Music
6 Artists We Want Charli xcx To Write For
The singer is putting pen to paper for other musicians, but hasn’t revealed who.
You’d think after releasing two albums in the span of a year, Charli xcx would be sick of the studio by now. Far from it; on Nov. 5, the singer confirmed she’s been working on new music — but it’s not what you think. “Been in the studio a lot lately. Not for myself. Writing with other artists and it feels good,” she wrote on X. This instantly piqued our interest, as most of Charli’s biggest hits were written for other people: Selena Gomez’s “Same Old Love,” Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s “Señorita,” Katseye’s “Gabriela,” and who could forget Anne Hathaway’s haunting electro-pop number “Burial”? (Justice for Mother Mary).
Here at NYLON, we’re not in the business of betting. Instead, we’d much rather use our collective energy to manifest the outcome that we so desire. Sometimes our dreams never see the light of day (let’s try again next award season, Kylie Jenner?), while other times we’re right on the money (hope you’re all enjoying your Phoebe Bridgers fall, BTW). So in honor of this exciting update, we’re testing our luck yet again — this time, with a list of all the artists we’d love to see Charli writing for. If there were ever a time for us to be correct, let it be this one.
Addison Rae
Starting off with the most plausible collaboration on this list, Addison Rae. Given that they’ve already worked together in the past, it’s not crazy for us to assume that Charli would jump at the chance to write for Rae again. Not to mention, the two occupy very similar spaces within pop music as they both walk in the lineage of their pop foremothers Britney Spears and Madonna, while also frequently paying homage to more niche alt-pop legends like Björk and Kate Bush.
Adéla
Charli has always had an eye for the next big thing (see above), and we know Charli is a fan of Adéla due to the fact that she invited the “Nicole Kidman” singer to join her on stage last month. Adéla’s got a hunger for pop stardom that Charli definitely knows how to cater to (see above x2), and after seeing the duo all buddy-buddy at the Airbnb.org Gala last week, it’s possible that a collaboration may already be in the works.
Tinashe
Tinashe is arguably having the biggest moment of her career, and Charli is a Day One uplifter. As a result, we’d love to hear Tinashe explore the pearls and pitfalls of her post-Popstar fame on a “I Think About It All The Time”-like track, one that allows her to process her emotions in real time through a stream of consciousness, written with the help of her trusted friend Charlotte.
PinkPantheress
Not that PinkPantheress needs any help in the writing department, it would be really interesting to see these two Brits coming together. With Charli’s indelible ear for melody and Pink’s signature UK garage production, this song would be an instant radio hit and essential addition to the fabric of gay guy music video nights for generations to come.
Dua Lipa
The two are longtime friends so you know they’d have an instant chemistry in the studio, and if there’s someone who not only understands the musical language of Dua Lipa, but can hone and refine her sound into something fresh for her next era, it’s Charli xcx. We know you’re in the studio, Dua — let’s make something happen.
The Marías
Out of all the names on this list, this partnership might be the most far-fetched of them all, but that only makes us want it more. After the back-to-back genre shifts that were Wuthering Heights and Music, Fashion, Film, it would be really great to see Charli pushing the boundaries of her artistry even further into an indie-pop direction. The Marías would be the perfect avatar for such an experiment, though we’d be open to other names like Beabadoobee and Girl In Red as well.
