Charli XCX says ‘Brat’ summer isn’t dead – teases new music: “See u next week”
Brat summer isn’t dead – not according to Charli XCX anyway.
The artist’s seventh album ‘Brat’ has been at the centre of its own cultural phenomenon since it was released last month. Its simple lime green artwork became a meme, while fans on social media have embraced the record’s hedonistic aesthetic and attitude. The autobiographical lyrics have also been subject to widespread fascination, particularly related to ‘Sympathy is a Knife’ and ‘Girl, So Confusing’, where Charli acknowledges her anxieties and difficult feelings towards other women in pop.
However, some outlets – including Pitchfork, Dazed, and ANTIART – declared that ‘Brat summer’ was dead after it took a political turn. Charli XCX tweeted “Kamala IS brat”, following Joe Biden endorsing Kamala Harris as his successor in the 2024 US presidential race, leading to political pundits embarrassingly trying and failing to explain the ‘Brat’ phenomenon.
Pitchfork suggested that ‘Brat’ summer died on July 21, the day of Charli’s aforementioned tweet, “at 80 days old”, adding: “While we mourn its loss, Brat Summer’s legacy will live on in white powders on dirty toilet seats, weekend hangovers that last until the following Friday, and of course, being So Julia, a sibling of Brat Summer that survived the worst of its online devastation.”
Now, Charli has had her say, while also teasing more new music to come next week.
Sharing screenshots of posts by the outlets that suggested Brat summer was a dead trend, she wrote on Instagram: “oh? see you next week.”
In addition, there are rumours that she has collaborated with Chappell Roan, which ignited after the artist shared a photo of herself holding a ‘Brat’ CD.
Chappell Roan shares photo with a ‘BRAT’ by Charli xcx CD. pic.twitter.com/KBDAfLdS9x
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 25, 2024
Beyond that, Charli is also set to hit the road with Troye Sivan on their joint ‘Sweat’ tour which will kick off in North America in September.
Kicking off at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on September 14, the duo will make their way across the country making stops in major cities such as Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Denver, Los Angeles and more.
Speaking about the ‘Sweat’ tour to Billboard, Charli opened up about their plans so far.
She explained: “We’ve kind of just begun to nail down exactly what we want production wise…at the moment we’re very much in fantasy world of all the things possible. Can we put a cage through the middle of the arena and have the audience be right up at the bars of the cage and us be able to walk through it?…Can we put lights throughout the arena rather than just on the stage? All these things about transforming the space.
“…I hate when shows are contained to like the stage and like a catwalk. I feel like there’s so much possibility within any space to really transform it into something completely unexpected. Obviously, it costs a lot of money to do that so it just depends on how much money we want to lose,” she joked.
The tour will wrap up at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on October 23. Check out the full list of tour dates below and visit here to purchase tickets.
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan Present: Sweat 2024 US tour dates are:
SEPTEMBER
14 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
16 – Laval, QC – Place Bell
18 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
20 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
25 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
26 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
28 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
30 – Chicago, IL – United Center
OCTOBER
2 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
3 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
5 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
6 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center
9 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
11 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
13 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
15 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
18 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
20 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
22 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
23 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
According to a press release, the tour is “not only a celebration of their individual successes, but it is also a testament to their commitment to inclusivity and diversity within the music industry. Fans can expect an electrifying show filled with exhilarating performances, stunning visuals, and infectious beats.”
The announcement of the co-headlining tour comes after XCX announced details of a UK arena tour which is set to take place in November this year. The singer will play four headline shows, the biggest ever in her home country, and she will be joined by Shygirl on all of the dates.
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Emma Wilkes
NME
