Charli XCX isn't a 'political artist' despite her 'Kamala is brat' viral post

While a single X post shared by Charli xcx represented a significant shift in the presidential campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris, a new profile in Vulture speculates whether it was a "brand misstep."

Brat summer is still in full effect, and in the days after Harris announced her run for the presidency, xcx casually tweeted "kamala is brat" by the pool. That post went viral, currently has 334,000 likes, and was even a talking point on Fox News. "We don't need a brat in this moment," said one panelist. "The border is open. Inflation’s through the roof. The price of gas has doubled. Brats did this."

She meant it more as "something positive and lighthearted," according to Vulture, and xcx earnestly reflected on the moment.

"To be on the right side of democracy, the right side of women’s rights, is hugely important to me," xcx said. "I'm happy to help to prevent democracy from failing forever.”

She added that she "obviously knew what I was doing," but she didn't expect it to blow up quite how it did, and to be taken so seriously.

"Did I think me talking about being a messy bitch and, like, partying and needing a Bic lighter and a pack of Marlboro Lights would end up on CNN? No." She doesn't regret it but made a point to add that she does not want to be "a political artist."

"I'm not Bob Dylan, and I've never pretended to be," she said. "My music is not political. Everything I do in my life feeds back into my art. Everything I say, wear, think, enjoy — it all funnels back into my art. Politics doesn't feed my art."

For the feature, the pop star had a concept photoshoot by David LaChapelle. She goes on to talk vaguely about her becoming a "main pop girlie," Taylor Swift, and new music she's working on.