Get to know Charli XCX: The singer behind 'brat'

British singer-songwriter Charli XCX is no-doubt best known for her groundbreaking 2024 album 'brat', which hit the Number 1 spot on release and spawned the 'brat summer' phenomenon. The epic record was followed by a new-and-improved version of the album — featuring some HUGE collaborations, with stars like Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish.

Now two years on, following the release of her movie The Moment, and the soundtrack to the Wuthering Heights film, Charli has announced she will be releasing a new album, 'Music, Fashion, Film' in July 2026. Follow her epic rise to fame, find out more about the singer and what some of her biggest hits are. Here's everything to know about Charli XCX...

What is Charli XCX's real name?

Charli XCX's real name is Charlotte Emma Aitchison. Her stage name comes from the MSN Messenger name she used when she was younger.

How old is she?

She's 33-years-old, her birthday being on 2nd August 1992 which makes her a Leo horoscope.

How did she become famous?

Charli XCX started writing music when she was just 14-years-old. As a teenager she started posting her songs on MySpace, when she was noticed by a promoter, and asked to perform at some events.

A few years later, in 2010, Charli was signed to Asylum Records, when she released her first commercially available album 'True Romance'. However, it wasn't until the following year, with the release of 'Sucker', that she had success in the UK charts, with the album going to Number 15.

Despite writing the hit 'I Love It', Charli decided not to release it herself, and it was later released by Icona Pop in 2012, featuring Charli as the vocalist. The song went to Number 1 in the UK and has been certified 3x Platinum.

Charli XCX: New music 2026

'Rock Music'

Charli released brand new track 'Rock Music' on 8th May 2026, which - as you'd expect from the title, is skewed more towards the rock genre than her previous work. In an interview with Vogue in April 2026, she spoke out about changing up her sound.

"If I’d made another album that felt more dance-leaning, it would have felt really hard, really sad," she explained. "But what’s interesting for me is to bend the possibilities of what my perspective on that could be."

She even teases a reason for the genre-flip within the song itself, with chorus lyrics: 'I think the dance floor is dead / So now we're making rock music.'

She wrote on Instagram of the song: 'a video of me making a song called “rock music” that is not actually rock music which is funny because i never said i was making a rock album. love you xx.' (sic)

'SS26'

Charli then released 'SS26' on Thursday 21st May 2026. The title for her next album is taken from the lyrics of the song 'Nothing's gonna save us, not music, fashion or film'.

How many albums has Charli XCX released?

Charli has now released six studio albums, not including her recent soundtrack album 'Wuthering Heights' which accompanies the film of the same name, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. Her full list of records is: 'True Romance' (2013), 'Sucker' (2014), 'Charli' (2019), 'How I'm Feeling Now' (2020), 'Crash' (2022), 'Brat' (2024).

On 1st June 2026 she revealed she would be releasing her next studio album on 24th July. The album is called 'Music, Fashion, Film'.

Charli XCX's album 'brat'

Charli's iconic studio album 'brat' featured 15 songs on its standard edition, with an extra three songs on its deluxe edition. The record featured songs such as 'Apple', which quickly became a TikTok viral hit with its very own dance, and '360'. Both have since been certified Gold.

'brat' was released through Atlantic Records on 7th June 2024, and after six months was certified Platinum by the BPI. Four months after its release, it also hit the Number 1 spot in the album chart.

Following the album's release, and the subsequent 'brat summer' phenomenon, November 2024 saw the word 'brat' top the Collins Dictionary list for Word of the Year. 'brat' also won a GRAMMY and the 2025 BRIT Award for Mastercard Album of The Year!

Charli released her first remix album on 11th October 2024, titled 'Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat'. The record featured all of the tracks on her studio album 'brat', however remixed to feature various huge artists. It was the following week 'brat' reached Number 1 in the album chart.

