Charli XCX

Charli releases the album 14 after borrowing money from her parents for studio time. She distributes several copies to friends and fans but it is never released commercially.

I’m aware that when I talk about this in interviews I could come across as some spoiled rich kid who had Daddy’s money … My family is average. I didn’t have a crazy life as a kid.

She promotes the music off the album at warehouse parties:

My mum was, like, standing next to people taking f-ckloads of ketamine. Someone vomited on her shoes one time because they were in such a massive k-hole. And my mom looked after them.

XCX releases music on MySpace, including the tracks I Want To Be Darth Vader and !Francescka!:

(I) would write music in my bedroom, putting stuff up on MySpace under the Charli XCX name.

Charli releases the single Stay Away. On working with Rechtshaid on the track:

Ariel is a Napoleon Dynamite kind of figure. I’m kind of all over the place like, “We have to make it this! We have to make it that!,” getting all freaky weird excited. We’re quite chill in the studio.

Charli releases the EP You’re The One.

I was like, “No, this is who I want to be. I don’t want to be a pop star. I want to be a nursery-rhyme star!” … When I first started I was just listening to Ed Banger stuff [French Electro Record Label]:  Uffie, Justice, Feadz. I wanted to white rap like Uffie. I still love Uffie. Then I started listening to other girls who rap like when Blondie raps in “Rapture.” I was like “Wow, this is pretty cool, too,” because they are basically pop songs, so I thought, “Cool, maybe I can do it a different way.”

Charli releases the single You’re The One.

I like the whole laid-back rapping. I wish I could rap! I wish I could rap like Azealia Banks or Lil Wayne or someone like that… Twista. He’s super fast.

Charli releases the single Nuclear Seasons.

I don’t really know where our heads were at while we writing, kind of all over the place.

Charli releases the single Superlove:

It’s about running away and falling in love, basically. It’s seen as a bit cheesy to celebrate love but I just wanted to do that with this song.