Charli XCX klar för Way Out West

Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, Charli XCX began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. She signed a recording contract with Asylum Records in 2010, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012. She later featured on "I Love It" with Swedish duo Icona Pop, with the song becoming her first number-one in the UK and receiving global success. Her debut studio album, True Romance (2013), was released to positive reviews but failed to meet commercial expectations. In 2014, Charli XCX featured on Iggy Azalea's single "Fancy", which became one of the year's best-selling singles worldwide and received nominations for two Grammy Awards. The same year, she released "Boom Clap", which became her first solo top-ten single in the U.S. Her second studio album, the punk-influenced Sucker (2014), spawned the singles "Break the Rules" and "Doing It". She began working alongside producers associated with the UK collective PC Music in 2015, developing a more experimental sound and image. She released the EP Vroom Vroom (2016) and the mixtapes Number 1 Angel and Pop 2 (both 2017). Her third studio album, Charli (2019), produced the hit single "1999". Her fourth studio album, How I'm Feeling Now (2020), was made entirely during the COVID-19 lockdowns and received critical acclaim. Charli XCX's fifth studio album, Crash (2022), became her first number-one album in the UK and Australia. She contributed the single "Speed Drive" as part of the soundtrack of the 2023 film Barbie. She then released her sixth studio album, Brat (2024), to mass critical acclaim and wide media coverage. It was her second UK number-one album, producing the singles "360" and "Apple" with the latter reaching the top-ten in the UK. The accompanying remix album had "Guess" featuring Billie Eilish, which became her first number-one hit as a lead artist on the UK Singles Chart. Brat and its songs earned her seven Grammy Award nominations at the 67th annual ceremony, including Album of the Year. In addition to her solo work, Charli XCX has co-written songs for other artists, including Iggy Azalea's "Beg for It" (2014), Selena Gomez's "Same Old Love" (2015), Blondie's "Tonight" (2017), the Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello collaboration "Señorita" (2019), and the Sigala and Rita Ora collaboration "You for Me" (2021). She was awarded the ASCAP Global Impact Award in 2024 in recognition of her contributions to pop music, as well as being on 2024 Gold House's most impactful Asian A100 list, making her the first South Asian woman of British Indian origin to be honoured.