Guardian, “the Taylor shows have been really great, but it’s a different beast… I’m not a pristine pop performer. I’m born to play in club environments, rave environments.” You might get two completely different Charli XCX experiences depending on what context you see her live in, and that’s part of what makes her so exciting.
Having released two mixtapes last year, Charli’s redefining what it means to be a popstar. After all, while rappers are expected to release mixtapes, it’s not exactly the norm for popstars. Speaking to Vulture, Charli says while she might release an album in the future, mixtapes could be the way she goes. After all, she’s just going to go with the flow, which her label, Atlantic, understands. “I will put something out; I just don’t know if it’ll be ten songs with two lead singles. Or if it’ll be 20 songs, or a whole visual album, or four EPs, or a constant flow of demos done in a structured way. You know, I make pop music, and I have a fan base that wants that from me. Something will happen, I just don’t know what the fuck it will be right now.”
As for what’s next for Charli XCX, she plans to keep on putting out music - whenever she feels like it. After all, redefining a genre takes time.
Catch Charli XCX supporting Taylor Swift this October/November as well as at her own Pop2 exclusive show in Sydney on October 23rd.
