Charli XCX’s recent Substack essay, titled The Death of Cool, has everyone divided. While some see it as a refreshingly honest glimpse into their favourite artist’s mind, others are calling it ‘vapid, naval-gazing and self-referential’.
The 360 party girl, 33, defined a season in history like perhaps no artist has before her through the lime green Brat summer of 2024 – and now she’s getting existential.
In her Subtack essay – written to accompany an interview about her satirical Brat summer film The Moment – Von Dutch hitmaker Charli essentially asks the question: can something still be cool when it becomes commercialised?
She reflects on the mass exposure of Brat, and how its message was altered and eventually its ‘cool’ essence diluted as it exploded beyond her creative control.
Brat was so culturally significant, it even appeared in Kamala Harris’ US presidential campaign against Donald Trump. Her Apple dance took over TikTok, and an era of brands trying to ride the wave with lower case, bright green, anti-perfectionism messaging everywhere dawned.
‘I have always rejected the idea that art, film, persona or music becoming commercial means it cannot also be considered cool,’ Charli wrote, explaining: ‘Disliking something purely because of its widespread popularity or links to commercialism comes with a distinctly art school type energy that is super triggering to me.’
While she also added that if art doesn’t come from a truthful place then it’s dead on arrival, Charli said her admittedly ‘inherently lame’ penchant for coolness is rooted in her ‘fear’ of ‘being boring’.
‘I equate ‘coolness’ to being fascinating and interesting 24/7. A 365 party girl was born,’ she added.
The Guess hitmaker then explained where her need to create a niche, obsessive, bold movement with Brat came from, after she attended a gig which was technically good, but ‘one big shrug with a huge air of indifference’.
‘Everyone felt unaffected. Everything felt vague. It was not cool,’ she said, having observed the audience, and concluded: ‘The second you apply a “something for everyone” approach to art in an attempt to deliberately appeal to more people that, in my opinion, is the moment that coolness dies. That is the death of cool.’
Linking it back to Brat, despite her previous conviction something isn’t automatically uncool if it’s commercial, Charli admitted: ‘The more time passed from the album release the more and more bastardized the representations of the album became.
‘These representations were replicated and reproduced and deemed as truthful. This is when I feel that things become broad, things become passé, things become boring.’
Some fans were justifiably confused that Charli explained how mainstream can be cool, but went on to suggest that Brat’s commercialisation made it boring, and by her own definition, uncool in the process.
Concluding, Charli then questions herself, all her points and whether she needs to sit with boredom, before ending the essay with: ‘Maybe if you spin it in the right kind of way with the right kind of confidence and a baseline level of taste anything can be cool? Maybe cool can live forever?’
Critics are calling Charli’s substack ‘vapid’
The essay sparked lots of debate online, with some heavily criticising her words.
‘I found the essay to be far too self-referential, vapid and almost conceited, in a way when talking about the death of being cool because there’s no nuance,’ began bosnianfivehead in a TikTok video which has been liked over 34,000 times.
‘It’s completely through the lens of herself, her friends and the society she groups herself with, which some might say is okay because she’s talking about herself, which I get, but you can’t be talking about the concept at large when you’re only using something so small to reference to.’
The origins of 'cool'
The contemporary meaning of someone who is ‘cool’ emerged during World War II Black jazz culture to define an individual who inspires social change through their art.
In the 1940s only fans and musicians in the genre of Black jazz used the term ‘cool’ in this modern context, and it represented a resistance to being provoked by oppressive social forces.
Charli’s assumption, which she’s based the essay off, that Brat was objectively cool, grated on some people and for others simply didn’t ring true, leading to one big eye-roll response to the Substack post.
‘I appreciate her attempt at honesty and vulnerability but her writing is vapid and she says a lot without saying anything…’ said Shot_Department1080, adding that ‘she needs to try and stop worrying about being seen as anything other than cool because it will stifle her creativity’.
Others said the ‘navel gazing’ over her own art, influence and meaning is ‘deeply off putting’.
My hot take on Charli XCX's The Death of Cool essay
If we take Charli’s Substack essay as an attempt at impactful and serious cultural analysis, it was poor. It left more questions than it answered.
But if we meet it where it’s at, as a glimpse into the mind and musings of a culturally on-beat popstar, it has value.
However, I struggle to empathise with Charli’s insistence that her idea of coolness – bolshy party girl-core – is the antithesis of being boring. If I had to hang out with a 365 party girl who is obsessed with self image I would not be fascinated and riveted. I would be bored. What I’m saying is, my idea of cool and hers do not align.
I am almost her age and can’t imagine anything more exhausting than trying to be cool. But I value Charli’s honesty and vulnerability in admitting this: that is afterall what I think Brat is all about – being an ‘IT girl’ but also admitting your insecurities in the process.
So what Charli could be missing is nuance in her post. Art is subjective, as is coolness.
The meaning of ‘cool’ has changed so much over time since its origins in the post-war Black jazz scene, it’s now almost entirely subjective.
When you release art into the world, it takes a life of its own. It has different meaning to different people. One person might absorb Brat as a cultural licence to smoke cigarettes and be obnoxious. To another, it gave them confidence to strut down the street and tell their cheating partner to do one.
Art being distorted by big brands jumping on a bandwagon of mainstream success will never detract from someone’s first-hand experience of the art itself. That’s what matters: not the image of the art. The real fans matter, not the ones who haven’t listened to Brat and just absorb marketing campaigns.
In short: Charli seems to be thinking too much about what people think of Brat. She’s letting the image of her art overshadow its original value.
But that’s okay: it’s a human response. I’d take her view over a Chat GPT perfectly-crafted cultural analysis any day…
Fans are defending Charli’s post
Others called Charli’s Substack post healthy introspection and an interesting glimpse into the mind of one of the biggest popstars of our time.
‘I personally like hearing artists like Charli, and Sabrina, who have been working artists for years with smaller dedicated fanbases and have now skyrocketed to main pop girl status, talking about their experiences. I think it’s interesting. It doesn’t have to be profound to be worth sharing. It’s a unique experience!’ said duochromepalmtree on Reddit.
‘How long until people bully her out of being honest on Substack? lol I love that she’s sharing her thoughts, it’s a fun and uniquely honest glimpse into her world,’ added Time_Value_3073.
Others defended Charli’s post as a stream of consciousness diary entry, not an attempt at a serious New Yorker style cultural analysis, and so it shouldn’t be critiqued like one.
So what can we take away from Charli’s ‘cool’ essay?
Charli touches on interesting ideas: when something is commercialised as Brat was, can it retain its soul? Can art be commodified and pure?
While Charli isn’t giving us any answers, she’s asking clearly debatable questions, if the hundreds of comments are anything to go by.
Some noted that while Charli is seemingly obsessed with the idea of being cool – which many, including herself, have pointed out is inherently uncool – at least she’s being honest.
We all, to some degree, care about our image and she’s just an amplified version of this.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
