brat, the sixth album from British hyperpop singer-songwriter Charli XCX, took the world by storm this past summer. Before brat, artist Charli XCX spent the majority of her career as the darling of the underground music scene who just couldn’t manage to break into the mainstream.
Her first release was in 2012, as a collaboration with the Swedish duo Icona Pop on “I Love It,” became an immediate hit. Her debut studio album, True Romance, however, failed to meet commercial expectations despite the success of “I Love It.” In 2014, she worked with rapper Iggy Azalea on “Fancy,” and that same year released “Boom Clap,” which became her first solo top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100. Her second studio album Sucker came with the successful singles “Break the Rules,” and “Doing It.” She continued to grow her audience with her next three albums. Crash, her fifth album, became her first album to top the UK Albums Chart. In 2023, she released the UK top-ten single “Speed Drive” as part of the soundtrack to Barbie.
The average listener’s opinion of Charli’s career before brat was that while she had many successful, iconic pop singles, these successes never seemed to translate into her becoming a truly iconic artist. This opinion changed though, with the release of brat in June.
“Charli XCX’s album brat has absolutely been one of my favorite releases this year, and I loved the whole energy of the brat summer trend! I even matched brat-themed senior shirts with a friend on the first day!” said senior Chiara Amodeo.
In the album, Charli XCX explores a multitude of deep and introspective themes. She explores womanhood, female friendships, ego, and whether you can be a real pop star without being a relatable role model. Charli brings her feeling of always being the “least famous person at the party” into her music on this album. “Von Dutch,” “360,” and “Apple,” were some highlights of the album, with some considering “Apple” to be the song of the summer. The song grew popular because of a high energy, yet easy dance to the song on TikTok which went mega-viral. In a deluxe version of the album, Charli released five remixes of her songs with other artists. These include “Girl So Confusing” with Lorde, “Talk talk” with Troye Sivan, “Von Dutch” with Addison Rae, and “Guess” with Billie Eilish, which debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart.
“As a fan of Charli XCX since ‘I Love It,’ I am so glad she got the recognition she’s deserved with the ‘brat summer’ trend. Her new album is a great hyperpop record, and my favorite song is ‘360’,” said senior Max Siskin.
The brat summer trend was inspired by the “indie sleaze” vibe and aesthetic of the album. Its lime green cover, which is now referred to as brat green by many of her fans, has also inspired the trend. A “brat summer” is deemed messy, fun, and much more freeing than many other trends in the past. The brat aesthetic has been embraced by people who are tired of the pressure to be prim and perfect, and are ready for something “bratty.”
Charli XCX described brat fashion aesthetic in an interview with The News Movement on June 10. “It can be like, so trashy…Just like a pack of cigs and a Bic lighter. And a strappy white top with no bra. That’s kind of all you need,” said Charli XCX.
People have said the brat summer trend is refreshing because of how few guidelines there are to have one, and how you do not have to buy things to participate. Many articles and blogs have attempted to attach specific clothing items and makeup brands to the trend, but very little of it has stuck.
“I think the cool thing about brat summer is that you really don’t need much to participate in it, it’s kind of just a vibe that anyone can join in on,” said senior Liesha Sewani.
brat summer took on another tone when it began to involve Vice President Kamala Harris. Shortly after the Vice President announced her campaign for the 2024 Presidential Election, Charli XCX expressed her support for Harris in a post on X, saying “kamala IS brat.” The post now has over 48 million views, and has led to thousands of videos and edits that pair Harris with songs from brat. Many of these videos also incorporate the “coconut tree meme,” which was based off of one of Harris’ speeches. The Harris’ campaign team even embraced the attention, changing the background of her HQ campaign account on X to “brat green”, with “kamala hq” written in low-res text – a symbol of the brat aesthetic.
Many fans of Charli participated in the brat summer trend, and aren’t planning on giving it up any time soon. Charli XCX has been introduced to new audiences around the globe after working hard for years in the underground scene. After the success of this album, new and longtime fans have now deemed Charli XCX iconic. Since Charli has released multiple extended versions of brat, who knows if she will have more music in store for “brat autumn.”