Ode on Charli xcx
When I first heard the Vroom Vroom EP
in year 13,
it struck me as wild and wonderful:
12:19 of bliss,
bubblegum lambos and glossy black.
When there were two mixtapes released in one year
I flew to Sydney to see Pop 2…
no questions asked.
When she was a guest performer in Shanghai,
I snuck in with my Chinese friend
and witnessed something no other Kiwi fan has.
When I was at Mount Smart Stadium –
my sister at barricade, me swamped by teen girls and their mums –
I timidly enjoyed her opening set from the back.
When Charli dropped her album BRAT in 2024
many things became brat green.
She’s yelled "put your f****** hands up" and
"I thought this song was big in Germany" before
and sings to the full crowd. Not just the front, not just the back.
She’s got girls up on their boyfriends’ shoulders at Laneway 2020
for Girls Night Out.
She did a suite of mini shows to promote 1999 too,
from Miami nightclubs to Australian caves.
I went to her Auckland mini show and saw her super up close
sweaty on Karangahape road.
She’s got a cult following online
and sprinkles of unreleased songs all around the web.
Just go to Lanaboards to fact check that.
When XCX World leaked, just know
Shakespeare’s sonnets were leaked once, too.
Charli puts music creation first.
She didn’t care for posting more photos of dogs (which her record label told her to do)
to build clout
but she did post about her decision not to and we loved her rebellious flair.
Charli’s game for media:
forget Lord of the Rings week, it’s Charli interview month.
Charli xcx’s Best Song Ever show on BBC Radio 1 deserves its own flowers
just to name one thing worth checking out.
Charli's joy has come – like for many folk – in waves:
stressed out or unsure at times, we paused with her.
When a fan allegedly snuck into her home it was weird,
and she’s spoken openly before about her struggle with achieving a feeling
of being successful and satisfied.
But now, I think Charli‘s well regarded and settled.
Aside from her music getting the clout it deserves,
she’s recently married,
might have a family soon,
has learned how to DJ…
and is making movies.
She’s great at collaborating.
Her collabs with SOPHIE and A.G. Cook in particular
did wonders for music.
You might think "cling clang, pots and pans, beep boop bop”,
as some have said,
or you might just not get it when you hear her stuff, but do know
you’ll eventually come to appreciate something in her projects
that you can admire.
Like waking up being able to speak an alien language.
Also, did you know she translated Take My Hand to Simlish?
Eh eh x c x,
That’s the Ode.
Editing credits to my mate Rafi. Shoutout to Finn! Thanks Georgia for the Simlish reminder.
