For someone who practically helped write the rulebook for being an internet-age pop star, Charli xcx is spending a lot less time online these days.
The singer behind the Brat phenomenon recently revealed that she’s stepping away from social media as she deals with anxiety, mental health challenges, and the intense spotlight that followed the biggest success of her career.
“I have actually been a lot more offline,” Charli said in a Rolling Stone cover story published Thursday, June 18. “I don’t really look as much anymore. It’s just better for my brain.”
Taking a Step Back From the Noise
Charli’s comments arrive as she prepares for her next chapter with Music, Fashion, Film, her upcoming album. The project has already generated plenty of online conversation thanks to its lead single, “Rock Music.”
The song’s distorted guitars and bold claim that “the dance floor is dead” quickly sparked debate among fans. Some wondered if Charli was reinventing herself once again. Others questioned whether she was simply having fun and stirring up discussion. Knowing Charli, it could be a little of both.
Still, the singer says she’s become much more selective about how much online chatter she lets into her life.
“The discourse is loud, and sometimes that can be very overwhelming,” she said.
The Reality Behind the Brat Era
For years, Charli embraced the internet, building a close relationship with fans and helping shape online pop culture. But the massive success of Brat brought attention on a completely different level.
Released in June 2024, the album dominated charts, inspired countless memes, earned three Grammy Awards, and turned its signature lime-green aesthetic into a full-scale cultural movement.
Yet behind the cool-girl image associated with the era, Charli, whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison, was struggling privately.
“I know people probably won’t believe me, because I am inherently, at least in the past, a very online artist,” she said. “But I recently have been really struggling with my mental health to the point where, if I’m being real, I’m in the worst place mentally that I’ve been in my life.”
She explained that constant commentary about her career, combined with the demands of touring and public life, eventually became too much.
“It got to a place where my anxiety was physically affecting me, and I can’t actually proceed in life like that,” she said.
A More Personal Connection
To improve her well-being, Charli has made several changes. She’s spending less time online, cutting back on coffee, rethinking her work habits, and focusing more on time with her husband, The 1975 drummer George Daniel.
She’s also finding new ways to connect with fans. Instead of relying mostly on social media, Charli has begun hosting smaller, more intimate events where she can talk directly with listeners about music, art, and creativity.
“Things have changed now,” she admitted. “I’m interested in making things really intimate between me and my audience, and sitting down one-on-one with a person and having a conversation.”
Why There Won’t Be a Brat 2
Even as she pulls back from the internet, Charli isn’t slowing down creatively.
One thing she knows for certain is that she won’t be revisiting the formula that made Brat such a success.
“I knew when I was making it that I was never going to make that record again,” she said. “It’s not creatively rewarding for me to make the same thing twice.”
Instead, she’s continuing the artistic approach that has defined her career: constant reinvention.
“All of my albums work in opposites,” she explained. “They repel against each other, and that’s the connective tissue.”
As Charli moves into a new era, she’s focused less on keeping up with every opinion online and more on building a life that feels right for her.
“I want to live my life exactly the way that I want to live it, because I don’t get a redo.”
Music, Fashion, Film is scheduled for release on July 24, 2026.
Kayla is the midday host on Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce. She started her career in radio back in 2016 as an intern at another Detroit station and worked her way here. She’s made stops in Knoxville, TN, Omaha, Ne and other places before returning to Detroit. She’s done almost everything in radio from promotions to web, creating content on social media, you name it.
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