Charli XCX on lying, Love Island and life post-Brat

Jared Evitts; Eleanor Shearwood - BBC NewsbeatWed, August 5, 2026 at 3:46 PM UTC

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Charli XCX sat down with BBC Radio 1 presenter Jack Saunders to unpick her new album, Music, Fashion, Film.

"Was that the truth, or was it a lie?"

This is the question posed by Radio 1's Jack Saunders to Charli XCX about an answer she gave in their last interview.

The Apple singer previously told the presenter that she hadn't started making any new music - when in fact she was putting the finishing touches to her new album, Music, Fashion, Film.

"Yeah, it was a lie," says Charli.

"I'd finished the record pretty much," she tells Saunders during a special performance at the BBC's Maida Vale studios.

"So I was just lying to your face basically.

"I knew when I said yes to Reading and Leeds it was going to be about this next album."

But why do artists feel they need to keep their plans under wraps, and is there pressure to do so?

Released in July, Music, Fashion, Film follow's Charli XCX's huge hit album, Brat.

The record became a cultural phenomenon, used in Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential campaign and even resulted in Collins English Dictionary updating its definition of Brat.

So why keep her much anticipated follow-up quiet?

Publicist Josh Moss tells BBC Newsbeat that at the early stages of a campaign, artists won't be giving much away.

"What people don't realise is that there's so much planning and strategy that goes into an album roll out," says Moss, who has represented artists like Maisie Peters, Bruno Mars and SOMBR.

"At a time where attention spans have shortened, artists want to sustain excitement pre and post release.

"One of the best ways to do that is through drip-feeding information."

Charli XCX performed four of her tracks live at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios

So is it all just harmless fun, or is this a case of artists being more cautious?

Maria Veronese works in media training and says Charli XCX's method may not be a surprise to her fans.

"She's fun, she's Brat and it's what we expect of her really," says Veronese.

"It's what her fan base loves her for."

She says a lot of people who use media training, do so because they're nervous about saying things they don't want to.

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"We just help them go through all of those scenarios.

"Talk about bridging techniques, and what they can say instead of things they don't want to say, so we're not telling them to lie."

During her interview with Jack Saunders, Charli XCX also discussed the process of getting the album cover together for Music, Fashion, Film.

It contains a black-and-white photo of Velvet Underground musician John Cale, fashion heavyweight Marc Jacobs, and film director Martin Scorsese.

"I will say it was an absolute nightmare," says the singer.

"We were really down to the day before that deadline and you know, they're busy guys," she says.

"I felt it was one of those moments where I was like this is a once in a lifetime moment, this is probably never going to happen again.

"It was really sweet and overwhelming."

And she wanted this album to feel like something new and different.

"The way that Music, Fashion, Film sounds was like a very sort of deliberate response to the way that Brat sounds.

"They're sort of polar opposites."

John Cale, Marc Jacobs and Martin Scorcese all feature on the cover of the album

After the overwhelming success of Brat, does Charli feel like she can have a 'normal' life?

"I can't just sort of go home and like unplug and be like a different person," she tells Saunders.

"Apart from when I'm watching Love Island.

"I will say, that is my one time where I'm like, I'm actually off now.

"I'm not thinking about fonts or whatever."

But she wouldn't want things to be any different.

"I love the life that I have, I wouldn't change it for anything else."

You can watch the full Charli XCX performance on BBC iPlayer.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

Decoding Charli XCX's new album, Music, Fashion, Film

Charli XCX photo purchased by National Portrait Gallery

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