Campaign Tracking: Charli xcx ‘BRAT’
‘BRAT’ – Atlantic (7 June 2024)
The “BRAT” album campaign is a masterclass in owning a colour, culturally impactful music marketing and marketing music as a lifestyle. Charli xcx’s sixth studio album has become synonymous not just with catchy tunes but also with a groundbreaking approach to branding and community engagement – by creating a world around her music that showcased who this record was for, whilst welcoming everyone into it that wanted to. At Music Ally, we tracked Charli and her team’s strategy, highlighting the effective use of the colour green, strategic social media maneouvers, partnerships, pop-up events, a BRAT generator, and surprise cameo collaborations. The album’s tracks have gone viral across social media, celebrated for their catchy, club-classic sound. Marking a shift from her hyper-pop roots, “BRAT” embraces house beats reminiscent of the 2000s, redefining party anthems of a new generation. It’s not just an album—it’s a “Club Record” that has infiltrated every corner of pop culture, making this Brat Summer truly unforgettable. This isn’t just an album launch; it’s a cultural movement.
Table of Contents
Burner Account
August 2022: To engage with her superfans, Charli created the @Brat_360 burner account on Instagram, a private Instagram account providing inside-look content. This resonated particularly well with younger audiences, who are accustomed to using social media and “finstas” in this way. This strategy allowed Charli to connect with her most dedicated fans on a more personal level, building excitement and loyalty. Charli kept the account private, opening it up and accepting new followers in phases, before closing it again. This also created a sense amongst her fanbase of wanting to get into this inner circle. She started using the account to tease information about the upcoming album as well (which was announced 1.5 years later).
Boiler Room: PARTYGIRL
February 22 2024: Charli’s Boiler Room set took place in Brooklyn on February 22 and featured appearances by Addison Rae and Julia Fox. Following the first few hours of the show’s announcement, Boiler Room received a staggering 25,000 RSVPs, the largest count in Boiler Room history. Charli teased new music by playing multiple snippets of tracks from her album, which was not yet announced at this time. Videos of the set circulated online, with many fans already falling in love with some of the unreleased tracks.
Album and Tracklist
Album Announcement (February 28): On February 28, she officially announced ‘BRAT’ her 6th studio album via her social media featuring the now infamous album cover. Initially criticised, the simplicity and memeability of the album cover would later on benefit the campaign in various ways – sparkings lots of user-generated content utilising the font and style of the artwork.
First Single Released (February 29): A day after the album announcement, Charli releases Von Dutch as her first single of the album, accompanying it with the release of the official music video.
Von dutch remixes (March 22 & April 12): The track was followed with The von dutch remix featuring Addison Rae and A.G. Cook, released March 22. Charli hinted at the collab with this video clip posted on her socials on March 15. A second remix featuring Skream and Benga was released April 12.
Two More Single Released (April 3): Club Classics and B2B, are released.
Tracklist Revealed (April 20): The album’s official tracklist was revealed on her socials.
Fourth Single Released (May 10): On May 10, 360 and its official music video are released, which was directed by Aidan Zamiri. The video is full of It Girls and featuring many iconic scenes that made the internet go wild – it became an instant classic for the artist.
Also worth including this this behind-the-scenes content piece she shared, which serves as an excellent example of how to effectively shoot and leverage phone-based content.
BRAT Album Cover
One of the most ingenious aspects of Charli’s album campaign was the album cover. Initially criticised for its simplicity, the cover quickly became iconic thanks to its clever use of colour theory where an artist chooses a distinctive colour to be associated with. The vibrant green was strategically chosen to create a strong visual identity that became instantly recognisable. As Charli announced “BRAT Summer”, and the concept and lifestyle gained traction, this distinctive green became synonymous with Charli both online and in the real world. Thousands of fans and online users began generating user-created content (UGC), incorporating the green colour and stylised BRAT album cover and calling everything green “brat”, effectively turning the album’s branding into a viral sensation and generating lot so of conversation online and IRL. This organic fan engagement served as free promotion, further solidifying the album’s cultural impact. The launch of the BRAT generator here was a genius move to help promote the generation of BRAT related content. Even brands started picking up on it and using it within their marketing, to leverage the social media and IRL buzz for themselves.
The aesthetic of the album was used very consistently across the whole campaign, and created huge visibility for BRAT.
Shows and Tour
UK Shows (April 3): Announces UK shows on April 3, taking place in November December.
June Shows Announcement (March 25): Charli announces her month of June shows on March 25 with live shows and DJ sets – dubbed Partygirl.
Charli xcx and Troye Sivan Sweat Tour
Produced by Live Nation, the 21-city tour begins on September 14 at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena. It will visit various North American cities.
