She's a pop superstar in waiting - but she doesn't want to be famous, refuses to play industry games and isn't afraid to speak her mind. Chris Schulz encounters Charli XCX ahead of her free New Zealand show.
The Wikipedia page for Charli XCX has a story on it that's so amazing it can't possibly be real. It suggests that, at age 14, Charlotte Aitchison's parents would drive the budding pop star to dodgy parts of London to illegal raves, watch her perform, then take her home again.
"Yes - it's true," laughs Aitchison down the phone from Antwerp, where she's just opened for Katy Perry in the 23,000-capacity stadium, Sportpaleis.
"We used to hang out at raves together. They would always get offered drugs."
It's the kind of bizarre backstory that can come only from Charli XCX, the British singer-songwriter who started off writing songs for other acts but is now a recognisable pop star in her own right.
That's thanks to feisty chart juggernauts like Boom Clap, Doing It, and Fancy, her YouTube-conquering collaboration with Iggy Azalea that has topped 500 million views - all of which she'll be playing when she performs a free iHeartRadio show in Auckland on May 5 (for full tour info, scroll to the bottom of this story).
At the ripe old age of 22, Aitchison is at the cusp of pop superstardom - but she's doing things differently to her peers, with a no-holds-barred attitude. Talking to TimeOut ahead of her free show here in May, there were no pre-interview demands, no topics off limit. It made for a fascinating conversation. She was frank about the state of pop, saying there is "no one interesting" making music for the charts. She detailed the reasons why writing a hit for another artist left her "hating pop music".
And she talks about the anger that influenced Sucker, her aggressive second album that opens with the chorus: "Dear God, I'm a killer now ... F*** you, sucker."
When did things start going mental for you? Was it the success of Boom Clap, or Fancy?
Even at the start of my career, it's always been out of control. I've always been very volatile and a crazy person about my career and about what I want. I'm never happy and never satisfied. The success of Boom Clap and Fancy probably pushed everything into that level where people care about me coming out of a club wasted.
Do you have to be careful about paparazzi attention now?
It's a really new thing for me. The only reason I worry is I don't want to upset my family. I don't feel the need to filter myself. Me coming out of the club drunk is so boring compared to some of the things I have to say about the music industry. That's just the culture we live in. People pick and choose what they focus on.
Do you want to have a lengthy career like someone like Madonna?
I don't really care about that kind of thing. I just want people to remember what I've done, and how I affected pop music. I don't necessarily want to be famous, I don't really care if people like my music, I just want to make the music I want to make, and luckily I'm in a position right now where it gets played on the radio.
Pop music could die before I put my next album out. I'm totally conscious of that. I'm very selfish when it comes to making music - I'll always make the music I want to make. If it leads to me becoming successful like that, globally, it's cool. I think it would be very interesting to me, and very annoying to others.
Is there someone in pop you look up to and admire for the way they've done things?
Honestly? No. I don't mean for that to sound cocky or arrogant - there's no one that interesting that I want to replicate everything they do. When I was younger I really looked up to Britney Spears and the Spice Girls. I still think they make incredible music and have incredible fashion. Idols freak me out. I've always just want to do my own thing and be my own inspiration. That sounds like something Kanye would say (laughs).
In the past you've sounded a little reluctant to be a pop star. Are you more accepting of it now?
I'm not reluctant to do it, I'm just never going to be what people think a pop star is. Right now, in 2015, a stereotypical pop star is someone who smiles when they're told to, and says the right thing at the right time. There are definitely people who break the mould, like Rihanna and Lorde, (but) I'm not a cookie-cutter pop star. It will be on my own terms. I'll definitely make mistakes.
Sucker sounds like it was a difficult second album to make? Was that the case?
It was difficult initially because I hated pop music when I started making it. I'd had the experience of seeing a song blow up internationally, with (Icona Pop's) I Love It, and then was kicked out of the process. After I got past that, I was ready to be aggressive and voice my anger, and that actually led to making the album really easy to write and it flowed very quickly.
Is it true you recorded an entire album of punk songs before Sucker?
It wasn't a full album, just an EP. It was just me screaming, rolling around on the floor on the studio in Sweden. I might play some of those live when I come over.
What was it that had made you so angry?
With Icona Pop, that was their first song that people cared about on an international level. I was an integral part of writing that, along with (Swedish producers) Patrick Berger and Style of Eye, and we wanted to write more - we wanted to do the record. Everyone just kicked us out. It's difficult because Icona Pop are artists, they write their own songs - they're good songwriters.
But they had this song that was written by someone else that blew up. That's difficult for a record label ... They just pushed us out, which was really annoying. That sucked.
Meanwhile, I was getting asked by everybody else under the sun to replicate that song for a different artist. That's a really uncreative process. It makes you feel like you're in a factory. That's not really how it works. I could never write another song like I Love it. It happens spontaneously. I got in this negative, hopeless mood about pop music. Luckily I pulled myself out. Thank God.
Has what happened with Icona Pop put you off writing songs for other people?
No. That was right in the beginning. I wrote that in 2011. I didn't really know anyone. Now I have so many friends that are songwriters and producers and I love working with them. I always want to write, whether its for myself or other people, it's just something that I love to do.
What will your show in New Zealand be like?
I'm going to make it super-camp and super-poptastic. It's going to be very pink and sparkly and fantastical. I've never, ever been to New Zealand so I've got no idea what to expect or what the crowd will be like, but I'm definitely going to put on a show that will make everyone sweat.
Who: Soon-to-be pop queen Charli XCX Where and when: Performing for free on May 5 at the Powerstation, thanks to iHeartRadio and 2degrees. To win tickets, register at iHeartRadio.co.nz Also: Latest album, Sucker, out now
