Just when we thought Charli xcx‘s brat era was winding down, it’s gone and snatched the crown as Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year, proving that brat summer really is forever.
Charli’s latest album brat dropped earlier this year, sparking what can only be described as a cultural phenomenon. Our Mother of hyperpop unleashed a (northern hemisphere) summer of unapologetic bangers that had us all feeling like the main character in our own coming-of-age film.
The term brat quickly evolved from a mere album title to a full-blown lifestyle. Suddenly, everyone and their dog was having a ‘brat summer’ even as we freezed our butts off in neon green and fishnets at the club during Aussie winter. Everyone channelled their inner rebellious teen and lived their best chaotic lives.
Now, Collins Dictionary has officially recognised ‘brat’ as the word that defined 2024 and I couldn’t agree more!
“brat has become one of the most talked about words of 2024,” Collins said.
It “resonated with people globally and ‘brat summer’ established itself as an aesthetic and a way of life”. PERIOD!!!!
Other fun words that made the list of 10 words to represent 2024 include “era”, “brainrot” (I feel seen), “yapping” ( also feel seen) and “rawdogging” (I wish I hadn’t have seen this).
The dictionary previously define brat as someone who “behaves badly or annoys you.”, but it can now be “characterised by a confident, independent and hedonistic attitude”. Charli out here changing actual definitions is simply icon behaviour.
This linguistic win comes at an interesting time for our pop queen. Charli’s been hinting at hanging up her microphone to pursue acting, which has rightfully left us questioning our lives. She told Billboard about her thoughts: “I saw this tweet the other day that was like, ‘Does anyone think that this is Charli’s last album?’… Then I was like, ‘Actually, that could be cool if I didn’t really make music anymore after this’.
“I’m definitely thinking about it because I really want to act. I don’t know. I’m just so deep in this, I can’t see outside of ‘BRAT,’ but it’s funny.”
So anyways I’ll never forgive that rogue fan who tweeted such a bonkers prediction.
In all seriousness, Charli is set to star in multiple upcoming films including an Olivia Wilde project and a film called Erupcja alongside Jeremy O Harris. It’s giving multi-hyphenate queen!
Fingers crossed this dictionary win might just be the sign Charli needs to keep blessing our ears with bops. After all, who walks away when they’re at the top of their game? RIGHT??
One thing is for sure, while the Sweat Tour with Troye Sivan might be over, Charli xcx’s reign is far from finished as brat summer lives on!
Lead image: Charli xcx/Instagram
