Charli XCX is owning 2024 like no other. After releasing a hit album kidshe launched the viral phenomenon of the year: “Brat Summer,” a trend that dominated online culture. Her huge success even landed her a hosting contract on the show Saturday night live on November 16, introducing her to an even wider audience.
And just when you think she can’t get over it, Charli pulls off a surprise that will stop the audience in their tracks. On November 18, she lit up Times Square in New York with an unannounced performance – sending the Internet and lucky audience members into a frenzy.
Her performance included several Brat songs, including “360”, “365” and “Guess”, attracting large audiences.
While her recent performance at SNL of course limited in how many fans could come, her Times Square performance allowed for a much larger audience.
We’re witnessing a fascinating new phenomenon: how a meme like “Brat” can catapult someone into mainstream stardom, further erasing the boundaries between the digital and real worlds. .
On the surface, Charli XCX’s music doesn’t fit the flashy pop style of artists like Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter. While their work fits squarely into conventional ideas of pop music, Charli draws heavily from underground clubs, shaped by her connection to the experimental PC Music collective and the future.
Viral memes and posts about “Brat” didn’t just increase her visibility — they also served as a crash course for audiences unfamiliar with her sound. By framing her music through the lens of a larger cultural movement, they gave listeners a way to connect with her albums on a level beyond the songs themselves.
Her performance in Times Square can be seen as an amalgamation of this movement as she went from being a relatively “underground” musician to performing a large-scale concert in one of the largest cities in the world. The most famous street in the world.
Her Internet stardom and real-life fame converged in a moment that shook New York and the online world, helping fuel the “Brat” movement.
Tags Charli XCX, Music