Lime green, arial font and songs that emulate the parties of summer. “Brat”, the album, released by Charli XCX, has grown into a global phenomenon.
The album, released on June 7, 2024, quickly rose to popularity and dominated the billboard charts. Not only was the music adored by fans but the aesthetic of the album inspired pop culture references. Following that, the basic album cover became a format for memes and other social media content. Brat was one of the many albums that quickly became popular in 2024.
According to an article published by Sophie Caldwell via Today, “The high-energy dance pop album touches on partying, Von Dutch and womanhood, to name a few themes, and has inspired TikTok dances, memes and fashion trends, leading very online fans to coin a new term: “brat summer.”
Charli XCX’s album “Brat” acts as a noun, verb and adjective simultaneously.
Brat summer
Brat Summer first became a reference that reigned in 2024. It is a fun-loving, party-going summer vibe that younger generations have adopted as a lifestyle. The love for simple lime green, Arial font memes, calling things ‘brat’ and the music the album, brat turned into the largest pop culture reference of the summer.
Additionally, Brat summer overtook the fashion scene in the summer as well. The fashion was completely opposite from Barbie pink, which overtook the summer of 2023. According to Harper’s Bazar, a grungier, laid-back Y2K style inspired many women’s wardrobes.
“I personally love the album and love the mindset she has set with this statement. It is having lasting impacts on our generation because it implies music, fashion and feminism. So I think that is why lots of people like her. It is very empowering, feels like a movement,” Andrea Nunez, ‘28, said.
“Brat” and politics
Toward the end of the summer, when Kamala Harris announced her campaign for president, Charli XCX made an endorsement towards her candidacy. The significant tweet of “kamala is brat,” by Charli XCX, gave more power to the Harris campaign and encouraged younger people to support Harris.
Harris, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, employed various strategies in her campaign. Using the “brat” trend appealed to younger voters.
“Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat”
Another album was released on Oct. 11 by Charli XCX that has become the second part of the original album, “Brat.” The new album, “Brat it’s completely different but also still brat”, features songs created by Charli XCX and other artists. Music artists such as Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish and Lorde, Yung Lean are now all apart of the brat phenomenon.
Equally adored by fans, the second part of the “Brat” album was a stellar addition by Charli XCX. Listeners now have a whole library of brat music.
