Just eight months after issuing her acclaimed album Charli, Charli XCX is making a new full-length while under quarantine, and is sharing every step of her process with fans.
Last week, the British pop singer-songwriter caught up with Billboard to discuss the experience of looping in her supporters on the creation of the aptly titled How I’m Feeling Now, the most unexpected aspect of this new process, and why she’s considering not having any featured artists on the album. “This project should not be about a lot of features,” Charli told Billboard, “just because it doesn’t feel totally that genuine to the situation that I’m in.”
However, Charli mentioned that her good friend Christine and the Queens did reach out about collaborating again after guesting on the Charli standout “Gone.” They’ve also kicked around the idea of completing a joint project someday: “We’ve spoken about it,” Charli says. “Whether it will happen or not, I don’t know, but the idea is in the universe, for sure.”
Charli also discussed the experience of creating a new album while quarantining with her boyfriend, Huck Kwong, and how it’s “added a new dynamic” to their relationship. “When it comes to writing songs about someone who’s literally sat in the next room, that is a new experience, and it’s a little weird,” the singer-songwriter says with a smile. “Luckily the songs have all been pretty positive, so it’s not like I’m singing anything too brutal, at the moment.”
Charli XCX’s How I’m Feeling Now is due out on May 15. Watch the full discussion above, and check out the music video for her most recent track, “Claws”:
