Story 17: “Charlie XCX’s fight for artistic autonomy in the pop industry has made her one of the genre’s most exciting artists”
This article is written by Nic Roy for the Women’s History Month Special Issue and follows the challenges and triumphs of pop star Charli XCX as a woman in the music industry. At the beginning of Charli’s career, she signed with the label Atlantic Records in 2010. Her second album titled “Sucker” was pushed to lean more towards pop than punk by her label in order to appeal to a wider audience, as her first album did not gain much financial success. Following the release of “Sucker,” Charli became very successful and more well-known in the industry. This put Charli in a difficult situation where she had to choose between making music to please her label or follow a style that was more genuine to her. Being a woman in the industry, she often had to fight with her label to get any say in things as they would treat her “like a little girl.” As she continued on in her career, Charlie has been able to expand her style and work with producers such as SOPHIE who helped her become a pioneer in the music genre of “hyper-pop.” From this point on Charlie was able to gain success and a devoted fanbase while following a unique style of music she loves creating.
