Charli XCX & Troye Sivan Say Pop Is in Good Hands With Chappell Roan: ‘This Is Not an Anomaly’

Brat summer may be over, but Charli XCX and Troye Sivan both agree that the future of pop music is in good hands.

In a new cover story with i-D, Charli and Troye broke down their respective careers and friendship, while teasing what’s to come from their highly anticipated fall tour. During the conversation, the pair was asked about the state of the pop genre — and both said that artists such as themselves and Chappell Roan were helping keep pop music fun.

“I think it’s a really interesting time in pop music, where [being] niche is being rewarded in a way that we haven’t seen for a while,” Charli said. “It feels like there’s this new wave of artists with different ambitions and cultural touchpoints who are really thriving in mainstream culture. And I think that’s myself, that’s Troye, that’s Chappell [Roan].”

Most of those cultural touchpoints, she explained, are inherently queer, marking a watershed moment for LGBTQ representation in mainstream music. “When I think about the three of us, that’s a lot of music that either is inherently a part of queer culture or is very much inspired by it and that’s super cool,” she said. “You have so many artists being outwardly gay and talking about drag culture. It’s cool that this is not an anomaly anymore.”

Sivan agreed with the “360” singer’s assessment, adding that part of what makes Roan and Charli’s successes over the last few months so interesting is the fact that both of them are making the same kind of music they’ve been making. “It’s not like you guys have changed your approach. It doesn’t feel like you’re actively striving to get the masses or anything like that,” he explained. “To me, it comes across as the most authentic, real vulnerable version of you and that’s the one that’s connected.”

The duo is currently preparing for the upcoming North American Sweat Tour, which kicks off in Detroit on Saturday, Sept. 14. During the pair’s conversation, Charli gave fans a small tease of what to expect from the live show: “The staging is f–king crazy. I mean, not to hype it up too much, but it’s great.”