Charli xcx‘s 2024 Brat album changed her trajectory as an artist — but with it came a lot of new eyeballs on her at all times.
And that was one of the main points of inspiration for creating The Moment, the British dance-pop star’s mockumentary that premiered on Jan. 30. The chaotic, Aidan Zamiri-directed film takes an exaggerated look at Charli’s fame-boosting Brat era, with the singer/songwriter telling Billboard in a video interview posted Monday (Feb. 2) that she was inspired by the “transition” she experienced in real life.
“I’d been this relatively niche artist, and then had suddenly been opened up to this huge new audience, some of whom really connected with me, some of whom only connected with aspects of me, some of whom liked me, but didn’t really get me,” Charli explained on a Zoom interview with Zamiri. “How much you’re under scrutiny, in the spotlight, being listened to, watched, is a really interesting thing. It made me so acutely aware of how hard that transition can be.”
The original Brat dropped in June 2024, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 — easily Charli’s highest peak to date — and earning the star her first three Grammys. She kept the momentum going with the release of a Brat remix album featuring a long list of famous collaborators in October that year, as well as her Brat Tour that ran through August 2025.
Since then, Charli has been clear that Brat is in her past, emphasizing that she’s more focused on her acting and soundtrack projects. (In a couple of weeks, she’ll drop her Wuthering Heights companion album for Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation of the iconic Charlotte Bronte novel.)
“Nothing lasts forever — and no one lasts forever,” Charli told Billboard of why she took ending the Brat era into her own hands. “I think I’ve alway’s known that. It’s cooler to just leave it all behind.”
That’s not to say she didn’t enjoy recreating the nonstop club vibes for The Moment, which she and Zamiri filmed over the course of 29 days. “Every single weekend, we would just go out and party,” Charli revealed of how they kept the energy up on set. “Sometimes Aidan would just blast The Prodigy whilst they were setting up a shot.”
Watch Charli and Zamiri’s full interview with Billboard above.
