Bumping That Ballet With “brat” Summer

By Winston Chu and James Yu Sept. 25, 2024

Although the word brat is traditionally used to demean poorly behaved children, to English songwriter Charli XCX, the term takes on a new meaning. As the name and theme of her newest album, Charli XCX has transformed what it means to be a brat through the lively and upbeat themes ingrained within each track. 

Released on June 7, the album charted at number one on Billboard magazine for the dance/electronic music category on release. Songs such as “Apple” and “365” made their way onto the Billboard Top 100, and grew equally viral on TikTok. The album cover—a minimalistic lime green square with the word “brat” displayed in an Arial-esque font—epitomizes Charli XCX’s intentions for the album: in a TikTok, she proclaimed a “brat” as a girl who is a wild party animal that is still down-to-earth and unafraid to be in touch with her emotions.

“Charli XCX’s music inspired me to make the most of my summer, unapologetic about what others would think of me and just focused on having fun. Songs such as ‘365’ and ‘Talk Talk’ always excite me when I listen to them,” Sophomore Emily Chen said. 

New fashion and makeup trends based on the album arose, focused on showcasing a confident identity; lime green items, such as matcha and colored apparel, became affiliated with “brat.” According to news publication Today, the “brat” summer trend thus entailed a bold fashion aesthetic in sync with rebellious makeup styles. 

Outside of popular culture, “brat” is also shaking up politics. On July 22, shortly after President Joe Biden announced his decision to drop out of the presidential race, Charli XCX shared her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris on X, tweeting “kamala IS brat.” The post skyrocketed in popularity, receiving over 55 million views. 

Ryan Park Art

Harris’s campaign accounts on TikTok and X quickly capitalized on the high praise, changing their banner to read “kamala hq” in the same design style of “brat”’s cover. Vanity Fair reported that Harris’ TikTok account “Kamala HQ”’s marketing is founded off of videos associating Harris with the “brat” trend. Additionally, many Harris supporters on TikTok have made fan edits to Charli XCX’s songs and even remixed her speeches to the beat; for example, Harris’s remarks about a coconut tree and her laughter were been edited by fans to the tune of the album's lead single “360,” escalating into a viral meme. As a result of this publicity, there was a 62,800% increase in Harris’s mentions on social media, according to Axios.

This is not the first time politicians have tried to appeal to the youth vote. In 2016, Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton infamously exclaimed, “Pokemon go to the polls,” alluding to the popular mobile game among the younger generation at the time. At this year’s Democratic National Convention, Representative Nancy Pelosi was introduced as the “Mother of Dragons,” a reference to  “Game of Thrones.” These tactics helped them gain more popularity and support among younger generations. 

However, Harris’s unique campaign marketing has drawn criticism; conservative opponents such as popular commentator Ben Shapiro claim that the “brat” campaign advertising is childish and will dissuade older voters from supporting Harris. Similarly, her campaign has been condemned as a high risk strategy in an article published by The Guardian, which claimed that voters are ultimately unpredictable and might not be swayed by memes and cultural references. On the contrary, news publication Vox reports that “brat” is funneling optimism from young voters into the  Harris campaign. Vox furthers that young voter interest is spiking; of the over 100,000 new voters who registered to vote in the week after Biden dropped out, 84% were in the young age group of 18-34 years old. 

“Listeners often resonate with singers that share the same values. It is important for politicians to use trends like pop music to connect with the younger audience, but they should be careful. Rather than swaying people to be biased, these trends should be used as a tool to provide information,” Junior Mahika Khosla said. 

Despite “brat”’s simple beginnings as an audacious music album, its powerful messaging has made a notable sway on youth voters in the upcoming election. The album’s long-lasting legacy will lie in the social change it is fostering through “brats" around the world.

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About the Contributors

Winston Chu

staff writer

Winston Chu is a junior at Leland High. This is his second year in Journalism, and his first year as a movie columnist. He enjoys speech and debate, watching television series, and sleeping.

James Yu

Sports editor

James Yu is a Junior at Leland High School and Page Editor for the Sports Section. He loves listening to music and reviewing the newest releases as Music Columnist. Outside of Journalism, he enjoys debating for the debate team, hanging out with friends, and sleeping.

Ryan Park

artist

Ryan Park is an Artist for Advanced Journalism in Leland High School. He wants to be able to improve his drawing skills during his time in Journalism. He likes watching anime, hanging out with his friends, and going to the gym.