Lorde says Charli XCX influenced her upcoming album: "'BRAT' coming out really gave me a kick in a lot of ways"
Lorde has opened up about Charli XCX's influence on her new album, particularly with the release of 'BRAT'
Lorde has spoken about how collaborating with Charli XCX influenced her upcoming album, âVirginâ.
The New Zealand singer will drop her highly-anticipated record on June 27 via Republic, where it will be her latest album since 2021âs âSolar Powerâ. So far, Lorde has shared the nostalgic lead single âWhat Was Thatâ in April.
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Now, Lorde has opened up about her surprise remix collaboration with Charli XCX on her song âGirl, so confusingâ, telling BBC Radio 1âs Jack Saunders that the song did inspire âVirginâ.
ââBRATâ coming out really gave me a kick in a lot of ways,â she told Saunders. âIt forced me to further define what I was doing because Charli had so masterfully defined everything about âBRATâ and I knew that what I was doing was very distinct to that.
âWhen a peer throws the gauntlet down like that, youâre like âOK, yeah, weâve gotta pick it upâ. Iâve spoken to a lot of peers whoâve all had the same feelings. Itâs very sick and Iâm so grateful to her.â
Lorde went on to say that she had been writing âin this very naked wayâ, and the âGirl, so confusingâ remix encouraged her to continue in this direction. ââBRATâ came out and she was doing that from the other side of the coin almost and doing the remix together and meeting her in that place of rugged vulnerability and cracking open the thing,â she said. âPeople responded really well to that â I was like âOK, cool, this is a good thing to be doingâ.â
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The âGirl, so confusingâ remix first came around when Charli admitted Lorde served as partial inspiration for the original lyrics, admitting she was âsuper jealousâ of her song âRoyalsâ and its success.
This jealousy is what inspired the songâs pre-chorus: âPeople say weâre alike / They say weâve got the same hair / We talk about making music / But I donât know if itâs honestâ.
A few weeks after the release of âBratâ, Charli unveiled a new version of the track, this time featuring Lorde. The track would feature a memorable verse from Lorde, who opened with: âWell, honestly, I was speechless / When I woke up to your voice note / You told me how youâd been feeling / Letâs work it out on the remixâ.Â
Charli would go on to say the remix was actually Lordeâs idea, recalling: âThe day before the record came out, I left her a voice note. [Lorde] replied straight away and was like, âOh, my God, I had no idea you felt this way. Iâm so sorry.â And then was like, âYou know, maybe I should be on a version of the song.â I didnât even ask her. She brought it up.
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âSo much of this rollout was planned, but sometimes it was not,â she concluded. âLordeâs remix of âGirl, so confusingâ is a perfect example. That wasnât planned. It took three days total.â
In response, Lorde called working with Charli âsuch a huge honourâ, adding: âI love that we truly did work it out on the remix. Thereâs something very brat about that, something very meta and modern. Only Charli could make that happen.â
In other news, watch Gracie Abrams cover Lordeâs âLiabilityâ in Auckland.