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Charli XCX won five Brit Awards this year, taking home best artist, album and song of the year. Her victory lap is a testament to authentic pop music and reflects Brat’s meteoric rise to mainstream success in 2024.
The musician and artist Charli XCX has swept up the accolades at this year’s Brit Awards, taking home five trophies including best artist, album and song of the year for ‘Guess.’
While accepting her awards, Charli said on stage: ‘this is cool, I’m really happy that a song about underwear now has a Brit award, very important stuff.’ She thanked Billie Eilish for her guest vocals and highlighted the need for late-night dance music and club culture.
During her acceptance speech for her last award of the night, Charli said she had always felt like an ‘outsider’ until the cultural embrace of ‘Brat’ shot her to the top of the music industry. The record is her sixth studio album.
‘Culture caught up with us and wanted to be on the journey,’ she said. ‘I am living proof that it takes a long time – but you don’t need to compromise your vision.’
‘Brat’ was a huge commercial and critical success, impressing reviewers immediately upon release and resonating with both Gen Zers and younger millennials. The album’s aesthetic – a neon green block colour with a simple arial ‘brat’ slapped on top – became an iconic staple of festivals, memes and even political movements in 2024.
The album represented more than the sum of its parts, connecting with a diverse array of people from varying backgrounds. It was undoubtedly the album of the summer in a year full of high-end, memorable releases; as well as some flops, of course, but let’s not go there.
Other artists took home accolades at the Brit Awards. Ezra Collective, Sam Fender, Stormzy, The Last Dinner Party, Chappell Roan and Fontaines DC were all big winners. Jack Whitehall was hosting and a special tribute was made to Liam Payne, who died in Argentina last year aged only 31.
‘Brat’s’ huge appeal and mainstream acceptance is all the more impressive considering that Charli XCX did not compromise on her musical palette or aesthetic. Her blend of hyper-pop, electric dance and house had been evolving over her last few projects, all of which reviewed well but struggled to break out from her fanbase.
This time around, however, the unapologetically confident and energetic vibe of the LP struck a chord immediately. Amidst a summer of election campaigns and spirally living costs, ‘Brat’ served as a perfect escape, a shot of adrenaline that was authentic while still being creative and fun.
