“It's so confusing sometimes to be a girl," sings Charli XCX on her latest album, Brat. The vulnerable lyrics, existential questions and honest exploration of the complexity and contradictions of womanhood has turned Brat into much more than a collection of music. For millennials and Gen Z, it reflects a highly relatable way of life.
Brat is, in the words of Charli XCX, a girl who "has a breakdown, but kind of like parties through it", who is honest, blunt, "a little bit volatile". In recent weeks, brat has become a mainstream phenomenon. In the same week that my grandmother told me one of her friends was “giving brat”, Charli tweeted “Kamala IS brat” and the democratic presidential nominee rebranded her X profile.
Charli isn't the only pop girl ditching the bland approach. The likes of Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter aren’t your typical perfectly polished and carefully manicured pop stars: they’re messy and candid artists that wear their heart on their sleeve. Both have been dominating the charts this summer.
They all stand out because they share a certain perspective on life. They appear honest and authentic, with opinions and life experience. There are only so many times you can bop to songs with slick beats and meaningless mantras about girl power.
Eventually you crave something more, and that’s what this new wave of pop girl is offering. In Brat, Charli candidly explores what it’s like transitioning into your thirties. In her truth-telling hit Von D.