Is Charli XCX’s Brat about Lorde?

Charli XCX has previously admitted to feeling envious of Lorde's success following the release of "Royals" in 2013.

Charli XCX's album "Brat" won't be released in the United States until tonight, but fans in other parts of the world are already enjoying it.

One of those fans is Lorde, who posted a heartfelt message about the eagerly awaited album amid rumors that one of the tracks on "Brat" is about her.

In the track "Girl, So Confusing," Charli explores a complex relationship with another female singer. She expresses confusion over her feelings, as she is both envious of and admires this unnamed person.

There has been extensive speculation that the song is about Lorde, as the two pop singers have often been compared—sometimes even being mistaken for each other in interviews and daily interactions. This speculation is further fueled by Charli recently confessing that she felt envious of Lorde's success when "Royals" was released in 2013.

In an interview with Rolling Stone UK, Charli said, “When ‘Royals’ came out, I was super jealous of the success that that song got, and that Ella got. You piece all this stuff together in your brain, like: ‘She was into my music. She had big hair; I had big hair. She wore black lipstick; I once wore black lipstick.’ You create these parallels and think, ‘Well, that could have been me.’ But it couldn’t have because we’re completely different people. I wasn’t making music that sounded anything like ‘Royals’. I think you just read what you want into it because you’re feeling insecure about your own work.”

The day “Brat” was released, Lorde used Instagram to assure everyone that there were no hard feelings between them. She also shared a paragraph in her stories praising the album.

She did not reference "Girl, So Confusing" or address Charli's remarks.

Instead, she wrote: “The only album I’ve ever presaved is out today… Charli just cooked this one different… So much grit, grace and skin in the game. I speak for all of us when I say it’s an honour to be moved, changed and gagged by her work. There is NO ONE like this bitch.”

On Friday, Charli joined Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang's "La Culturistas" podcast and delved deeper into the song, still keeping the identity of the person she's singing about under wraps. “I haven’t quite decided whether I’m revealing,” she remarked. 

“When I wrote it, I was like, ‘I’m revealing!’ But now, you know, the time is here; I’m like, ‘Mmmmrrmm.’ Do you think I should reveal?… People are gonna guess. You probably have an accurate guess, and I’m not gonna say out loud ’cause you’ll tell by my face, but it’s probably going to be that person.”

She also elaborated on the song's theme, expressing, “I think we live in the world of pop music right now where women are like, ‘I support other women! I love women! I’m a feminist,’ and that’s great. Love that… I don’t think you become a bad feminist if you maybe don’t see eye to eye with every single woman. That’s not the nature of human beings. There’s a competitiveness between us. There’s envy. There camaraderie. There’s all of these different dynamics.”

Allegedly, Lorde is in the process of creating her next album, following up on 2021's “Solar Power.” She's been highly engaged on social media platforms as fans eagerly anticipate the next step from the singer hailing from New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Charli will embark on her joint "Sweat" arena tour with Troye Sivan, commencing on September 14th at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. This tour represents the largest venues for both XCX and Sivan thus far.