Charlotte Emma Aitchison known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. She was born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex.
She began posting songs on Myspace, which led to her discovery by a promoter who invited her to perform at warehouse raves. In 2010, she signed a recording contract with Asylum Records.
Her debut studio album, True Romance was released in 2013 and that year to critical acclaim but failed to meet commercial expectations.
In 2015, Charli XCX began working alongside producers associated with the UK collective PC Music, developing a more experimental sound and image.
In 2021, Charli XCX co-wrote and provided vocals on the Jax Jones and Joel Corry single "Out Out". The singer's fifth album, Crash, was released in March 2022.
In addition to her solo work, Charli XCX has co-written songs for other artists, including Iggy Azalea's "Beg for It" , Selena Gomez's "Same Old Love" , Blondie's "Tonight" etc.
Her father, Jon Aitchison, is a Scottish entrepreneur and former show-booker, and her mother, Shameera, is a former nurse and flight attendant from Gujarati Indian family.
Charli attended Bishop's Stortford College in nearby Bishop's Stortford. While her parents were not very musical, she was interested in pop acts such as the Spice Girls and Britney Spears.
She was billed on flyers under the stage name Charli XCX, which was her MSN Messenger display name when she was young.
Charli XCX previously dated filmmaker Ryan Andrews, who directed numerous music videos at the start of her career, notably "Nuclear Seasons" , "You (Ha Ha Ha)" and "Super Love" .
Charli was in an on and off relationship with Huck Kwong between 2014 and 2021. Kwong used to work as an A&R and they share Emmie Lichtenberg as mutual friends.
In July 2020, she signed an open letter to the UK Equalities minister Liz Truss calling for a ban on all forms of LGBT+ conversion therapy.