The Untold Truth Of Charli XCX

Before she was singing catchy hooks and inspiring fans to dance, Charli XCX was simply Charlotte Aitchison. Born in Bishop's Stortford, England, a market town north of London, the artist was inspired to embrace her individuality. "My dad always encouraged me to be weird," XCX told Under the Radar. "I think he meant, be yourself rather than follow a trend. He always said that following fashions and following trends was such a terrible trait."

This inclination likely came from her dad's own experiences as a creative professional. After starting out in the screen printing business, he became a club promoter who also dabbled with performing with an experimental performance group called Floppy Gravel. "He was very much the wild one," XCX told the outlet. Meanwhile her mom, who was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, was more traditional. "She had much more of a strict upbringing," the singer explained of her mother, a nurse who taught her the value of family and heritage.

Per the outlet, her parents quite fittingly met in a nightclub, and their influence on XCX as a young girl could be felt in a myriad of ways. Speaking to The Guardian, she said of her parents, "They started from nothing and worked so hard to be able to give themselves a life they loved," she explained. "Growing up around that has an effect on you."

Charli XCX was 14 when she started recording her first album. However, the 2006 project was scrapped with the artist later dismissing the recordings as "terrible MySpace music," via Pitchfork. The first song she ever wrote was called "Fish and Chips Shop," about a very British teenage date in a London chippy. Of the track, XCX admitted to Cosmopolitan,  "It was probably pretty lame."

Still, a promoter heard the songs that the teenage artist had posted to the early social media website and booked her to play a show in Hackney Wick, London. Less a concert venue and more a factory that used to make peanuts, she played to an estimated 300 people, including her parents who drove her to the event, Under the Radar recapped.

The set was a hit and the teen continued to play warehouse shows. "That was the first time I felt truly inspired to my core," she told The Guardian about her early performances. "It was like I'd opened Pandora's box." As reported by the outlet, the young singer certainly made an impression on stage where one particularly memorable lyric revolved around "dinosaur sex in a peroxide wig." It was all part of the young artist's experimentation as a DIY musician. Something which led the artist to a fine arts degree, only to drop out when she was drawn more to performance than to painting, per Under the Radar. 

One way for a musical artist to develop a special connection with fans is for meet-and-greets following concerts. These paid opportunities provide a chance for attendees to briefly chat and take photos with their fave idols. Some musicians. like The 1975 frontman Matt Healy, have criticized the events for being exhausting to conduct and exploitative of fans, via MTV. For XCX's meet-and-greets, fans have taken them to the next level.

One time, for example, an attendee brought their mother's ashes in an urn and asked XCX to sign and pose with the item. Speaking to i-D, the singer admitted to being caught off-guard by the interaction. "You can see it in my eyes, I'm afraid," she said. Per Pink News, the artist has also reportedly declined to hold poppers under a fan's nose for a photo, though she did once sign a douche. 

While entertaining, such anecdotes have created a strange reputation for XCX's meet-and-greet events and they've garnered criticism online. On Twitter, the musician addressed some of the "ridiculous and pretentious" articles condemning the interactions. She also accused outlets of using her for "online clout" in accusing her fans of unpleasant behavior against her. "I do not think my fans have been abusive towards me at meet and greets," she wrote. Instead, she suggested, she'd continue to encourage creative freedom in a safe environment at such events. 

Back when she was Charlotte Aitchison and gaining recognition for her live shows, the young teen realized she wanted a stage name. "A promoter asked me what I wanted on the flier," she told Consequence. "And I just told him Charli XCX because it was what I used to sign off of like MSN Messenger."

The singer explained that her name stands for "Kiss Charli Kiss," similar to how XOXO stands for hugs and kisses. The three letters in her name may have had sweet intentions, but the artist wondered if the name was perhaps too cute and uncool for a budding music star. Years later, while aiming for a more DGAF attitude, she attempted to rewrite her origin story. "I went to my record label and said it stood for 'X-Rated C*** X-Rated,'" the singer revealed to Complex. Unsurprisingly, the label said no to the idea.

Discussing her name with Rolling Stone, XCX explained that signing with a major record label gave her concerns that her name needed some deeper meaning. While originally it was simply intended as a memorable shorthand, the name has since evolved to represent something powerful to the star. She told the outlet, "At the moment, it just stands for everything I've done so far."