April 16: Charli first, teases a collaboration with Troye Sivan via socials by posting an image showing a white top drenched in sweat with “Charli XCX”, “Troye Sivan”, and “sweat” written across it.
Troye shared a similiar image on his social media as well.
April 17: The following day, announces a North America co headline arena tour with Troye with another post.
The BRAT Wall
The BRAT wall was one of the most innovative elements within Charli’s marketing campaign and was used multiple times throughout. It all started when one day, Charli livestreamed a random green wall on her TikTok. As she did not reveal where this green wall was, people who randomly found it in NYC started posting about it, with UGC pieces going viral. Not revealing the location was a great move, as it generated hype and free promotion for her. It kicked off a trend within her fanbase of people living in NYC going to visit the green wall. She also didn’t just post the finished product, but livestreamed the process of the wall being created and messages being written on it letter by letter and changed various times – with audiences hooked on what was going to be revealed. Simultaneously, audiences online were speculating and posting online about what was going to be revealed and sticking around for the livestreams – generating retention.
Charli livestreamed the creation of the BRAT wall multiple times, creating a viral sensation as viewers eagerly speculated on social media about what was being revealed. As letters were slowly painted, fans flooded online platforms with guesses and theories, generating buzz and building suspense. The gradual reveal became a shared experience, with fans documenting every moment and fuelling the campaign’s momentum. It was also a clever way of generating content and keeping viewers attention.
The BRAT wall has even been added as a cultural landmark on Google Maps!
Lot Radio and Brooklyn Surprise Pop-up
May 2: Charli surprised fans outside the Lot Radio in Brooklyn after announcing the pop-up on Twitter by cryptically tweeting an address (which turned out to be the location of the BRAT wall).
As a result, hundreds of fans flocked to the location. Charli performed “360” in front of the BRAT wall that was painted on the side of VITAL Climbing Gym.
A lot of UGC content resulted from this pop-up with hundreds of fans sharing content and clips online of the performance – this created a look of true buzz and excitement for the artist as well as FOMO for those who weren’t there to. bea part of it.
Following her Lot Radio and Brooklyn Pop-up the BRAT wall became a symbol and dynamic canvas for Charli’s updates and album campaign. The wall saw various transformations, from lyrics to cryptic messages, each sparking excitement and speculation among her fans. For example, it was updated when the deluxe version was released (see below), where fans thought the BRAT wall would be gone, but instead a new campaign message was revealed.
July 1: Despite being retired on July 1 with a final “ok, bye!” message, the wall left a lasting impact, symbolising the chaotic energy of the Brat summer era. Even as it was retired, Charli assured fans on X that “brat summer is only just beginning,” leaving many to admire the blend of physical and digital engagement it brought to her music promotion.
Album Release Day
June 6: Charli made a surprise appearance at London’s Dalston Superstore on the night of the album release, arriving in her Bratmobile for an impromptu set. The album launch in the East London queer bar demonstrates the power of surprise in generating buzz and engagement. This unexpected experience not only heightened fan excitement but also amplified social media chatter, showcasing how creating FOMO (fear of missing out) can significantly enhance the impact of an album release.
Charli also updates all of her previous album artwork on DSPs to be in line with the BRAT branding – creating even more visibility for the album and branding coherence in the campaign.
BRAT Trucks
June 7: On the album release day, BRAT trucks appeared in London, roaming the streets to promote Charli’s new album. The trucks sparked even more speculation when one of them displayed the name “Kesha,” leading fans to speculate if a collaboration with Kesha was on the horizon.
Rough Trade Signings
London and NYC (June 7 & 10): Charli hosted exclusive signing events at Rough Trade East in London on June 7 and Rough Trade in NYC on June 10. These events highlighted Charli’s connection with her fans.
At both signings, Charli autographed brat vinyl records and spent time engaging with fans, turning the events into memorable moments. Adding a unique twist, “BRAT”-themed cars were featured at the signings, reinforcing the album’s branding and creating a buzzworthy spectacle that fans eagerly shared on social media.
Primavera Sound Festival: Surprise DJ Set
June 9: The day of Charli’s slotted performance at the music festival, Charli had an impromptu DJ set alongside A.G. Cook and George Daniel. Charli accompanied the unexpected pop-up with the following TikTok post–creating a surge of excitement and anticipation among festival goers for her performance later that night. Her subsequent performance featured a giant “brat” themed stage background, showcasing the power of the visual marketing behind the campaign.
