Charli's Weird Pop Reinvention

In the six-year “break” between Charli XCX’s Sucker and Charli (out September 13th), she put out mixtapes, an EP, and six solo releases — and teamed up with Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes, and Camila Cabello. Now, Charli’s back from her working vacation and getting serious(-ish). “It’s fun to write songs about cars,” she says of Charli. “But I began to analyze my emotional state.” Here’s how she got it done.

- Brittany Spanos

Let It Get Weird

In 2014, Charli’s career blew up, set off by a trio of pop hits: “Fancy” with Iggy Azalea, solo single “Boom Clap,” and omnipresent Icona Pop collaboration “I Love It.” “But did it” — “it” meaning “global success” — ”make me feel fulfilled artistically?” Charli asks. “No.” So for her third album, she stopped worrying and embraced the odd. On dissonantly Auto-Tuned songs like “Click” and “Next Level Charli,” she leans into the organized electronic chaos introduced on mixtape