The iconic pop album, "brat", which has been added to Charli XCX's long list of iconic discography has become one of the most successful releases of 2024 alongside her highly anticipated "sweat" world tour. Although the singer has consistently delivered iconic pop hits, her 2024 body of work is dominating the charts and marking headline, but what sets "brat" apart from the other widely popular albums?
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With a myriad of artists from the industry releasing new music towards the end of 2023 and throughout 2024, such as Taylor Swift with her album "The Tortured Poets Department", Sabrina Carpenter's "Short n' Sweet", Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter," Post Malone's "F-1 Trillion", and more, "brat" seems to be dominating across all streaming platforms, charts, and social media.
The blended modern yet nostalgic energy of her studio album provided not only a distinctive stream of disco-pop hits but secured its place amongst pop culture for its everlasting influence. Longtime & newcomer fans were drawn into the world of "brat" where the energy of authenticity, confidence, and perseverance reign. Charli has successfully transformed the album into not only a story but a feeling where all were welcome to join "brat summer".
The brilliance behind this campaign rollout coupled up with the addictive blend of nostalgic sounds of the dance space and its mature feel is exactly what music lovers have been waiting for. The revival of the early 2000s club scene has since dissipated but Charli has since brought the long lost feeling into today's party scene.
So why was "brat" so successful?
In addition to her ode towards early music industry nostalgia, such as stepping back into the massive success of the early 2000s nightlife scene, Charli has created a specific & original aura from her new drop. Not only is the pop singer channeling her previous eras but she's embodying the originality emitted from this new body of work and prompting her fans to follow suit. This free-feeling and awe-inspiring emotion has successfully empowered others to personify the feeling of "brat summer" where they're pushed to encapsulate their most confident selves.
Although the album was up against major names in the music industry, such as Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande, the promotion of this release weighed heavily on reminiscent and unparalleled energy rather than coupling with brands and relying solely on keeping her name top of mind.
Just Jared | JJ Staff
One of the biggest pieces of advertising to promote its release was through a massive painting that solely included the color and album name. This New York City-based project not only utilized this billboard-sized teaser, but updated the wall with each extended edition as new additions to "brat" were being announced. The purposeful placement of an off-putting green color with lowercase lettering of the album name set itself apart from the intricate designs and artistry behind other musician's albums where the simple yet loud cover was distinct amongst the others. Similar to the feeling of "brat", standing out amongst the norm and amongst the many others is its true purpose.
Due to the unique quality of the album cover, it became a staple piece of marketing for the incoming body of work where the specific color and simple lettering would automatically be associated with her new release.
Not only has each track received critical appraisal and massive success on social media, such as TikTok but her album continues to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and increasing in streams daily.
Despite the album being an entirely solo body of work, Charli released alternative versions of a handful of tracks with collaboration between Addison Rae, Billie Eillish, and Lorde. The initial release of the original album was set for June 7th with a quick teaser of more unreleased songs on its way for its second installment, "Brat and it's the same but there's three more songs so it's not". This surprise announcement kept her fans on their toes as they were ready for more from the hit singer.
The follow up release of "Talk talk" feat. Troye Sivan followed shortly after and Charli's upcoming body of work "Brat and it's completely different but also still brat" is on its way, with a release date of October 11th.
Rolling Stone | Sage Anderson | Katja Ogrin | Redferns
This upcoming edition includes brand new singles and collaborations with Robyn, Yung Lean, and G Cook. With a campaign run time of almost a year and securing the top of the charts all summer long, Charli XCX has successfully turned the world brat.
Her first few live performances were two DJ sets in both Ibiza and New York City. These marked the first taste of what's to come for her massive tour as she channelled the renowned club scene from years prior. Her first live appearances are promising as she begins to embark on the "sweat" tour with Troye Sivan and maintain the title of one of the most long awaited performances of 2024 & 2025.
It doesn't end here with her track list as the accompanying music video for "Guess" feat. Billie Eilish, "Von Dutch", and "360" all surpassed viral status on social media and peaked on Youtube's trending chart. The singer included well-known pop culture & media stars, including Julia Fox, Emma Chamberlain, Quenlin Blackwell, Hari Nef, and more. Charli relies heavily on uplifting others through female empowerment, individuality, and pure fun.
The power that "brat summer" and the entire campaign holds has forever made its imprint on pop culture history and has shifted the pop-dance space indefinitely.
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