And from the beginning, this was her goal more than the album itself. Artistry is important," she said on the TikTok series Subway Takes in March, opining she is more interested in the culture and world an artist makes. This kind of campaign is incredibly difficult, exhausting work, but the potential payoff is immense. Brat was reverse-engineered, starting with the images and vibes she wanted to make, arriving at the actual music after. It’s the same strategy as a political campaign seeking to position its candidate in the most flattering light for different groups of constituents. Charli understood that social media isn’t real life, but the Kamala campaign didn’t.
It initially displayed "i'm your fav reference" a lyric from "360", before transitioning to "brat". After the release of the deluxe edition on June 10, the wall changed to white with the message, "brat and it's the same but there's three more songs so it's not". Later, it hinted at future collaborations with "lorde", which appeared in the remix of "Girl, so confusing". Charli revealed the truth during her Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe earlier this week ahead of the release of brat generator and it’s completely different but also still brat, the first remix album for the project debuting on Friday, October 11. The singer is playing songs from the highly anticipated album during a mysterious event at the Storm King Art Center in Upstate New York today.
No one from the Brat Pack has graduated from college—most went straight from high school into acting. Rob Lowe, Sean Penn, and Emilio Estevez all went to Santa Monica High School and acted as much as they could. Movies that he acted in and directed; he and Penn wrote and co-starred in one movie about Penn stealing Estevez’s dog. Penn later directed a play that Estevez wrote and starred in at Santa Monica High, about Vietnam veterans. He got started ahead of the others as a troubled teen in Ordinary People, then joined the brat generator song Pack in Taps. Fellow Brats whisper that he’s made one too many flop (Turk 182! was its name) and now must revive his career or risk being forgotten.
The artwork’s chaotic, "ugly" design can be seen as a visual representation of hyperpop’s sonic landscape—loud, abrasive, and unapologetically experimental. By embracing this style, Charli not only solidifies her place within the hyperpop community but also elevates the genre to new heights. This authenticity resonates with her fanbase, who value Charli for her fearless approach to creativity. By rejecting the polished, commercialized imagery that dominates pop culture, Charli reinforces her identity as an artist who isn’t afraid to be herself, flaws and all. Charli XCX’s decision to embrace an "ugly" aesthetic is also a reflection of her commitment to authenticity and self-expression.
There was an idea that she was battling Luke Combs for the top position on the Billboard 200 when her remix album came out; ultimately, she placed third. But the numbers don’t really matter when evaluating art, as much as fans and pundits might want to gamify pop stardom like they do sports or politics. There are winners and losers in pop culture (especially in American pop culture) but those tabulations are often more ephemeral. They’re determined by SNL hosting gigs and magazine covers and awards and people wearing the shade of green you picked out. In June 2024, Charli delivered the album that her campaign had promised. Brat is hedonistic and club-ready with production designed to boom through the biggest speakers available.
Charli tweeting that "kamala IS brat," and Kamala HQ using the Brat aesthetic across its socials had a viral impact that defined a one-of-a-kind cultural moment. Honestly it doesn’t make much sense for an artist like Gaga to release a cover without herself on it. She’s made the evolution of her music and her image go hand in hand so to not showcase her physical change would be a bit out of character.
