There’s no doubt Charli XCX had one of the biggest albums of the year — and with her sixth studio album, Brat, she launched not only a prominent music era, but also a cultural movement.
The Collins Dictionary, which selected the word “brat” as 2024’s Word of the Year, defines the term as “a child, especially an impudent, unruly child,” and is typically used as a “scornful or playful term,” but shared that the word has evolved to also describe a “confident, independent and hedonistic attitude.”
Brat — its notable songs, its lime green and black aesthetic, and its attitude — have been synonymous with internet culture among millennials and Gen Z. The album immediately became the soundtrack to this year’s “brat summer.”
Gotham/GC Images
Since its release on June 7, 2024, Brat (written stylistically in lowercase letters) has spawned hits like “360,” the video for which features several women with large internet followings, including indie actresses Julia Fox, Rachel Sennott, and Chloë Sevigny. Another song, “Girl So Confusing,” featured Charli reeling over a perceived feud with two-time Grammy winner Lorde, who rose to fame in the mid 2010s alongside the “Boom Clap” artist. The singers’ rumored feud was the subject of much fan fodder Tumblr lore — until Charli and Lorde buried the alleged hatchet on a remix of the song that dropped two weeks after the album’s original release.
Yet another prominent track, “Apple,” lyrically describes unpacking family trauma and has inspired a viral dance routine on TikTok.
Much of the album’s sound channels the European rave scene, with production largely handled by A.G. Cook, Hudson Mowhake, and Gesaffelstein. One of the more downtempo tracks, “So I,” pays homage to the late DJ and producer SOPHIE.
The cover art for Brat is simple — a lime green background with black text reading “brat” in lowercase letters. Charli explained the choice in an interview with Vogue Singapore, saying she purposely chose to defy norms and rules of the mainstream pop landscape.
“I wanted to go with an offensive, off-trend shade of green to trigger the idea of something being wrong,” she said. “I’d like for us to question our expectations of pop culture—why are some things considered good and acceptable, and some things deemed bad? I’m interested in the narratives behind that and I want to provoke people. I’m not doing things to be nice.”
Since its release, many have taken to social media to describe their “brat” activities. Back in July, after president Joe Biden withdrew his campaign for re-election, Charli took to X (formerly Twitter) writing “Kamala IS brat” supporting then-Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Harris’ campaign team later utilized the Brat aesthetic for marketing materials.
As the album proved to be a summer hit, many people — primarily women and queer men — posted their “brat” activities on social media, whether they be partying at the club, lavish spending, or even attending Charli’s Sweat tour, on which Troye Sivan was a co-headliner.
On Friday, November 8, the nominations for the 67th Annual Grammy Awards will be revealed, and Charli has submitted Brat for consideration in the Album of the Year category.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
