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Despite recent speculation sparked by her feature in British Vogue, Charli xcx has clarified that she is not pivoting to a rock album.
On Friday (May 1), the artist took to Instagram to share behind-the-scenes studio footage, including a snippet of an unreleased track recorded last October at Paris’ Rue Boyer Studios. The clip captures a candid brainstorming moment where Charli muses, “It would be cool if we had a song that was called ‘Rock Music.’”
“A video of me crafting a track titled ‘Rock Music’ that is definitively not a rock song—which is ironic because I never announced a rock record. Love you all,” she wrote in the accompanying caption.
While the track incorporates guitar textures, its production remains firmly rooted in hyper-pop. The lyrics, briefly visible in the video’s notes app, offer a candid glimpse into her creative headspace: “I think the dancefloor is dead, so now we’re making rock music.”
During her British Vogue cover story, Charli emphasized her desire to subvert expectations rather than simply follow a genre trend. Reflecting on her previous era, she noted that trying to replicate the dance-oriented success of Brat “would have felt forced and rather melancholy.”
When discussing the integration of guitar into her new material, she added, “I find it exhilarating to flip the form. There will undoubtedly be those who find it jarring, but that’s entirely fine.”
She also touched upon her deep, sometimes all-consuming relationship with artistry, describing it as a primary love alongside her husband, George Daniel. She contemplated how her life might look without that creative outlet, noting, “Art does provide me with purpose—for better or worse.”
Brat remains her most successful project to date, hitting No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in 2024. Following that success, she contributed to the acclaimed Wuthering Heights adaptation soundtrack, which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 earlier this year.
Watch the studio preview of “Rock Music” below.
