Charli XCX on the secret to global stardom: “I am hardly Bob Dylan, but I commit to the bit”

Charli XCX shared her advice to artists at the 2025 Ivor Novello Awards – see what she had to say below.

• READ MORE: Charli XCX – ‘Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat’ review: a masterpiece in the art of club music curatorship

At this year’s awards ceremony today (May 22), held at Grosvenor House in London, Charli was named Songwriter of the Year. Her album ‘Brat’, which was named NME‘s best of 2024, was praised for its global and cultural impact and reach.

While accepting the award, she shared what she believes to be her “unpopular” opinion about songwriting. “Please don’t kill me for saying this, but I have never particularly believed that the idea of ‘everything starts from a great song’ is the real idea,” she told the audience. “I’m sorry. I know that’s like, really not good for this room, but it’s just, it’s not my belief.”

She continued: “In my head, a great song alone has never actually been enough to captivate an audience, but instead, a song with a distinct identity coupled with a point of view, a potent culture surrounding it, and above all, conviction is what can catapult a songwriter from being technically good to globally renowned.”

Charli then went on to say: “As I’m sure you all agree, I am hardly Bob Dylan, but one thing I certainly do is commit to the bit.” Charli then shared examples of her “lyrical genius” including “I want to dance to me, me, me, me, me, when I go to the club, club,” from ‘Brat’ track ‘Club Classics’ and also “I’m everywhere I’m so Julia,” from ‘360’.

The singer added that while “some people might describe [the lyrics] as vapid and nonsensical,” she “would unpretentiously describe it as Warholian and reflective of the cultural brain rot of our time.”

“To me as a songwriter, but above all, as an artist. Conviction is everything,” Charli continued. “It separates the frauds from the greats, the good singers from the trendsetters. It’s Duchamp’s fountain. It’s Denniz pop, it’s David fucking Lynch. It’s an undeniable sense of style and personality, and of course, it’s embracing the idea of daring to suck, in my opinion, from writing songs with no fear and no agenda other than making something totally reflective of who you are, come the best songs. Songs that can soundtrack a night out, a summer, or possibly even define a moment in time.”

“To all the songwriters in the room, I would just say, do it for your fucking self. Make what you want to hear, not what an A&R person has requested of you. Make something for the niche and not something broad. Don’t try and be clever. Be dumb. Have fun and play your songs to your friends and, above all, don’t be afraid of yourself or of your own internal language, because it’s the thing that makes you distinctly you.”

Upon the release of ‘Brat’, Charli saw an unprecedented surge in popularity, resulting in the months-long Brat Summer, complete with her groundbreaking remix album, sold-out arena tours and three Grammy Awards.

The album scored a four-star review from Hannah Mylrea, who wrote for NME: “Growing pains, grief and aching doubts come alongside self-confidence, celebration and the knowledge of the place XCX holds in the musical landscape – indeed, she kicks off ‘360’ with the knowing: “I went my own way and I made it / I’m your favourite reference baby”. With ‘Brat’, XCX demonstrates that going her own way will always sound pretty good.”

‘Brat’ also went on to be named NME‘s best album of 2024, with Karen Gwee writing: “‘Brat’ as cultural sensation was a sight to behold, to be sure. But ‘Brat’ as an album – the record at the core of the rollout, the music beneath the marketing – is quite simply exceptional… This album is not only peak Charli, but a new bar set for modern pop.”

Recently, Charli has been hinting about her follow-up to ‘Brat’, revealing that she’s prepared for it to “be a flop” and that she may make “a Lou Reed record” to surprise audiences.

In other news, this month she celebrated the fifth anniversary of her pandemic album ‘How I’m Feeling Now’ by releasing a video for ‘Party 4 U’ – check it out here.

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