This year has been so Brat. As well as topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, dominating and claiming ownership of anything lime green, Charli XCX’s sixth album has also given the Collins English Dictionary its word of the year. "More than a hugely successful album, Brat is a cultural phenomenon that has resonated with people globally and Brat Summer established itself as an aesthetic and a way of life," said lexicographers, who went on to define Brat as something “characterised by a confident, independent and hedonistic attitude.
” It’s hard to think of another album that moved out of the charts and created a pop culture movement in this way. Released in June, Brat features 15 urgent, celebratory dance tracks. With garish, neon green artwork featuring blurry text and a no-nonsense attitude to pretty much everything, it’s an unapologetically brash record.
The glitching Apple inspired a viral dance routine on TikTok, anything green was shared on social media as “Brat-coded” and Charli was recently nominated for seven Grammys, more than any other British artist this year. It's an undeniable party record that’s big on community and, leaning into the unpredictability of a great night out, remix album Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat followed in October. Billie Eilish turned Guess into even more of queer anthem, Lorde and Charli tried to work out the complexities of female friendship on the remix while Ariana Grande got vulnerable .
