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Charli XCX may well have just had the greatest year of her career. In June 2024, the British musician released Brat, and from then on, the Brat hype completely took over our everyday lives — even earning dedicated SNL segments for what may well take home Album of the Year at the Grammys.
After releasing the album, the 32-year-old singer went on to drop two deluxe versions: Brat and It’s the Same but There’s Three More Songs So It’s Not and Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat, featuring 20 artists across all the tracks. Both editions were an undeniable success, and frankly, it was a pop culture shift in the making.
Just recently, however, the singer veered away from the lime green aesthetic and threw a curveball by releasing a limited-edition vinyl for the Brat remix album — filled with… white powder, and the reception was less than ideal.
This creative choice is, unsurprisingly, tied to the fact that much of Charli’s music revolves around, well, illicit activities. She has openly shared that she frequently DJs and attends clubs — and while we can’t say for certain whether she partakes in these activities herself, her lyrics suggest, at face value, that she has an affinity for party stimulants.
However, despite the vinyl’s creative and unconventional design, many netizens find the choice distasteful, criticizing Charli for “glorifying drug abuse” and arguing that the “normalization of drugs has caused irreparable damage to society.” One user also expressed their desire to “move away” from the increasing mainstream acceptance of drug culture.
These users are undoubtedly right — according to a study conducted by Gallup, “the effects of substance abuse are felt by around half of all American families.” Drug abuse remains a prominent issue and will likely continue to shape the lives of many Americans for years to come. But we seem to be losing recipes here.
While these concerns are entirely valid, many fans argue that the backlash is missing the point, dismissing the outrage as an “overreaction” and labeling critics as “overly woke” for reading too much into the vinyl’s white powder — which is likely a nod to cocaine. And honestly, they might have a point.
After all, one of the most common criticisms across the web is that “underage” and “impressionable” young audiences may normalize drug use. However, this critique is entirely nonsensical because, if you, as a parent, allow your underage child to freely roam social media, listening to and praising Brat and its lyrics, perhaps the artist isn’t the one at fault. After all, no one is obligated to cater their art to anyone’s kids.
Moreover, music and drugs have been intertwined since the dawn of time. A significant portion of The Beatles’ discography and its promotion reportedly revolved around psychedelic and hallucinogenic drugs like LSD, which the members allegedly frequently used.
Similarly, many other bands and musicians have centered their music and marketing around themes of illicit activities. Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, Miley Cyrus, and The Weeknd are just a few prominent artists who have openly incorporated their experiences with drugs into their work. But maybe, we drew the line between music and drugs a bit too late — but that time seems to be now.
Perhaps though, this widespread reaction is due to overexposure, as a woman in the limelight often faces audience fatigue — because, well, misogyny. Or maybe it’s the result of fandom wars leading to excessive critique. Or, perhaps, we’ve simply reached a point where expressing oneself freely through art is no longer acceptable. Whatever the reason, maybe brat just isn’t brat enough anymore.