Charli XCX Channeled ‘Desire, Chaos, and Destruction’ in ‘Brat’ Mission Statement

In 2025, Pinterest manifestation boards are out, and sprawling declarations of success and artistic visions written in all caps are in. After all, it worked for Charli XCX. On her private Instagram account, the musician revealed the mission statement she created for Brat in 2023, one year before the blockbuster album was released. The post outlined everything from the album’s minimalist artwork to its marketing and release plan.

“There is no explanation for what I do. The answer is always ‘no comment,’” Charli wrote. “We must cultivate desire, chaos, and destruction. The whole album campaign is high art. But it is also crucial to understand the benefit of low art and celebrity. The coupling of the two is vital.”

Balancing the high- and low-art perception of Brat proved to be one of the most successful elements of its marketing. It’s what allowed the record to be revered in a critical sense but also integrated into the lives and personal styles of the most willing participants in its audience. But Charli didn’t fully uphold the “no comment” element of her plan. That was for the best, too.

When the Brat album artwork was unveiled in February, its simple and bizarre cover — the album title printed in lowercase against a bright green background — wasn’t immediately embraced. But it was intriguing. When artists like Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, and Taylor Swift also revealed album covers that did not prominently feature their images, Charli ditched her “no comment” to elevate the conversation. “I think the constant demand for access to women’s bodies and faces in our album artwork is mysoginistic and boring,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in March.

In her mission statement, Charli declared: “The artwork for Brat will be obnoxious, arrogant, and bold. Some people will hate it. It will be heavily text based, either font on a plain background or some kind of painting on a wall or disregarded object.” In October, the artist told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that she went with the minimalist design to save money because she thought the album wouldn’t appeal to many people.

“I knew that a lot of people would be sort of frustrated or disappointed by it. And I think for me it’s like I would rather have those conversations, which actually in some cases became quite explosive, than a picture where people are like, ‘She looks good,’” she said at the time. “It’s like I enjoy the conversation because that’s what I enjoy about music myself.”

Despite even internal pushback within her team, Charli stayed true to her own vision. That was part of the plan, too. “You need to understand my vision,” she wrote. “This is global. I will provide momentum and tell the story in a laser [focused] way. We must execute everything with power and confidence. The angels are ready and waiting. This is the moment.”

When she envisioned that moment in particular, bringing the music to her fans, she pictured sweaty bodies and blaring speakers. One slide of her mission statement focused solely on introducing Brat in a rave setting. “This should be the first thing I announce,” she wrote. Sure enough, Charli hosted a Boiler Room set at a Brooklyn warehouse in February — almost two weeks before announcing the album.

“I will play unfinished demos for the first time and have other collaborators who are working on the album DJ too,” she wrote, referencing future appearances from A.G. Cook, George Daniel, and more. Those same DJs later flipped songs from the album for the remix album Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat. “We will make edits. Many edits. It will be the first time anyone hears snippets of the music from Brat but no one will know what they are hearing. Eventually, these DJ sets will be referenced and looked back upon.”

In the hazy space of the final few days leading into the new year, take a page from the Brat book. It’s less about “I want” and more about “I will,” as though it’s already happened. It worked for Charli.