Charli xcx admits a musician turning to acting is “inherently cringe”.
The Boom Clap hitmaker has done just that with a slate of film roles, including the drama Erupcja, and while she’s very aware it’s cliche, she has genuinely enjoyed being a student of the art form.
Speaking in conversation for the film in London this week, she said: “Especially in my position, being a musician who wants to act, that’s inherently cringe anyway.
It’s all cringe, I’m very aware of that. Also, I am very new to this and wanted to sit back and learn and only really throw suggestion into the ring when I felt very, very passionate about it, or like it was going to be additive in some conversational way.”
Never one to conform to the norm, Charli, who co-wrote the script, got to work in a non-conventional way on the flick.
She explained: “Getting together, writing every single day, and then immediately shooting what we had written, was so immersive.
“It almost felt like theatre in a way. It was very spontaneous, and very inspiring. I just hope that this film encourages other people who are actively making films already to perhaps consider working this way. People who are aspiring filmmakers to go out, grab a camera, and work with their friends in this way.”
As well as writing the soundtrack album for Wuthering Heights and her Brat mocumentary The Moment, her other upcoming film roles include I Want Your Sex, The Gallerist, and Faces of Death.
The prolific star is also gearing up to release the Brat follow-up Music, Fashion, Film on July 24.
The album artwork, shot by longtime collaborator Aidan Zamiri, features a trio of heavy-hitters: Velvet Underground legend John Cale, fashion icon Marc Jacobs, and filmmaker Martin Scorsese, signalling Charli’s intention to blur the lines between pop, style and cinema.
Her new material has already stirred conversation. On the glitch-driven Rock Music, Charli declares: “I think the dancefloor is dead,” a line that instantly split listeners. Meanwhile, SS26 sees her leaning into apocalyptic fashion satire, singing: “Spring Summer 26 / When the world is gonna end no hope for any of it / Yeah we’re walking on a runway that goes straight to hell / Nothing’s gonna save us not music fashion or film.”
She also appears to poke fun at celebrity PR culture, dropping lines about “being hacked,” “context,” and crafting the perfect Notes App apology.
Responding to the intense discourse, Charli compared the reaction to the early days of PC Music and her 2016 Vroom Vroom EP.
She wrote: “Seeing all the different reactions to my song ‘Rock Music’ has been really interesting… it reminds us of the initial discourse around pc music.”
She added that she loves when art sparks conversation, saying things can be “funny, earnest, sincere and joyful all at the same time.”
But the biggest twist came when Madonna appeared to enter the chat.
After Charli’s “dancefloor is dead” lyric went viral, the Queen of Pop posted a series of disco-themed images on Instagram with a caption many fans saw as a direct clapback:
“If your Dance Floor feels dead Maybe you’re playing the wrong music.”
The timing was unmistakable – Madonna is gearing up to release Confessions II in July, the long-awaited sequel to her 2005 dance classic Confessions on a Dance Floor, once again teaming with producer Stuart Price.
