Charli xcx on quitting social media: 'Worst place mentally in my life'
Synopsis
Charli xcx has described her current mental state as the worst of her life — a striking admission from an artist whose Brat era earned three Grammys and redefined online pop culture. Her deliberate retreat from social media, paired with a sharp creative pivot on new album Music, Fashion, Film, signals that the most internet-native pop star of her generation is betting on intimacy over virality.
Key Takeaways
Charli xcx told Rolling Stone she is 'in the worst place mentally' of her life and has significantly reduced her social media use.
Her 2024 album Brat earned three Grammy wins and became a cultural phenomenon, but brought overwhelming public scrutiny.
Her anxiety became physically debilitating: 'It got to a place where my anxiety was physically affecting me,' she said.
She has cut back on coffee, restructured her work habits, and is spending more time with husband George Daniel of The 1975 .
New album Music, Fashion, Film is in progress; lead single 'Rock Music' has already sparked debate online.
She has ruled out a Brat sequel: 'It's not creatively rewarding for me to make the same thing twice.'
Singer Charli xcx has revealed she is deliberately stepping back from social media, describing her current mental state as the lowest point of her life, in a candid interview with Rolling Stone. The disclosure comes as the British pop star prepares to launch her next album era, Music, Fashion, Film, following the runaway cultural success of Brat.
In Her Own Words
'I have actually been a lot more offline,' Charli said. 'I don't really look as much anymore. It's just better for my brain.' The singer, whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison, was candid about the severity of what she has been experiencing. 'I recently have been really struggling with my mental health to the point where, if I'm being real, I'm in the worst place mentally that I've been in my life,' she said.
She acknowledged the apparent contradiction for an artist who built her identity online. 'I know people probably won't believe me, because I am inherently, at least in the past, a very online artist,' she noted.
How Brat Changed Everything
Brat, released in June 2024, was far more than a commercial success. The album dominated charts, generated a wave of memes, earned three Grammy wins, and transformed its signature lime-green aesthetic into a full-blown cultural moment. But the scale of that breakthrough brought pressures Charli had not previously encountered.
The relentless online discourse surrounding her career, combined with the demands of touring and sustained public scrutiny, eventually became unmanageable. 'It got to a place where my anxiety was physically affecting me, and I can't actually proceed in life like that,' she said. 'The discourse is loud, and sometimes that can be very overwhelming.'
Life Changes Beyond the Screen
Charli's recalibration extends beyond reducing screen time. She has cut back on coffee, restructured her approach to work, and is spending more time with her husband, The 1975 drummer George Daniel. She has also begun hosting intimate fan events — small, face-to-face gatherings centred on art, creativity, and music — as a more grounded alternative to parasocial online engagement.
'Things have changed now. I'm interested in making things really intimate between me and my audience, and sitting down one-on-one with a person and having a conversation,' she said.
What Comes Next: Music, Fashion, Film
Her forthcoming album Music, Fashion, Film has already generated significant online debate, led by the single 'Rock Music' — a distortion-heavy track featuring the declaration that 'the dance floor is dead.' Fans have been divided over whether the pivot signals reinvention, provocation, or both.
Charli has made clear that revisiting the Brat formula is not on the table. 'I knew when I was making it that I was never going to make that record again. It's not creatively rewarding for me to make the same thing twice. All of my albums work in opposites. They repel against each other, and that's the connective tissue,' she said.
She closed with a line that frames the entire shift: 'I want to live my life exactly the way that I want to live it, because I don't get a redo.' With Music, Fashion, Film on the horizon, how Charli navigates the tension between a quieter personal life and a very public artistic identity will be closely watched.
Point of View
The artist at the centre loses control of the narrative entirely. Her retreat from social media is less a lifestyle choice and more a structural response to a machine that consumes its own creators. The more interesting question is whether Music, Fashion, Film can generate heat without the online intimacy that made Brat possible — or whether Charli is quietly rewriting the rules of pop fandom in real time.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has Charli xcx stepped back from social media?
Charli xcx said she reduced her social media use because the constant online discourse was overwhelming and her anxiety had become physically debilitating. 'It got to a place where my anxiety was physically affecting me, and I can't actually proceed in life like that,' she told Rolling Stone.
What did Charli xcx say about her mental health?
She described her current state as the lowest point of her life. 'I recently have been really struggling with my mental health to the point where, if I'm being real, I'm in the worst place mentally that I've been in my life,' she said in the Rolling Stone interview.
What is Charli xcx's new album Music, Fashion, Film?
Music, Fashion, Film is Charli xcx's upcoming album, following 2024's Brat. Its lead single 'Rock Music' — featuring distorted guitars and the lyric 'the dance floor is dead' — has already sparked debate about her creative direction.
Will Charli xcx make a Brat sequel?
No. Charli has explicitly ruled it out, saying 'It's not creatively rewarding for me to make the same thing twice. All of my albums work in opposites. They repel against each other, and that's the connective tissue.'
How many Grammys did Brat win?
Brat earned three Grammy wins. Released in June 2024, the album also dominated charts and turned its lime-green aesthetic into a widely recognised cultural symbol.
