Over the course of her career, Charli XCX has taken a lot of twists and turns. In the early 2010s, she had three top-10 singles in the US with “Boom Clap,” Icona Pop’s “I Love It,” and the No. 1 “Fancy” with Iggy Azalea. Then, she pursued more experimental sounds with the albums Charli and How I’m Feeling Now. This year saw her get back into a more straightforward pop lane with Crash, which was her first No. 1 album in the UK and first top-10 album in the US.
Welcome To #GenV: The New Underground
COVER 4—@charli_xcx!
The singer-songwriter is pulling a fast one on her fans with her rollercoaster ride of a year and shows no signs of slowing down: https://t.co/k3hMdiT2iH pic.twitter.com/2zSgO9rpfr
— V Magazine (@vmagazine) July 1, 2022
Through it all, Charli believes she’s seen as a “sort of fringe-pop artist” and thinks the reason why could have to do with how often she switches lanes. In a new V Magazine interview, Charli says:
“I think I’m very obsessed and inspired with the idea of contrast and throwing someone off the scent. I think it’s a blessing and a curse. It’s like as soon as people think they have me all figured out, I kind of like to flip the script on them. Maybe it’s why I’m still seen as a sort of fringe-pop artist in a way — never someone right in the middle of the club. I’ve always been an outsider––at school, in music, sort of at parties. I’m in the mix, but I’m not the epicenter because I’m constantly moving too fast and evolving possibly in ways of contradicting myself. But it’s what makes me challenging as an artist and also to myself. I need to change to be inspired. And so I imagine whatever’s next will be contrasting to what’s going on now.”
Read the full feature here.
Charli XCX is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.