NEWS
Charli XCX has confirmed the official death of ‘Brat‘ summer, and revealed who she wants to take over this year.
Following its release last year, ‘Brat‘ quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon, with both the concept of ‘Brat’ summer and the record’s simple lime green artwork becoming a meme as fans worldwide embraced the album’s hedonistic aesthetic and attitude.
The album’s impact even extended beyond the pop world and worked its way into Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, sparking a wave of serious political pundits trying and failing to explain the album’s ethos.
Now, though, it appears Charli has officially declared the summer of ‘Brat’ over, and has passed the torch to a host of her peers.
Closing her Coachella weekend two set on Saturday (April 19), Charli played her Icona Pop collaboration, ‘I Love It’, as the giant screen behind her on stage showed the text: “maybe it’s time for a different kind of summer?,” before listing the artists and directors primed to take over this year.
The list consisted of acts with recently released projects or new releases on the horizon, including Lorde, Addison Rae, PinkPantheress, Haim, Pulp, Aidan Zamari, Yung Lean, Ethel Cain, David Cronenberg, Kali Uchis, Perfume Genius, Sean Price Williams, Rosalía and Ari Aster.
Also on the list were Kogonada, Caroline Polachek, Paul Thomas Anderson, Joachim Trier, These New Puritans, Hailey Benton Gates, Turnstile, A$AP Rocky, Darren Aronofsky, Blood Orange, Bon Iver and Celine Song.
As images of the set have begun circulating on the internet, Charli has been sharing them on her Instagram story, seemingly confirming her passing of the torch.
Elsewhere in her weekend two performance, she enlisted Addison Rae for a live rendition of their ‘Von Dutch’ remix.
The singer’s set the previous week saw her joined by a handful of the artists featured on the ‘Brat‘ remix album, ‘Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat‘, with Lorde, Troye Sivan, and Billie Eilish surprising the audience.
She concluded that show with further cryptic messaging on the giant screen above the stage, reading: “Thank you so much Coachella. Does this mean that brat summer is finally over????? … Idk? … Maybe? … yeah cuz duh it was already over like last year. … wait… was it? … NO???… I don’t know who I am if it’s over??? FUCKKKKK…. Wait… I remembered…I’m Charli XCX… and honestly… I just want this moment to last forever…”
As the lights went down, the screen flashed: “PLEASE DON’T LET IT BE OVER.”
In a four-star review of ‘Brat’, NME wrote: “It all paints a picture of who XCX is in 2024. Growing pains, grief and aching doubts come alongside self-confidence, celebration and the knowledge of the place XCX holds in the musical landscape – indeed, she kicks off ‘360’ with the knowing: “I went my own way and I made it / I’m your favourite reference baby”.
“With ‘Brat’, XCX demonstrates that going her own way will always sound pretty good.”
Perry Farrell has released another public apology following an on-stage confrontation involving his bandmate Dave Navarro.
The Jane's Addiction frontman was involved in a physical altercation with guitarist Dave Navarro last year during a live performance, an incident that prompted the band to cancel their reunion tour and eventually led to their split.
“I'd like to address what happened on stage last year,” Perry, 66, said in a statement shared across both his personal Instagram account and Jane's Addiction’s official page. “I've reflected on it and know I didn't handle myself the way I should have. I apologize to our patrons and my bandmates for losing my temper and for disrupting the show.”
He went on to admit that he did not meet fan expectations and described himself as deeply remorseful toward everyone impacted by the incident.
“Jane's Addiction has been at the center of my life for decades. The band, the songs, the patrons, and the impact that we've had on music and culture mean more to me than any words I could ever possibly write down,” he shared.
“My aim has always been to give our audience the best possible show, something real, honest and positive. In Boston, we fell short of that, and I'm truly sorry to everyone who was impacted.”
Jane's Addiction also issued its own statement regarding the altercation, which ultimately led to the group’s remaining members filing a lawsuit against Perry alleging assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract.
“Today we are here to announce that we have come together one last time to resolve our differences, so that the legacy of Jane's Addiction will remain the work the four of us created together,” the band wrote, signaling that the group would not move forward with Perry. “We now look forward to the future as we embark on our separate musical and creative endeavors.”
