10 Years of Charli XCX’s Game-Changing ‘True Romance’
Over the course of five studio albums, four mixtapes, three EPs, and a slew of features, Charli XCX has proved herself as one of the coolest, nimblest, and boldest stars in pop music. So it’s almost easy to forget that the British star has only been at this for a decade—she stormed onto the scene with her debut album, True Romance, exactly 10 years ago today, on April 12, 2013.
While the bombastic pop of True Romance paved the way for a bright career ahead—albeit one that’s seen its share of label disputes, media scrutiny, and creative confinement—Charli was already on track to be a star while she was still a teen growing up in Cambridge. At 16, she regularly played at warehouse parties in London and made waves with early singles on her MySpace page. It took some time to release her own work, but she officially broke into the pop landscape at 20 with a memorable feature and co-writing credit on Icona Pop’s beloved banger “I Love It.” Although Charli technically gave the song away to the Swedish duo since it didn’t fit her “look” at the time, the song’s sugary, roaring production and bellowing, no-fucks-given chorus would eventually become a key component of her own artistic ethos.
From her visceral blend of bubblegum and experimental pop to her deft lyrics about regret and heartbreak, Charli’s vision of making vibrant, fun party music that oscillates between chaotic and melancholic, often simultaneously, was in sharp focus from the very start. Across 13 tracks, True Romance skillfully siphoned Charli’s rave-kid energy through her very raw, honest, true experiences detailing her own romantic history, a theme she has continued to return to time and time again.