Charlie XCX reflected on identity and belonging in a candid new conversation. The “Brat” hitmaker linked her creative fire to growing up mixed-race in Britain. In the recent sit-down with Yung Lean, the British pop star described how early exclusion shaped her voice and choices. The exchange came right after a career peak for the singer, from a chart-rattling album to her first steps in the world of cinema. Following the interview, fans are also praising how background and ambition intersect in Charlie XCX’s life story.
Charli XCX admits feeling ‘displaced’ in new interview
In the interview with Dazed Digital, Charlie XCX recalled feeling on the margins at school. The singer added that she “never felt accepted,” citing comments about being “half-Indian and not blonde.” Furthermore, she explained that she did not fully relate to her Indian side either, which left a “weird, displaced feeling.”
That tension, she noted, pushed her toward “leftfield” pop rather than chasing the safest lane. The Grammy winner said, ” I never felt accepted where I went, whether that was in school for being half-Indian and not blonde, or not fully relating to my Indian self because I was half-white.”
She then connected identity to her recent momentum, saying, “I feel like I used to be very afraid. Not since 2016, really, but prior to that I was very afraid.” After “Brat,” she admitted that her musical inspiration briefly dipped. However, film work and visual world-building kept her engaged.
For context, Charli XCX emerged from the underground scene before building a catalog that often rejected falling into any particular category. Meanwhile, collaborators like Yung Lean shared that appetite for genre collision.
Career-wise, the pop star described making music as its own kind of magic, where vulnerability is an engine rather than a liability. Additionally, she gave a nod to the freedom that comes from accepting complexity instead of sanding it down. Altogether, her comments mapped a clear arc. Charli XCX felt out of place early on in her life, but turned that adversity into fuel, and now treats her heritage as power.