Deluxe Edition Album
June 10: Only 3 days after the release of the album, Charli released three new songs as part of the deluxe edition, “brat and its the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not“, on June 10. Charli shared the updated album cover on her Instagram page and posted a TikTok clip featuring a livestream of the BRAT Wall to celebrate the occasion. This album cover sparked a lot of meme content which helped promote the album. The album also contained some fan favourite songs fans got to know through her Boiler Room set and were expecting to hear on the album – a genius move to create conversation and delight.
Lorde Collaboration: “Girl, so confusing featuring lorde”
June 6: On the day of the album release, Lorde took to Instagram Stories to praise Charli’s album and confirm that there were no hard feelings between them. However, she did not mention the track “Girl, so confusing.”
June 20: Before announcing the collaboration, Charli used the BRAT wall to tease and build anticipation. She livestreamed the painting of the letters, sparking a frenzy among fans on social media. The suspense quickly turned into hours of tweets, posts, and discussions as fans speculated and shared their excitement online.
June 21: Charli revealed her collaboration with Lorde on a remix of her track “Girl, so sonfusing,” a song originally inspired by Charli’s awkward relationship with Lorde. Charli shared a screenshot on social media of Lorde’s entire verse, which Lorde had apparently texted to her. Charli’s humorous response, added to the buzz around the remix.
Surprise Performance with Troye Sivan London Wembley Arena
June 27: Troye Sivan’s ‘Something To Give Each Other’ tour made a memorable stop at London’s Wembley Arena. During his set, Sivan surprised the audience by inviting Charli XCX on stage for a duet of their 2018 hit, “1999.” This surprise appearance not only generated significant fan-generated content on social media but also built excitement for their upcoming joint tour in fall 2024.
“Apple” Dance Challenge:
June 28: A dance challenge created by content creator Kelley Heyer went viral, capturing widespread attention. The day after her surprise appearance at Troye Sivan’s London show, Charli joined the trend by posting a video of herself and Troye Sivan dancing to the track “Apple.” The dance challenge quickly gained momentum, with hundreds of fans, influencers, and numerous celebrities embracing the challenge, further fueling its popularity. Charli posted a compliation of UGC featuring the viral dance challenge.
Here are some of our favorite examples:
Boiler Room: PARTYGIRL 2.0
July 13: Charli brought Partygirl to Ibiza’s iconic club Amnesia for a high-energy Boiler Room set. The event featured special guests George Daniel, Alex Chapman, Zoe Gitter, and The Dare. In addition, Shygirl, Kelly Lee Owens, Romy, and Ladies of Leisure took over the Terazza with Charli, enhancing the night with a diverse mix of pop and electronic music. This dynamic performance went viral on social media and showcases Charli’s skillful integration of her pop roots with the electronic music scene, broadening her appeal and engaging a diverse audience.
Full performance: https://youtu.be/T3gcbYL2VMg?si=iaTq2zInq-bGjyG5
Presidential Elections
Kamala IS brat (July 22): Charli took to Twitter and endorsed Kamala Harris in the U.S. presidential election. The endorsement quickly went viral, igniting widespread conversation across social media and spawning a wave of memes. This not only amplified discussions around Harris, with her team even updating their header image on X to match the design of “brat”. but also boosted more hype and conversation around brat, leading to a surge in UGC and increased online buzz surrounding her tracks and overall campaign.
“Guess” with Billie Eilish
Shortly before the release of the “Guess” remix, some media outlets and people started claiming BRAT summer was over due to its ubiquity. Charli incorporated this into her communication strategy and responded to this with a tongue-in-cheek message, hinting at something new coming up.
Teasing (July 31): Charli sparked more excitement by teasing a new collaboration and prompting fans to speculate who the collaborator could be by posting the following image.
August 1: The mystery was unveiled the following day when Charli revealed the collaboration was with Billie Eilish on the track “Guess” from her deluxe album edition. The announcement featured clips from their music video.
After the track was released, Charli followed with another post featuring a clip from the music video. To date, this is her most popular reel with 32.5M views, 1M likes, and 16K comments.
August 2: The weekend of the Guess remix release, Charli celebrated her 32nd birthday in L.A. with many celebrities present which was covered a lot in the press and online. Notably, both her collaborators Lorde and Billie Eilish were there, and they all sang along to their tracks generating new content for the campaign and continuing to showcase the lifestyle that encapsulates BRAT.
“Guess” Dance Challenge (August 9): Although not as viral as the “Apple” dance challenge, Charli kept the momentum going by posting a new dance, featuring Troye Sivan and Terrence O’Connor, both of whom were part of the original “Apple” dance video. This time, they followed the choreography created by popular influencer Jake Shane, known as @octopusslover8. The “Guess” dance challenge has generated significant engagement, demonstrating Charli’s ability to keep fans excited and involved in her campaign through creative collaborations and trending content.
