Charli XCX says sudden popularity of ‘Brat’ was “heavy, confusing and a very vulnerable change”

"I’d not experienced that scale of interest in what I had to say before" The post Charli XCX says sudden popularity of ‘Brat’ was “heavy, confusing and a very vulnerable change” appeared first on NME. NewsMusic News Charli XCX says sudden popularity of ‘Brat’ was “heavy, confusing and a very vulnerable change” "I’d not experienced that scale of interest in what I had to say before" By Poppy Burton 21st February 2026 Charli XCX live at Glastonbury 2025. Credit: Derek Bremner for NME Charli XCX has reflected on the popularity of ‘Brat‘, saying the sudden surge of interest in her music was a “heavy” change. READ MORE: ‘The Moment’ review: Charli XCX’s messy mockumentary will live on in memes and TikTok clips Charli XCX’s seventh album was at the centre of its own cultural phenomenon following its release in 2024. Fans embraced the record’s hedonistic aesthetic and attitude, its simple lime green artwork became a meme, and it baffled political pundits after it was featured in social media campaigns ahead of the US Presidential race. Advertisement On Friday (February 20), Charli released The Moment, a fictionalised mockumentary that drew from the hysteria of ‘Brat summer’ at its peak and followed the singer on the lead-up to her world tour. Serving as a satirical comment on the mainstream music industry, the A24 film was made by using real footage from the ‘Brat’ tour alongside fictional backstage scenes. Speaking on The Graham Norton Show last night, Charli reflected on finding a bigger audience after ‘Brat’, and how it informed the creation of The Moment. “I had just come out of this huge change in my life where I’d made the album Brat, which opened me up to a whole new audience,” she said. “I’d not experienced that scale of interest in what I had to say before and it was heavy, confusing and a very vulnerable change.” Charli XCX in ‘The Moment’. CREDIT: A24 “My response was to make art, so when I was asked to make a real documentary – a concert film – I wanted to poke fun at myself and that world. The music industry is ripe for satire, and I really enjoyed doing it.” Recommended When asked if she had always wanted to act, she said, per The Standard: “I realised even when I am making music I am not listening to music. I’ve always watched and got inspiration from films so, after a while, I thought, ‘How could I work in that world?’. “I don’t feel I have to decide which world I work in. I want to do what makes me feel good in the moment.” The Moment scored a three-star review from NME, who noted that the film was “too protracted and tonally uneven to work as a great mockumentary, but it has plenty of meme-worthy moments that TikTok will lap up. “If that sounds like faint praise, well, just remember it was enough to make Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn a sensation back in 2023.” View this post on Instagram Advertisement Charli has also provided the score for Fennell’s new Wuthering Heights adaptation starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, and has also released a companion album for the release. You can find the full tracklist here, which includes a collaboration with Sky Ferreira. The album was given a four-star review from NME and described as “delicious gothic pop for a winter of yearning”. In the albums chart, Charli XCX has claimed the third Number One of her career with the soundtrack record, with ‘Wuthering Heights’ also topping the Official Vinyl Albums Chart this week, while the film has soared to the top of the UK box office on its first week of release. It comes after Charli responded to backlash after she attended an afterparty The Moment which was alleged to have had ties to Russia. For clarity, neither me nor my team were aware of any of the alleged affiliations around the party in Berlin,” she wrote on Instagram Stories. “I would like to take this opportunity to say I stand against the atrocities committed by the Russian government in Ukraine and I stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.” Related TopicsCharli XCXPopThe Moment You May Also Like Advertisement TRENDING The NME 100: essential emerging artists for 2026 ‘Strip Law’ review: Netflix’s animated legal comedy is crude, silly and very funny Confessions of a GAME employee: “My Mario costume had a funky smell” Westside Cowboy’s fun-loving indie rock comes straight from the heart Shoegaze revivalists Glixen are noise-rock giants in the making Advertisement More Stories Music News KATSEYE’s Manon to take “temporary hiatus” from group to focus on “health and wellbeing” Music News Sam Fender breaks record to score first Number One single as Charli XCX tops UK album chart Music News Zara Larsson and Perfume Genius plead with Wikipedia over photo choice Film News Charli XCX responds to backlash to attending ‘The Moment’ afterparty with links to Russia Features Leigh-Anne on going independent and her debut solo album: “You’re not going to tell me the kind of artist I should be. I know... Music News Sombr confirmed to perform at the BRITS 2026