2024: The Year of Brat
Brat was nothing short of a cultural reset. The color green was no longer associated with anything but the now-critically acclaimed album. Celebrities such as Chloe Sevigny, Rachel Sennott, and Julia Fox were featured in her “360” music video, the second single off of Brat. Anybody who was anybody wanted to be connected to xcx and her “brat” renaissance because that meant that they'd made it to the next phase of pop culture—and all you could see was Brat. It was quite the whirlwind for xcx after aiming for more commercial endeavors in previous years and somewhat failing to reach the top of the charts again after the radio hit “Boom Clap” over a decade ago.
xcx explains that the album is “all about [her], [her] flaws, her [mess] ups and [her] ego.” Throughout the album, the themes of internet influence, partying, and the unapologetic nature of a powerful individual inspired social media users instantaneously. So much so that soon after the Brat release, a new TikTok dance emerged, soundtracked by her hit song “Apple.” xcx not only influenced social media users, but also music in general. Brat allowed the club and hyper pop genres to be more widely accepted and mainstream, both in places with club culture like NYC and Miami, and everywhere else in the music world. Brat popularized internet personalities like Addison Rae and kick-started careers for folks trying to break into the serious yet fun side of the music industry that combines professionalism and knowledge with casualness and partying. Brat’s message was there, and it was a good one.
Is the Original Message of Brat Lost On Itself?
Now that we’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of the album, the term “brat” and its usage is still on the bandwagon of popular internet slang. However, social media users might be forgetting what xcx intended for “brat” to mean and have lost that part of xcx’s message from the jump.
xcx’s Brat was a descent from her attempts to appeal to the commercial side of the music industry, yet, in doing so, commercialized herself more than she ever has before. This isn’t xcx’s fault, of course—but with the commercialization of an album that relies on the “club rat party girl” aesthetic, you start noticing the commodification of what it means to be someone, specifically a woman, in this type of scene.
It’s important to emphasize what happens behind the cameras, what is said without really being sung about—and those are the “negative” aspects of club culture. Social media users speculate on the usage of “nose candy” and other substances that are, without fail, included in the club scene and how xcx might unintentionally be promoting this to young and impressionable listeners. Now, of course, the concept of what it means to be “brat” is relative, but refusing to acknowledge the entire picture of party girl culture means being willingly ignorant, which is irresponsible. Internet users, specifically on TikTok, make it their mission to aestheticize everything. If the negative messaging of Brat begins to overtake the positive messaging, should we retire it? Aside from all of this sociological mumbo-jumbo, isn’t the album a bit tired?
Charli Says, “Bye-bye, Brat.” Just Kidding… Hello BRAT 2.0?
At this year’s Coachella (April 2025), Charli xcx finished her set with one glaring message in mind: “Maybe it’s time for a different kind of summer?” The singer-songwriter insists that it’s time to put Brat on the back burner and open our minds to different mentalities and ways of living, specifically by other artists speculated to release new music in 2025.
In doing so at her Coachella set and on her most recent Brat Tour, xcx acknowledges that Brat was an era, and like all eras, should be let go of gracefully to make way for new ideas and art in the music scene. However, this selflessness was seemingly short-lived.
triple_j via Instagram
The album cover, which was previously a bright green, is now rotting “right to the core” with the album name scribbled out. Is this signifying the beginning of Brat 2.0 or a final homage to the era? Probably not the latter, as xcx is admittedly apprehensive about ending the era in a lengthy TikTok video and asks a question for the culture: Is it “brat” to overstay your welcome?
I’m not completely sure, but what I am sure of is that pop culture needs to continue to evolve—it is reliant on that! Cultural stagnation means halting new ideas, and the music industry has enough of that as is.
It’s Time for Everyone Else’s Summer
xcx got something right in her Coachella set: It is time for another kind of summer. It’s important to share the limelight with other successful musicians who offer alternative messages, aesthetics, and cultural ideas. This is how it’s supposed to be. New music is released every single day, and each major pop star has a major stint at some point in their career. Sabrina Carpenter managed to rise to superstardom after being somewhat popular in the television and music industry for half of her life so far. Olivia Rodrigo, while still popular, only tackles the charts with new releases. And Chappell Roan, who went somewhat undiscovered for over a decade before “Good Luck Babe” skyrocketed her to pop-princess status. Like all of these examples, album releases grant a musician hype, therefore bringing them to the forefront of the music scene, and then, they get put to rest until their new eras conjure them up again.
With that being said, I say go with the flow, Charli. We will be waiting for you when you come back. But in the meantime, Lorde is dropping an album in June. Did somebody say Lorde summer?