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Taylor Swift has entered Chicago.
But before they can see all that, theyre going to see Charli XCX.
Well, some of them are.
When Charli takes the stage at 7:10 p.m., the arena is about a third full.
Its a bit like hiring a drunk clown.
Tonight, Charli does seven songs.
After dutiful shoutouts to Swift and the other opener, Camila Cabello, Charli XCX leaves the stage.
On one level, Charli might seem like an offbeat choice for theReputationtour.
A lot of people know the songs Ive written but not necessarily who I am, she says.
I am massively aware of that.
Charli does not generally struggle with self-awareness.
Then, a beat later: Its a bit cringey when you say it yourself, though.
On the bright side, the tour is great exposure for Charli.
Its essentially a summer internship in being an A-list pop star.
I am living a double life right now, Charli says.
Or maybe its a triple life.
Theres the performer Charli XCX you get on the tour.
At 26,Charli has spent nearly half her life performing.
(XCX comes from her first screen name.)
This was the sound that was going to make her a star, and did, for a time.
Charlis new music is different.
Charli calls her collaboration with the pair a 360 thing.
(It helps that she has a mild synesthesia, and sees each of her songs as colors.)
Sometimes the way Charli talks about Sophie and A.G. makes them sound almost more like life coaches than producers.
(Confidence is a funny subject with Charli.
Whenever anyone is like, Who are you listening to?
Im like, Myself. )
As a result, pop now is just a niche like any other.
When I ask Charli about this, she shrugs.
Streaming lets you be whoever you want to be.
Your success isnt dependent on whether someones going to buy your CD at Target.
But its hard to avoid entirely.
Why the fuck are we thinking about that when were writing a fucking song?
Charli prefers not to think about much when shes writing a fucking song.
She puts down lyrics in a rush of inspiration and loathes revisiting her work.
Im just trying to create cute imagery and write dumb stuff, she says.
Either its good or its not.
She hates long vocal runs, and jazz chords make her skin crawl.
But other than that, she says, No rules is the best way for me to write.
The second I set boundaries, it gets a bit boring.
Where she confesses to being a bit snobby is in the producers and songwriters she works with.
I just freak out.
You know how people are always like,Write what you know?
For Charli, a pop song is simply a vessel for listeners to channel their own experiences through.
Its not worth getting precious about.
Still, she has fun making her mass confections.
Theres no responsibility, she says.
Ora and Cardi apologized and were more or less forced to come out as bi to defuse the controversy.
In the VIP section, someones kindly left a pair of (unused) Hitachi vibrators on the table.
There are multiple women wearing T-shirts that saydyke, and plenty of exposed nipples.
(Later, Charli steals my notebook.
Next to the bit about nipples she writes, V great!)
Tonight is that dream come true.
When it comes to writing songs, Charli doesnt think anything about herself or her life actually matters.
But when it comes to performance, she agrees that kind of thing absolutely does.
This is not Charli XCXs mode of pop stardom.
She mentions the Chicago rapper Cupcakke, who has afeature onPop 2.
I tap out around 4 a.m., but Charli stays on.
She just released a song called 5 in the Morning, and shes got a reputation to uphold.
