Charli XCX turns 32: Lorde, Glen Powell, Billie Eilish celebrate the Brat’s birthday

Charli XCX dances with Billie Eilish to their song Guess; Lorde sings and dance to the Girl, so confusing remix with the UK singer during her 32nd birthday party. Photos / TikTok @much / Instagram @lukasgage

Kiwi songstress Lorde joined several celebs in attending Charli XCX’s birthday bash, and any concerns over the pair’s suspected ‘feud’ have washed away with a video showing the pair dancing and hugging it out to their hit remix.

British singer Charli XCX is celebrating her 32nd birthday in style, embracing the craze of “Brat summer” as huge stars turned out for an on-brand rave with the Essex-born pop star on Saturday night.

The 360 singer held celebrations in Los Angeles on August 3, the day after her 32nd birthday on August 2, arriving at the party in a white cut T-shirt and charcoal micro-shorts, donning leather boots, a black bag and sunglasses to complete the look.

Charli XCX, whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison, has been in the music business for some time, having released hits such as I Love It, Boom Clap, and Boys.

However, her latest studio album, Brat, released in June, became an overnight sensation with its distinct neon-green cover and catchy and experimental pop songs.

While the word “brat” may come off as offensive, the star explained on TikTok that brat is “that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and like maybe says some like dumb things sometimes, who like feels herself but then also like maybe has a breakdown ... It’s brat, you’re brat, that’s brat.”

This sparked an online trend dubbed “brat girl summer” that has gained traction within Gen Z and millennial circles, and everyone from Kamala Harris to Billie Eilish has been getting on board, bringing unprecedented hype to Charli XCX’s new music.

Essex-born singer Charli XCX celebrated her 32nd birthday in Los Angeles over the weekend. Photo / Getty Images

Joining the pop star at her party included New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, actor Glen Powell, and Grammy winner Nelly Furtado.

The Queen’s Gambit actress Anya Taylor-Joy, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore’s daughters Scout and Tallulah Willis, social media influencer Addison Rae, and The White Lotus actor Lukas Gage were also among the stars in attendance.

New Zealand’s most prolific songstress, Lorde, arrived in a similar smart-casual outfit. Wearing a black bandeau top, a white skirt and leather shoes, the Perfect Places musician (born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Conner) entered the venue in pigtails and shades, mirroring Charli XCX’s monochromatic fit.

Lorde predicted the internet would “go crazy” when she jumped on the Brat trend to remix the song Girl, so confusing. In the remix, the pair acknowledged their tumultuous friendship over the years, as fans long speculated the two pop icons were in a feud.

When Brat was released, fans turned their heads to Lorde as the inspiration for the song Girl, so confusing, pointing to lyrics like “They say we’ve got the same hair” and “You’re all about writing poems” as signs that the track was about the Kiwi singer.

girl, so confusing at charli’s bday w lorde omg pic.twitter.com/mOnB0mTArF

— se@n. (@seancellmore) August 4, 2024

However, they appeared to “work it out on the remix”, taking turns singing verses about feeling insecure and how they projected those insecurities on to each other instead of reconciling them.

It seems that being candid with each other about their feelings paid off, and the two singers were spotted happily dancing and singing along to the song during the birthday bash.

Glen Powell, the up-and-coming actor taking over Hollywood with films like Anyone But You, Twisters, and Hit Man, arrived at the celebrations in a plain black T-shirt, jeans and tan boots, nodding to his Texan heritage.

Nelly Furtado, one of the biggest artists of the Noughties, posted a video of the party on her Instagram, writing “Happy birthday @charli_xcx [kissing face emoji]”.

Lukas Kage, a 29-year-old actor who has appeared in roles in You and Euphoria, also shared a video of the two pop singers dancing to their remix on his Instagram.

Billie Eilish — who recently jumped on a remix of the song Guess from Brat’s deluxe album — was also invited, and the duo were captured dancing to the new tune in front a buzzing crowd.

@much

Charli XCX celebrated her birthday in LA and the two partied to their new collab song the “Guess” Remix🔥🎉 via seansartaccount/IG

♬ original sound - MuchMusic

Brat has enjoyed success at the charts since its release, having reached No 3 on the Billboard 200 chart (Charli XCX’s best commercial performance yet).

The cultural reaction to the Brat album has allowed Charli XCX to permeate the pop culture space, and after tweeting “Kamala IS Brat” following Joe Biden’s endorsement of the US Vice-President, Harris’ campaign took the opportunity and rebranded their HQ page on X to mimic the Brat cover design.

Since then, Brat has grown beyond being an experimental pop album, and media outlets such as CNN and MSNBC are beginning to speculate whether globally recognised musicians like Charli XCX have the cultural power to influence this year’s US presidential election.