Charli XCX has revealed the five songs from her catalogue that mean the most to her, offering fans a personal look back across her career. Speaking during an interview on SPIN’s Lipps Service, the singer-songwriter selected tracks spanning more than a decade of releases, from her 2011 breakthrough to the Brat era.
The 33-year-old, who has recently released her eighth studio album, Music, Fashion, Film, also reflected on how the new record came together after she initially planned to take a break from making music.
Charli XCX names her five favourite songs
Asked to choose the standout songs from her own discography, Charli XCX picked:
- Stay Away (True Romance, 2011)
- Next Level Charli (Charli, 2019)
- 365 (Remix) featuring Shygirl (Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat, 2024)
- Track 10 (Pop 2, 2017)
- Vroom Vroom (Vroom Vroom EP, 2016)
Explaining why Stay Away remains so important to her, Charli reflected on releasing her first official single.
“I just love that song. I think for me it’s very sentimental, just because it was the first sort of official song I put out. I still to this day kind of go back and listen to it, and I’m kind of like, ‘Wow, like that was really cool.’”
She also described Next Level Charli as a song that gives her a “euphoric” feeling whenever she hears it.
Discussing the 365 (Remix) with Shygirl, Charli joked about the track’s inspiration.
“It’s kind of about not knowing when to leave the party, which I really have an issue with.”
No One Lasts Forever gets a special mention
Although it was not part of her official top five, Charli also highlighted No One Lasts Forever, a bonus track from her new album Music, Fashion, Film.
The closing song explores themes of mortality, art and fame, and features recordings from a conversation between Charli and filmmaker David Cronenberg during a visit to Toronto.
Charli XCX says her new album was unexpected
Charli also revealed that Music, Fashion, Film was never part of her original plans.
After releasing Brat in 2024 and working on the soundtrack for the 2026 film Wuthering Heights, she intended to take a creative break before inspiration changed her mind.
Speaking on the Pop Pod podcast, she explained:
“After Brat and Wuthering heights, I really felt like I would not make music for a minute, that I would have some sort of creative pause …
“Especially mid-way through Wuthering Heights I was kind of like: ‘I wonder what I have to say … that’s left within me’.
“Then one day inspiration struck and hit me. And I’m a big believer in the idea that once you get that gift of inspiration, you kind of have to go with it because you never know how long it will last, whether you will ever get it again.
“So I really feel like when that happens, it almost like bubbled to the surface and I have to just get it out. So that’s what happened with this.”
She added:
“It totally took me by surprise. I really was not thinking I would be making a record. But then one day I just had this thought and this idea that began, these initial seeds of Music, Fashion, Film and I just had to go with it.”
From True Romance to Music, Fashion, Film
Charli XCX’s selections span every stage of her evolution as an artist, from the dark synth-pop of True Romance through the experimental sound of Pop 2, the cult status of Vroom Vroom, and the commercial success of the Brat era.
Her comments also offer insight into how she views her own catalogue, with songs chosen not only for their popularity but also for their personal significance.