Collaborations with Culture Pages
Collaborations with various culture pages have been central to Charli’s campaign, amplifying her visibility and solidifying her status as a cultural icon. These partnerships have kept her constantly in the public eye by consistently placing her at the forefront of people’s feeds, and promoting her personality and lifestyle.
Here are some examples:
The end of BRAT summer – and the beginning of BRAT autumn?
August 3: Charli posts a nostalgic recap of BRAT summer, officially announcing it’s over – showcasing her agency in announcing and ending the movement.
At the same time, many are speculating about BRAT autumn – and with Charli just having announced her H&M collaboration for autumn/winter -we’re curious to see what happens next.
Talk talk featuring Troye Sivan
September 3: Teases an upcoming collaboration by posting a faceless picture on Instagram with no caption. Troye Sivan posted the exact same image the same day. While rehearsing for their “Sweat” tour, both artists have been dropping hints on TikTok.
September 11: Charli reveals the track name and collaboration with Troye, announcing its release in 24 hours. Dua Lipa, rumored to be involved after a leak, also contributed on the track, as shared by Charli on X.
H&M Collaboration and Launch Party
September 12: Charli starred in H&M’s latest campaign for its Autumn/Winter 2024 collection. To celebrate the collaboration, Charli performed at the label’s launch party in London on September 12, the opening day of London Fashion Week. The event, held at the Copper Box Arena, was part of ‘H&M&London’, celebrating H&M’s new collection and featured DJ sets from Jamie xx and Sherelle. The performance came the night after dropping her Talk Talk track with Troye Sivan, and announcing the Brat remix album, Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat. With over 3,000 attendees, the event was buzzing with influencers, colleagues, musicians, and fans. Charli delivered a 10-song set celebrating ‘Brat,’ opening and closing with ‘365,’ and covering Caroline Polachek’s ‘Welcome To My Island’ (Setlist.FM).
Credits to Dazed, check out the event highlights: https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/gallery/34204/0/hm-x-charli-xcx-party-pictures
Remix Album: Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat
September 12: Charli announced her remix album, Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat, set for release on October 11. The album features remixes from Brat, including both original and deluxe tracks. The announcement follows Troye Sivan’s remix of Talk Talk released the same day. Timed to align with the Sweat concert tour with Troye, Charli posted on social media: “Brat and it’s completely different but also still Brat – out Oct 11,” along with the album cover and a pre-order link.
October 1: Brat-themed billboards and posters begin appearing in cities around the globe, including London, Manchester, Wisconsin, Pasadena, and Stockholm. The neon green, mirrored text has proven to be an eye-catching feature for fans and passersby.
October 5: Charli shares on her socials the billboards and posters.
October 6: At her Florida show, Charli XCX leaked her tracklist by personally handing it to a front-row fan, urging them to post it on social media.
October 7: After a lot of build up and speculation, Charli shares the official track list and track features on her accounts.
October 8: Charli teased New Yorkers on her second Instagram account, 360_brat (with a cryptic message, “nyyyy! maybe plan to get off work early thursday?”), and on her main Instagram account with a listening party for October 10, along with an RSVP link. With limited details, the event sparked suspense and intrigue.
October 10: On release day, green, brat-themed cubes representing the album’s vinyl cover were spotted at the event. Charli appeared in front of this giant installation and played her full album. Here is Charli’s recap of the listening party.
Images by: Henry Radcliffe
The event was also live streamed on Twitch. Here is a recording of the full stream.
Chartmetric Article
Here’s an insightful deep dive from Chartmetric into the remix album and the lasting impact it’s had on remix culture.
Times Square Pop-Up: H&M and Charli xcx
Nov 18: H&M and Charli XCX surprised fans with a 15-minute open-air performance at Times Square’s TSX Stage, announced just 30 minutes prior. Celebrating H&M’s Holiday Collection, Charli performed hits like “Von Dutch” “360” and “Guess (Remix)” in a custom H&M look, with the event featuring billboard takeovers and music by DJ Pee .Wee (Anderson Paak). The star-studded crowd included Amelia Gray, Irina Shayk, Lila Moss, and Julia Fox, with an afterparty at The Hotel Chelsea wrapping up the night.
Billie Eilish x Charli xcx: ‘Guess’ Live
Dec 18: During Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour, Charli XCX joined her on stage at the Los Angeles stop to perform Guess live for the very first time. Check out Charli’s Instagram post here.
Meta: Sweat Tour in VR
Dec 27: Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s SWEAT Tour comes to virtual reality through Meta Quest on December 27, as part of a partnership with iHeartMedia and Meta. The event features 3D immersive footage of their October Los Angeles show, streamed in Music Valley, Meta’s virtual music hub. Fans can relive the exciting performance here.
