"How much you’re under scrutiny is a really interesting thing"
By Adam England 3rd February 2026
Charli XCX. CREDIT: Maria M. Silva/ Albany Times Union/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images
Charli XCX’s 2024 album ‘Brat’ brought her a new audience that didn’t always understand her, the singer has shared.
- Read More: Charli XCX – ‘Brat’ review: pop pioneer fully embraces the dancefloor
‘Brat’ became Charli’s most successful album, even spawning the ‘Brat’ summer cultural phenomenon. And with the new success came more eyes on her, something that inspired her new mockumentary, The Moment.
AdvertisementCharli, real name Charlotte Aitchison, told Billboard in a video interview on Monday (February 2) that the Aidan Zamiri-directed film, in which she plays a fictionalised version of herself, was inspired by the increase in fame and publicity ‘Brat’ prompted.
“I’d been this relatively niche artist, and then had suddenly been opened up to this huge new audience, some of whom really connected with me, some of whom only connected with aspects of me, some of whom liked me, but didn’t really get me,” she said. “How much you’re under scrutiny, in the spotlight, being listened to, watched, is a really interesting thing. It made me so acutely aware of how hard that transition can be.”
They filmed the movie over the course of 29 days, Charli explaining: “Every single weekend, we would just go out and party. Sometimes Aidan would just blast The Prodigy whilst they were setting up a shot.”
‘Brat’ was released in June 2024, two years after Charli’s previous album ‘Crash’, and it topped the charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and her native UK, as well as reaching Number Three in the US. Per review aggregator Metacritic, it became the highest-rated album of 2024 and is currently the 15th-highest-rated of all time.
RecommendedNME named ‘Brat’ the best album of 2024 and gave it a four-star review upon its release, writing: “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’. With ‘Brat’, XCX demonstrates that going her own way will always sound pretty good.”
‘Brat’ was followed by a deluxe edition with three extra tracks, ‘Brat And It’s The Same But There’s Three More Songs So It’s Not’ and then the remix album ‘Brat and It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat’.
In April 2025, Charli confirmed the end of ‘Brat’ summer, and she’s been “feeling more inspired by film than by music” in recent months. Indeed, ahead of The Moment‘s premiere, she said she’s “really wanting ‘Brat’ to stop”.
AdvertisementAs well as working on The Moment, her soundtrack album for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights comes out on February 13. So far, she’s shared three songs from the album: ‘House’, featuring John Cale of The Velvet Underground, ‘Chains Of Love’ and ‘Wall Of Sound’. Last week, she revealed the full tracklist for the first time, and it includes a new collaboration with Sky Ferreira.
She was recently asked about the possibility of recording a James Bond theme, too, but said she doesn’t think she’s “built” for it. During an appearance on The Julia Cunningham Show, she said: “I think I probably sing with too much AutoTune to do a James Bond,” before adding, “Never say never. I’m open to it if they want to call me, which they won’t.”
