Squabbles between pop stars have been around for decades, but this one is different – by reconciling in song, the two singers expose pressures put on women while asserting their agency
In an era of pop full of openly hostile beefs or barely-subliminal sniping that can go on for years between warring parties, this week has brought something rare and significant: an armistice.
On her club-facing, radically vulnerable new album Brat, Charli XCX shares her insecurities, nihilistic feelings, arrogance and humanity. In particular, the song Girl, So Confusing addressed her differences with a fellow pop star: “People say we’re alike / They say we’ve got the same hair,” Charli sings over a scuzzy bone-shaking bass. “Can’t tell if you wanna see me / Falling over and failing.”
