The cost of summery, youth-led music is steep as much in the 1980s as the 2020s, as revealed in documentaries about Charli XCX and A-ha, fin
Wanted to write something about Charli’s paradoxical participation/exploitation of fans when she was making the album. this article is interesting… Only watched the doc last night - and was hoping for something more honest than the millennial meets gen z insta-anxiety sad-emoji marketing campaign that it is. It feels like the comodification of ”process”, of queerness and of fandom. i couldnt help but think about the trans South American fan who features (great point in this article btw) and the struggles they have faced - and yet they still look onto Charli in her LA spacious set up with service workers: therapists, yoga teachers , producers and “boyfriend” as an icon. I’m left questioning why Charli’s performance of bratty hetero woman-child is so admired by queer teens. We need icons in pop who can share vulnerability but also show how to be responsible. The ”i’m crying” brand seeks to re-inforce fan protection over Charli in the co-dependent way that both enables her and their own sadness. Stuck in angry-child syndrome. I’d like to see Charli grow up, to take responsibility, and show her fans that crying for likes is just business - and will not necessarily bring them happiness.