Why has Charli changed her 'brat' artwork to 'forever <3'

One year after the release of Charli's smash-hit album 'brat', she released new artwork for the record on streaming platforms, which swapped the word 'brat' for 'forever <3'. It comes after she told fans via the big screen at Lido Festival in London, that: 'it wasn't just a summer thing... it's a forever thing xx'.

She wrote: 'will you hate me if i stick around??? Because i honestly don't know who i am if it's over.' (sic)

Is there a remix of her 'brat' album?

Following the release of her sixth studio album 'brat', Charli began to drop various remixes of tracks from the record, featuring huge artists who had their spin on the songs.

In the weeks and months following the release of 'brat', we were gifted with remixes such as 'Girl, So Confusing' with Lorde, 'Girl, 'Guess' featuring Billie Eilish and 'Talk Talk' featuring Troye Sivan - with Dua Lipa's vocals also featuring.

It was then on 5th October 2024 that Charli revealed a full list of artists set to feature on her full album of remixed tracks - soon revealing that 'Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat' was set for set release on 11th October 2024.

Artists featuring on the 'brat' remix album include: Robyn & Yung Lean, BB Trickz, Ariana Grande, The 1975 & Jon Hopkins, Troye Sivan, Addison Rae, Caroline Polachek, Bladee, A. G. Cook, Lorde, The Japanese House, Tinashe, Julian Casablancas, Bon Iver, Shygirl and Billie Eilish.

Check out the full tracklist here, as well as everything you need to know about the remix album.

Brat crowned Collins Dictionary Word of the Year

Beating shortlisted words such as 'era', 'yapping' and 'delulu', the adjective 'brat' was crowned the Word of the Year by the Collins Dictionary in November 2024. Sharing the news, the printed and online dictionary of English shared the definition, writing: 'adjective characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude'.

In what can't come as a surprise to many, the word has (of course) been around for a long time, however Charli XCX's sixth studio album had an undeniable effect on its popularity, with Collins Dictionary making many notable nods to the singer in their social posts - from imitating her album artwork, to including the iconic green apple donning Charli-esque black sunglasses.

Which awards has she won?

BRIT Awards

In 2025, Charli stole the show at the BRITs, picking up all five awards she'd been nominated for! The singer made it a Brat BRITs, winning Dance Act promoted by KISS, Artist of the Year, Mastercard Album of the Year for 'brat', Song of the Year with Mastercard for 'Guess' featuring Billie Eilish and Songwriter of the Year. Go girl!

Prior to her wins in 2025, Charli had been nominated in 2015 for British Video for 'Boom Clap', in 2020 for British Female Solo Artist, in 2023 for British Pop/R&B Act and in 2024 for British Pop Act, which she was also nominated for at the 2025 ceremony.

GRAMMY Awards

Charli picked up THREE GRAMMYs at the 2025 awards! 'brat' won Best Dance/Electronic Music Album and Best Recording Package, while 'Von Dutch' was the winner of Best Dance Pop Recording, going up against songs by Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, among others.

The singer also took to the stage, performing her winning song 'Von Dutch' as well as 2024 single 'Guess'.

Before her sweeping success in 2025, Charli had been nominated in 2015 for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, both for 'Fancy' with Iggy Azalea. She was also nominated in 2025 for '360' in the Record of the Year and Best Music Video categories, as well as Album of the Year for 'brat', Best Pop Solo Performance for 'Apple' and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for 'Guess' with Billie Eilish.

The Ivors

In May 2025, Charli won the prestigious Songwriter of the Year award at The Ivors with Amazon Music. Accepting the award at the event in London on 22nd May, she said: "I'm sure you all agree, I'm hardly Bob Dylan, but one thing I certainly do is commit to the bit," before urging her fellow songwriters not to be afraid to be themselves.

She previously won the Visionary Award in 2023, and was also nominated in 2025 for Best Album for 'brat'.

Is she married?

Yes! After around three years of dating, Charli XCX married The 1975 drummer George Daniel on Saturday 19th July 2025.

The pair tied the knot alongside their closest family and friends in a low-key ceremony at Hackney Town Hall, where Charli wore a chic Vivienne Westwood dress.

