Charli XCX has opened up about her Indian heritage, saying it can be “difficult” to understand her “identity” as a mixed-race person.
The singer, born Charlotte Emma Aitchison, was speaking on Nicky Reardon’s Nicky At Night podcast while discussing her upcoming album ‘Music, Fashion, Film’, which is set for release on July 24.
On recent single ‘SS26’, Charli sings: “Think my politics could work as a press strategy/ And my heritage could give me quite the USP.”
When asked about referencing her heritage in the lyric, Charli said: “I feel like there is this world where I could really play that up a lot. It doesn’t come natural to me probably because of the way that I engage with being a mixed person.”
Charli, 33, was raised in Essex by a Scottish father and an Indian mother, and explained that she struggled with belonging when she was younger.
“I didn’t really feel like I belonged in either side of my family,” she continued.
She added that she would feel like an “outsider” both when “hanging out every weekend with the Indian side of my family” and “at school with a bunch of white girls”.
“So it’s difficult to place yourself and to understand your identity,” she went on. “And a lot of my friends who are mixed also feel that same way. It’s hard to feel like you can really claim something. But I am really happy to talk about that.”
Charli also clarified that ‘SS26’ is not about “the end of the world”, as some fans had speculated, but instead addresses the pressure to present a “morally pure” version of yourself online.
Charli released ‘SS26’ in May, with its Paris-shot video finding her walking a runway “straight to hell”. The song is set to appear on ‘Music, Fashion, Film’, Charli’s upcoming follow-up to ‘Brat’. She recently shared cheeky new single ‘Wink Wink’ alongside a raunchy video, following the earlier track ‘Rock Music’.
The album’s black-and-white cover was shot by Aidan Zamiri and features John Cale, Marc Jacobs and Martin Scorsese.
Charli also recently opened up about spending time in Paris with Madonna, after the pair appeared to end speculation of a feud by partying together in the French capital. She said she found it “very inspiring to hang out with her”, adding that she had enjoyed hearing Madonna discuss her own relationship with pop, fashion and the dancefloor.
Elsewhere, Charli recently spoke candidly about her mental health, saying: “I’m in the worst place mentally that I’ve been in my life.”
She added that she was “struggling” in the wake of the ‘Brat’ era, while also moving into a new creative chapter across music, fashion and film.
She will return to the stage to make her headline debut at Reading & Leeds in August, topping the festival bill alongside Fontaines D.C., Raye, Florence + The Machine, Dave and Chase & Status. Visit here for tickets.