How Charli xcx’s Brat Became A Cultural Phenomenon

 Fangirl Nonsense: Pop music is SO back. Both Sabrina Carpenter and Addison Rae have release the most perfect pop songs. Sabrina is giving us sugar coated mellow drama while Addison is channeling Lana Del Rey and Britney Spears on “Diet Pepsi.” 

 

We’re exploring how Charli XCX’s latest album brat became a cultural phenomenon that reached all the way to the presidential election. We first look at how brat serves as a reflection of the current state of culture and society – the rise of indie sleaze and club culture, the reaction to Barbie summer (hello brat summer), the rebellion of what it means to be a 30 year old in today’s society. After diving into the cultural significance of the album itself, we dissect the branding of brat that propelled the message into mainstream culture. From the “brat wall” in New York City, to the text that instantly became a meme, to the aptly timed “Apple” + coconut tree mashup. Brat is a moment that will live on forever in pop culture history, and you just had to be there. 

 

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Sources for How Charli xcx’s Brat Became A Cultural Phenomenon

Rolling Stone – Charli XCX: The Anatomy Of A (3-D) Female Pop Star (Rolling Stone UK, Hanna Ewens)

 

Charli XCX Will Turn Brat Summer Into Brat Fall (Vulture/New Yorker, Brock Colyor, August 2024)

 

The Guardian – Charli XCX: ‘Labels are desperate for artists to be liked, otherwise you’re bad, evil and wrong’ (The Guardian, Kate Mossman, June 2024)

 

How Charli XCX’s Brat Leveraged Cultural Capital and Exclusivity to Create the Summer’s Biggest Campaign (Brave Agency (blog), Nathan Evans)

 

Charli XCX’s Brat campaign should turn you all green with envy (The Drum, Ed Lloyd, July 2024) 

 

How Charli XCX Made “Brat Green” the Loudest Color of the Year (Architectural Digest, Sydney Gore, July 2024)

 

How Brat Green Killed Barbie Pink (New York Times) 

 

The Business of Brat (Vogue Business, Lucy Maguire, July, 2024)

 

What Brands Should Learn form Charli XCX (Substack, Sota, June 2024)

 

Brat summer: is the long era of clean living finally over? (The Guardian, Zoe Williams, July 16 2024)

 

Charli xcx: from slow burn pop star to ‘brat’ US election influencer (The Guardian, Nadia Khomami and Lanre Bakare, July 26 2024)

 

What Is Brat Aesthetic and Why Is It Trending? Experts Explain the Anti-Fashion Style (Teen Vogue, BY MAYRA PERALTA, July 2024)