What are Charli XCX's biggest hits?

Over the years, Charli has several big hits that she's released herself, as well as songs she's written for other artists. Her breakthrough solo song was 'Boom Clap' in 2014, followed by several Top 20 hits including 'Fancy' with Iggy Azalea, 'Doing It' with Rita Ora, '1999' with Troye Sivan, 'Speed Drive', '360' and 'Apple'.

'Apple' became a big hit, both in the charts and on social media, as it started the 'Apple' dance craze. Celebrities and fans took to TikTok to record themselves doing the dance. Charli herself even joined in recording a video.

Is she an actress?

Charli is primarily a singer, but in December 2024 she told Variety that she had done a lot of research into moving into a different field.

She said: "I hate it when musicians dive into a different field, head-first, without really researching or learning much of anything about it. So I did a lot of reading to educate myself over the past three or four years before I actually did anything."

Variety later revealed in January 2025 that Charli would be starring in a movie called The Moment, which is the first feature from her own production company Studio 365. It was released in February 2026.

Is Charli XCX on tour?

Charli has not announced any tours for 2026, however she will be performing at some festivals over the summer including Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK.

Has she performed at Glastonbury?

Yes! It was announced in March 2025 that Charli XCX would headline the Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2025. She performed on Saturday 28th June, on the same night as RAYE and Neil Young.

After her set, Charli took to Instagram to share a series of photos and videos from the night, writing: 'GLASTONBURY I HAD THE BEST TIME PERFORMING AND PARTYING TYSM FOR THE MOST FUN WEEKEND I LOVE YOU AND I LOVE DOING MY THING. I FEEL HAPPY XXX'.

She also played at the iconic Somerset festival in 2017 and 2022.

Who has Charli XCX written for?

As well as releasing six albums, Charli has also written several very popular songs for other artists. You might recognise hits such as Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello's 'Señorita', Selena Gomez's 'Same Old Love', Camila Cabello feat. Quavo's 'OMG' and Icona Pop's 'I Love It'.

Other career highlights through the years:

2024: Charli XCX Bratz doll

Despite the name of her hit album, surprisingly, Charli does not actually have her own Bratz doll. The brand, however, did post an image recreating her music video with Billie Eilish. Showing what the pair would look like as Bratz dolls, the image recreated an iconic shot from their 'Guess (remix)' music video.

2024: Charli XCX for Skims

On 19th August 2024, the exciting news was announced that Charli was fronting the new campaign for Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand, SKIMS. Charli joins an exclusive list of A-list stars that have fronted the viral band, including the likes of Paris Hilton, Lana Del Rey, Kate Moss and Sabrina Carpenter.

The collection Charli fronts is the latest cotton collection - with the series of photographs showing off a stripped-back sporty look, championing her carefree spirit. The collection launched on 21st August 2024.

On appearing on the campaign, Charli said: "Skims empowers people to feel confident in their own skin, which is the essence of brat".

2025: Charli XCX's 'Sweat Tour' bridal costume sold at auction

In February 2025, Charli donated her 'Sweat Tour' costume to the Give a Frock LA auction, which was raising funds for those affected by the devastating wildfires there. The bridal-inspired leotard, veil and accessories went for an impressive $22,225.

The singer also donated a custom-made Gucci outfit worn on her 2024 'Sweat Tour', which sold for $8,890.

Charli's tour outfits were among a collection of celebrity costumes in the auction, including Sabrina Carpenter's Polka-Dot two-piece from her 'Taste' music video and the Hooded Blue Velvet Mini-Dress she wore in her 'Please Please Please' video. While Chappell Roan's blue bejewelled leotard from her 'Hot To Go' video and tour, complete with epaulettes, went for a huge $88,900.

2025: Charli XCX at Coachella

Charli performed at Coachella in April 2025, alongside headliners Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone and Travis Scott. Also performing at the two-week US music festival was Missy Elliott, Benson Boone, Shaboozey and Basement Jaxx, alongside many other great acts.

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