Charli XCX

Charli XCX is the only child of Jon Aitchison, a Scottish entrepreneur, and Shameera Aitchison, who was born to an Indian family in Uganda and worked as a nurse and flight attendant. She has described growing up between her Scottish and Indian backgrounds, with Bollywood films and Gujarati spoken during visits to her mother’s family.

She has been married to George Daniel, the drummer of The 1975, since July 2025. They met in 2021 while working on a project together, became engaged in November 2023, and held a private London wedding followed by a larger celebration in Sicily. Daniel has also produced several of her songs and influenced her approach to developing music.

Charli XCX began writing songs as a teenager and used money loaned by her parents to record her first self-funded album, 14, when she was 14. She posted songs and demos on MySpace in 2008, which led to invitations to perform at warehouse raves and parties in London. She began playing live shows at 16 and adopted the name Charli XCX, later explaining that “XCX” had no specific meaning and was chosen because it looked cool and sounded catchy.

Her early performances led to a recording contract with Asylum Records in 2010. She studied fine art at the Slade School of Fine Art in London but left during her second year to pursue music. In Los Angeles, she worked with producer Ariel Rechtshaid on songs including “Stay Away” and “Nuclear Seasons,” both of which appeared on her debut studio album, True Romance, in 2013.

Charli XCX co-wrote “I Love It” with producer Patrik Berger, but the song was ultimately recorded by the Swedish duo Icona Pop with Charli’s vocals retained. Released in 2012, it became a number-one hit in the United Kingdom and reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.

She co-wrote and featured on Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in 2014 and received two Grammy nominations. Charli’s first major solo hit, “Boom Clap,” appeared on The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack and reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was later included on her second studio album, Sucker, which became her first top-40 album in the United Kingdom.

Her songwriting credits also include Selena Gomez’s “Same Old Love,” Madison Beer’s “Hurts Like Hell,” and “Señorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello. She has collaborated on her own recordings with artists including Troye Sivan, Lorde, Lizzo, Rita Ora, Bebe Rexha, Cardi B, and Billie Eilish.

Charli XCX adopted a more experimental sound on the 2016 EP Vroom Vroom, working with DJ and producer Sophie. She also established the avant-garde pop label Vroom Vroom Recordings that year. Her later releases included the mixtapes Number 1 Angel and Pop 2, followed by the albums Charli in 2019, How I’m Feeling Now in 2020, and Crash in 2022.

Her sixth studio album, Brat, was released in 2024 and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. Its bright green artwork, rebellious aesthetic, and song “Apple” helped inspire the “brat summer” trend and a viral dance routine. The album’s remix project, Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat, included a new version of “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish.

At the 2025 Grammy Awards, Charli won three awards connected with Brat, including Best Dance/Electronic Album, Best Dance Pop Recording for “Von dutch,” and Best Recording Package. The album also earned nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year for “360,” and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Guess.”

Charli XCX contributed “Speed Drive” to the soundtrack of Greta Gerwig’s 2023 film Barbie. She also composed the Wuthering Heights soundtrack for Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel. The soundtrack included “House,” a collaboration with avant-garde composer John Cale, and “Chains of Love.”

Her screen work began with voice roles in the animated series Major Lazer and films including The Angry Birds Movie and UglyDolls. She later appeared in Sacrifice, Erupcja, The Gallerist, and Faces of Death.

In The Moment, Charli co-wrote and starred in a mockumentary about a pop star dealing with fame and the pressures of success. She also appeared as herself in the television series Overcompensating and took a role in I Want Your Sex.