Charli XCX

Charli XCX in 2017

**Charlotte Emma Aitchison** (born 2 August 1992), better known by her stage name **Charli XCX**, is a British singer, songwriter.

Charli XCX released her debut single independently in 2008 and initially performed at warehouse raves in London. She signed to Asylum Records with producer Tim Gonzalez in 2010 and released two mixtapes, *Heartbreaks and Earthquakes* and *Super Ultra*, in 2012. Charli XCX's major label debut album, *True Romance*, was released in 2013, accompanied by singles including "You (Ha Ha Ha)" and "Nuclear Seasons".

She rose to small fame during 2013 and 2014. Her single "Boom Clap" from the soundtrack album of *The Fault in Our Stars* became a top ten single in a number of countries. It also preceded the release of her second album, *Sucker*, which featured the singles "Break the Rules", "Doing It" and "Famous". A bonus track, titled "Red Balloon", was also featured on the soundtrack to *Home*. In 2016 Charli released a third album under the name *XCX* with the hit "After The Afterparty".

In 2017 Charli released her most successful album to date, *Radiant.* The era is still in effect, and has had two top ten singles, 'Rainstorm' and 'Falling Leaves' ft. Belinda. The era has launched Charli into stardom.

## Early Life

Charlotte Emma Aitchison was born on 2 August 1992, in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England,[1] to a Scottish father and a Gujarati Indian mother from Uganda. She grew up in Start Hill, near Bishop's Stortford, and attended Bishop's Stortford College, though she left the school in 2010.[4] Aitchison also studied at UCL's Slade School of Fine Art in London, but left during the second year of her degree course.

## Career

### 2008–12: Early performances and recordings

Aitchison started writing songs when she was 14 years old and began recording an album on a loan granted by her parents. In early 2008, she began posting songs from the album, as well as numerous other demos, on her official MySpace page. This caught the attention of a promoter running numerous illegal warehouse raves and parties in east London, who invited her to perform. Aitchison was billed on flyers under the stage name **Charli XCX**, her MSN Messenger screen name when she was younger. Despite the illicit nature of the gigs, her parents were supportive of her career and attended several raves with her.[11] She released two singles, "!Franchesckaar!" and double A-side "Emelline"/"Art Bitch", in late 2008 under Orgy Music. The album she recorded at this time, *14* (which features the former single), was never commercially released, although several promotional copies were issued and copies were given away at her earliest gigs. After being signed to Asylum Records in 2010, she took a break from music in what she describes as a "lost" period.

Early in 2011, Alex Metric released the single "End of the World" which featured her vocals. When the song appeared on BBC's Radio One, her age, success and relative obscurity were regularly marveled.

In May 2011, she released the single "Stay Away", followed by "Nuclear Seasons" in November. Both tracks were produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and released exclusively in the United Kingdom. The singles gained attention from music website Pitchfork Media, where she earned "Best New Track" accolades for both; the former was eventually named to the site's *Best Tracks of 2011* list. In May 2012, Charli XCX released her first mixtape, *Heartbreaks and Earthquakes*, a one-track file consisting of eight songs. She supported Santigold and Coldplay on tour during that year. Her second original mixtape, *Super Ultra*, was released exclusively through her website in November 2012.

### 2013–15: *Sucker*

Charli XCX began work on her second album in mid-2013. Later that year she released the single "SuperLove", which became her first solo chart entry on the UK Singles Chart, at number 62.

In mid-2014, Charli XCX contributed the song "Boom Clap" to the soundtrack of the film *The Fault in Our Stars*. "Boom Clap" peaked at number eight on the *Billboard* Hot 100 and at number six in the UK, and was certified platinum in Australia. "Boom Clap" was included on Charli XCX's second album, *Sucker*, which was released in

December 2014 in North America and February 2015 in Europe. The subsequent single, "Break the Rules", charted within the top 10 in Australia and Germany, and "Doing It" peaked at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. In July and August 2015, Charli XCX co-headlined a US tour with Jack Antonoff. She announced on 21 August that, for "personal reasons", a planned second leg of the tour would not go ahead.

### 2015–2016: *XCX*

In early 2016 Charli dropped the EP *Vroom Vroom* which was produced by SOPHIE, a producer known for his odd style of music. She teased that they would be releasing an album later that year.

Charli released *XCX* in September of 2016, which featured the large hit "After The Afterparty". Produced by mainly SOPHIE and A.G. Cook, the album showed a different side of Charli. The second single "Bounce" was not received well by critics, but did well in the charts, peaking at #43. She did not tour for the album, but did perform in different countries while promoting the album and singles. The album had large success and was certified gold by RIAA.

### 2017–present: *Radiant* and international success

Basically right after the release of *XCX*, Charli dropped the lead single for her fourth album, "Rainstorm"*.* The song went on to have international success, selling over a million copies and even performed during the VMAs pre-show, which she even gained a VMA for the song, featuring the artist Troye Sivan. This launched Charli into stardom.

Just a couple months later in February of 2017, Charli dropped her fourth album, *Radiant*. The album sold over 250,000 copies in it's first week and debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The era is still in session. With now over two top ten singles from the album, Charli has already had a major successful era, but it is not over yet. The era has been certified 2x platinum by RIAA and is growing larger week by week. The akbum has not gained a Metacrtic review at this point in time, but is expected to receive one.

## Discography

* 14 (2008)
* True Romance (2013)
* SUCKER (2014)
* XCX (2016)
* Radiant (2017)

## Tours

* Girl Power North America Tour (2014)
* Sucker World Tour (2015)
* Charli and Jack Do America Tour (2015)