Charli XCX couldn't help but feel some jealousy when Lorde's career got a strong headstart in the 2010s.
The singer–who's releasing her upcoming sixth album, Brat, on June 7–chatted with Rolling Stone UK about the self-comparisons made between her and Lorde over a decade ago. In 2013, Charli and Lorde released their debut albums, True Romance and Pure Heroine, respectively, with the "Royals" vocalist debuting at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 while Charli's LP made No. 5 on the US Heatseekers Albums chart. During a past interview, a journalist even mistook Charli for Lorde, although the "Speed Drive" artist played along with the comment.
“When ‘Royals’ came out, I was super jealous of the success that that song got, and that Ella got," Charli told RS UK, referring to Lorde's birth name. "You piece all this stuff together in your brain, like: ‘She was into my music. She had big hair; I had big hair. She wore black lipstick; I once wore black lipstick.’ You create these parallels and think, ‘Well, that could have been me.’"
She continued, "But it couldn’t have because we’re completely different people. I wasn’t making music that sounded anything like ‘Royals’. I think you just read what you want into it because you’re feeling insecure about your own work."
But Charli expressed that the two have been friendly in the years since. “You get over it and then you try to figure out all the things that are unique about you and you pursue that, and then probably in five months’ time you have a breakdown about something else,” she continued.
Comparisons should no longer get to Charli, since the singer is nearly six albums into her career, and was honored by Billboard in March. Following the release of Brat, in September, Charli will embark on the Sweat Tour with Troye Sivan and special guest Shygirl.
