Committed to Preventing the Failure of Democracy

Charli XCX has recently addressed her viral three-word tweet that played a notable role in boosting Vice President Kamala Harris’s highly successful presidential campaign.

On July 21, shortly after President Joe Biden decided to step down from his re-election bid and endorsed Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party nominee, Charli XCX, born Charlotte Emma Aitchison, expressed her support with a straightforward tweet: “kamala IS Brat.”

The Harris campaign quickly leveraged the pop star’s endorsement, sharing a screenshot of the tweet on TikTok. They even created their version of Charli’s lime-green “brat” album cover, integrating it into their campaign messaging.

In a recent interview with Vulture, Charli explained that her tweet was intended as a positive and lighthearted remark rather than a direct political endorsement. Nonetheless, she acknowledged the weight of her words, noting the importance of standing on the right side of democracy and women’s rights. “I’m happy to help to prevent democracy from failing forever,” she added.

Charli humorously admitted, “I obviously knew what I was doing. Did I think me talking about being a messy b**** and, like, partying and needing a Bic lighter and a pack of Marlboro Lights would end up on CNN? No.”

The term “brat,” popularized by Charli, has been a point of discussion among news programs, including CNN, as they attempt to unpack the meaning behind this Gen Z slang. Essentially, “brat” refers to an icon known for embracing authenticity and confidence.

Despite her inadvertent role in energizing the 2024 presidential election among younger voters, Charli XCX clarified her stance, stating that she is not a political artist. “I’m not Bob Dylan, and I’ve never pretended to be,” she explained. “My music is not political. Everything I do in my life feeds back into my art. Politics doesn’t feed my art.”

In a broader discussion, Charli also addressed the inspiration behind her song, “Sympathy is a Knife,” which many believe to be about Taylor Swift. She remarked, “People are gonna think what they want to think. That song is about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives when I feel insecure. It’s about how I don’t want to be in those situations physically when I feel self-doubt.”

The two artists have recently been competing on the music charts. Swift, with new UK-only editions of her latest album, The Tortured Poets’ Department, just managed to edge out Charli’s album, brat, for the top spot on the UK charts.

Taylor Swift had kind words for Charli, praising her “surreal and inventive” songwriting. In her conversation with the Vulture journalist, Swift said, “I’ve been blown away by Charli’s melodic sensibilities since I first heard ‘Stay Away’ in 2011. She just takes a song to places you wouldn’t expect it to go, and she’s been doing it consistently for over a decade. I love to see hard work like that pay off.”

Source: Vulture, Getty Images