Charli XCX “hates” the mixtape she made at the age of 14.
The singer-songwriter, real name Charlotte Aitchison, recorded her first album, 14, when she was a young teenager.
While the album kicked off her career, during an interview for Variety published on Wednesday, Charli admitted that she has no desire to listen to any of the tracks now.
“God, I hate that album so much,” she sighed. “I haven’t listened to it for a decade, at least. It was sort of transitional – there are guitar songs on that record, but also elements of me exploring dance music. Some of those songs are terrible, but I think there was a style there, a direction, that a few people caught on to.”
By posting tracks on social media sites like MySpace, Charli soon garnered traction and landed gigs at clubs – even though she was underage.
“It wasn’t until I was 14 or 15 and started going to raves that I felt inspired, performing with my iPod and a mic,” the 32-year-old recounted.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Charli reflected on the success of her sixth studio album, Brat.
While the record, which features mega-hits like Apple and 360, has trended all over the world, the star confessed that she’s not really sure if she is ready for international fame.
“I’m kind of at this crossroads, I think, in my life now, where obviously my music has… yeah, reached this new level of success, I suppose,” she mused. “A lot has changed for me with this record, and I do experience things like people taking my photo when I don’t necessarily want them to, or feeling like people in the room are watching me. Sometimes I love that feeling and sometimes I don’t, so I don’t think there’s really a cut-and-dried answer.”