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced people into isolation, Charli XCX had apparently proposed a tour of her 2013 debut album "True Romance," per The Guardian. It didn't happen. However, what the musician did deliver was arguably more exciting. Written and recorded in six weeks during quarantine, "How I'm Feeling Now" was a surprise album featuring an open production process. The artist would post videos and updates to social media for fans to track and support her progress. In 2021, the singer even released a documentary called "Charli XCX: Alone Together," which chronicled the creative process of the experimental project.

In addition to gaining support from her fans and catharsis from her music, her tough time during the pandemic was also bolstered by professional help. "I started therapy at the beginning of the pandemic," she told Refinery29. "And that was sort of timely and very fortunate that I was able to do that." Though XCX confessed that her lifestyle and demeanor weren't adjusted by the sessions, she nonetheless found them helpful. 

Making the album may have been therapeutic for XCX, but it wasn't her first rodeo for such things. In 2017, she'd first learned how to quickly develop a cohesive musical project during a time of emotional turmoil with her mixtape "Number 1 Angel." She told NME, "It's just songs that me and [producer] AG Cook made in two weeks in LA when I was, like, feeling really depressed." 

For years, Charli XCX was in an on-again-off-again relationship with video game producer, Huck Kwong, according to The Guardian. In the midst of the pandemic, the performer lived with her beau while working on the album "How I'm Feeling Now." Unsurprisingly, their romance appears to be referenced within the album's lyrics, including "7 years" which features the line, "Seven years and it's been you and I, always."

While the dedication is heartwarming, XCX confessed to The Guardian that working and living in close quarters with Kwong felt strange. "[It's been weird] yelling about my relationship into a microphone while my boyfriend's in the other room, doing a puzzle," she confessed. Regardless, the pandemic was apparently vital to restoring their romance.

While she was a guest on Apple Music, via the Daily Mail, XCX suggested that the two weren't in a good place when lockdown hit. She told Zane Lowe, "I'm not going to say like [the relationship was] at the end of the road, but close to it." According to the "Vroom Vroom" hitmaker, the two were as emotionally distant as they could be physically distant too, due to living so far from each other. After almost two months together in the same place during lockdown, their bond became solid. "I finally understand that this person is somebody who I can trust with my life," the singer added about Kwong.

Personally and professionally, Charli XCX is connected with a ton of famous friends. According to The Guardian, that's included hosting lockdown Zoom calls with actor Maisie Williams and others like Nadya Tolokonnikova from political punk band Pussy Riot. Professionally, two of her pals — Héloïse Letissier, aka Christine and the Queens, and Caroline Polachek — have also become frequent collaborators in XCX's music. In 2022, the trio released the '80s pop-inspired tune, "New Shapes."

But that isn't the end of her dazzling little black book of celebrity connections. In 2017, XCX released her supremely catchy hit song "Boys," to critical acclaim. Clearly, this was a song the artist could visualize a music video for, and she called up some of her most famous guy friends — including Charlie Puth, Joe Jonas, Wiz Khalifa, and Riz Ahmed among others – to appear in dreamy, pink-hued, slow motion for it. 

The artist also reportedly began an online friendship with Cardi B, following her collaboration with the "WAP" rapper on "Girls." Sadly, it appeared that the rapper was at least a little confused by XCX's stage name. On "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," the singer revealed that the "Hustlers" star had tagged her on Twitter with the username Charli STD. Twice. Luckily, the singer had no hard feelings toward Cardi B about the mishap. She told the host, "She can call me Charli STD whenever she wants."

For her prolific contributions to music, both as a solo artist and as a songwriter, Charli XCX has amassed an impressive bank account. As of 2022, she was worth an estimated $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Finding success early, the artist was able to use some of her earnings for a more comfortable living arrangement. When she was only 23, XCX set up shop in Los Angeles with a four-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills, which she bought for $2.815 million, per Trulia. The incredible Tudor-inspired home boasted 4483 square feet of space and included cool design features like a hidden "speakeasy" room and a two-story living room. 

Years later, the musician's popularity continued to grow and so did her choice of real estate. In 2020, she purchased a mansion for a reported $5.1 million, per Dirt. Her purchase continued the trend of musicians owning the residence since it was previously owned by DJ Steve Angello from Swedish House Mafia, and later Calvin Harris, from whom she acquired the property. 

Unsurprisingly, the home features a deluxe recording studio plus other impressive amenities like a well-equipped guest house. While she'll no doubt put her own distinct flourishes on the place, she told Architectural Digest that she loves maintaining its history with her own love of work and partying. "I just like the house to feel busy," she explained. "I like that this house has just seen a lot of stories and fun things happen."