Pop icon Charli XCX has teased ‘a different kind of summer’ during her Coachella set, sparking fan theories about a potential new album and what the next era of her pop reign will entail
Charli XCX has sparked a frenzy on social media after closing her 2025 Coachella performance with a very ambiguous message. Fans are now convinced a new era or album could be on the horizon. The British pop star, 32, delivered back-to-back weekends of euphoric chaos, bringing out surprise guests including Troye Sivan and Lorde. But it was a cryptic on-stage message that really stole the show.
Released in June 2024, Brat soared in the charts and inspired a movement rooted in self-love, bold femininity and neon green chaos. Charli then did what only Charli would do: release a deluxe edition titled “Brat: It’s the same, but with three more songs, so it’s not”. The gloriously unhinged name was quickly embraced by fans, with new tracks like “Hello Goodbye” and “Spring Breakers” only deepening the Brat lore. Now, almost a year later, the resurgence of “Party On U”, a Brat-era bop, has sparked new TikTok trends and kept the album alive online.
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But with her recent “different kind of summer” tease, fans are split: is she building towards something entirely new, or just flipping the Brat energy into a new form? After nearly a year of brat supremacy, the cryptic tone suggests she’s ready to pivot.
As Charli finished her Coachella set, the words “Maybe it’s time for a different kind of summer?” lit up the big screen in her trademark dramatic bold font. She later shared the moment on Instagram with the teasing caption: “coming soon…”
The Instagram post included a carousel of behind-the-scenes snaps, one featuring Addison Rae, another showing American artist The Dare. But fans were most fixated on a closing video asking: “Does this mean that brat summer is finally over????”
The message continued: “Maybe it’s time for a different kind of brat summer? Maybe it’s time for me to let go? Maybe it’s time to make way for…” Fans, naturally, lost it.
On X, formerly Twitter, ‘Bratchella’ is trending once more following her consecutive weekend performances at Coachella. Pop lovers speculated everything from a full album drop to a dramatic rebrand. “She’s evolving again, I just know it,” one fan posted.
Meanwhile, over on Letterboxd, users have jokingly transformed Charli’s Coachella set into a full-blown film titled ‘Bratchella: Charli XCX Live at Coachella 2025’. The listing, although entirely fake, has become a space for fans to leave heartfelt and hilarious five-star reviews.
“I’m not saying Charli cured my anxiety, but I haven’t worried about a single thing since I watched this,” one wrote. While another said: “BRATCHELLA IS MY RELIGION NOW.”
Another user remarked: “This was the best thing ever… Troye, then Lorde, then Billie???” While one review simply read: “I feel her. I understand her.”
It’s a fitting tribute to the Brat era, which became a full-on cultural movement in 2024. The album, released in June 2024, inspired a wave of sultry, confident, Y2K-fuelled expression that was impossible to ignore.
Charli’s influence was cemented at the 2025 BRIT Awards, where she picked up five awards, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for Guess with Billie Eilish. Even Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day tipped his hat, wearing a neon green Brat cap on stage at Coachella weekend two.
With “brat summer” now potentially in the rear-view, fans are curious to see what Charli does next. If Coachella was anything to go by, it’s bound to be bold, beautiful and a bit unhinged, in the best way. As one fan put it, “Whatever it is… I’m so ready.”
