She played four 'Music, Fashion, Film' songs for 'Live At The BBC'
Charli XCX has filmed a stripped back performance at Maida Vale and discussed the inspiration behind her track ‘2007’.
The singer’s latest session and accompanying interview were recorded inside the famous London studios. The complete programme will become available through iPlayer at midday BST today, Wednesday, August 5.
Created for BBC Music, the performance includes four tracks from her newest album, ‘Music, Fashion, Film’. Charli played ‘I’m Afraid’, ‘SS26’, ‘Wink Wink’ and ‘No One Lasts Forever’.
Alongside the live performances, Charli joined Radio 1 presenter Jack Saunders to talk about the album and several individual songs. “This album is about process and my love for making things, the joy that comes with that, sometimes the difficulty that comes with that,” she explained.
Discussing ‘2007’, Charli told Saunders: “The song itself is about making TikToks, because it’s like everyone can be a star from their bedroom, which is sort of what I talk about in the song and I think that’s fabulous!
“Like it’s so Warholian in a way. You know everybody can kind of have this moment where they blow up on TikTok because they’ve done a cool dance or a really aesthetically pleasing video or whatever it may be, and I think that’s really fun and creative.”
Turning to her latest single ‘Wink Wink’, Charli said: “I think it’s actually about romantic relationships and, in the past, having maybe been a bit misunderstood by previous partners and having felt the pressure of wanting to become what they wanted me to be.”
She explained that her husband, The 1975 drummer George Daniel, “gets it and he gets me”. Charli described her marriage to Daniel as “a different thing” from her earlier romantic experiences.
“So this song, in a way, is kind of me talking to my previous partners being like, ‘Yeah, sure. I’m this perfect person now, wink wink’,” the singer continued. “Whereas in reality, who is perfect, you know? No one.”
During another part of the conversation, Charli said the opening song ‘Rock Music’ was “about that joy of getting to have fun making things with your friends”.
She continued: “Obviously I know there are some people who really think I’m just constantly living in an eye roll and being ironic all of the time, and I’m more than happy for people to feel that way.
“But actually [with] this song, it’s obviously like fun and funny, and there are funny elements about it, but when we were making it we were really connecting with each other, and actually the silliness in the song doesn’t necessarily mean that the song is not serious or real.”
NME gave ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ four stars and noted that Charli’s “mincing delivery on the chorus of ‘2007’ lends the song a self-aware preciousness”. The review concluded: “‘Music, Fashion, Film’ can feel fragmentary and fleeting, distracted by its imagined, hyper-contemporary audience. But its celebration of art – and its capacity to let you transcend your bounds for something new – feels urgent and timeless.”
All four performances from Maida Vale will also arrive on BBC Music’s YouTube channel at 11am BST. Charli XCX: Live At The BBC can be heard here.
Charli completed the recording shortly before Fontaines D.C. delivered the BBC’s final session at Maida Vale.
Last week, the singer presented her first complete headline concert of the ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ era during Lollapalooza in Chicago. She also appeared with Lorde for a joint performance of ‘Girl, So Confusing’.
Charli will make her first headline appearance at Reading & Leeds later this month. A North American arena tour with Underscores will follow in September, with remaining tickets available here.
In other developments, Charli has “begrudgingly” issued the ‘B-sides Edition’ of ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ through iTunes and released a companion film for the standard album. She has also named her five favourite Charli XCX songs, including the “ultimate party song” and another track that leaves her feeling “very sentimental”.
