Charli XCX

Born Charlotte Emma Aitchison in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, Charli XCX first drew attention by uploading her tracks to Myspace before performing within the late‑2000s London rave scene. Her music blends electropop, dance‑pop and synth‑pop and, from the mid‑2010s, adopted a more experimental approach close to hyperpop and club music. After early landmarks such as the mixtapes Heartbreaks and Earthquakes and Super Ultra in 2012, Charli XCX released the album True Romance in 2013 and then Sucker in 2014, in a more straightforward pop vein. At the same time, she developed a significant songwriting profile—most notably on Icona Pop’s “I Love It”—and expanded collaborations, from “Fancy” with Iggy Azalea to songs written for other pop artists. Her work with Sophie and A. G. Cook marked a decisive turn, audible on the Vroom Vroom EP in 2016 and on Number 1 Angel and Pop 2 in 2017. That trajectory continued with Charli (2019), How I'm Feeling Now (2020), conceived during lockdowns, Crash (2022) and Brat (2024), where Charli XCX pushed an abrasive, melodic electronic pop even further, closely tied to club aesthetics.