Charli XCX has been a staple in the music industry for years, but some fans are still confused about the meaning behind her stage name – despite the singer songwriter revealing all
Charli XCX, the creator behind Brat summer, has left many fans scratching their heads over the origins of her distinctive stage name. The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Charlotte Emma Aitchison, soared to new heights in the music industry last year with the release of her album ‘Brat’, which topped charts in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, and made an impressive debut at number three on the Billboard 200.
The 32-year-old artist is known for hits like 360, 365, Speed Drive, Apple, Official, and not forgetting her earlier bangers Boom Clap, Boys, and Vroom Vroom. Despite her fame, there’s still a bit of mystery among her followers about what the ‘XCX’ stands for – is it just a quirky addition or does it hold a deeper meaning related to her career?
Curious minds took to Reddit to discuss, with one user straightforwardly posing the question: “What does XCX mean in her name?” Speculations flew in with one person suggesting: “Charli 10 100 10.” Another added a humorous take: “xylophone, chimichanga, xylophone.” Someone else thought it represented “I thought it was excess.”
Delving deeper into the significance of her moniker, another fan theorised: “I was thinking about the change from Charli XCX to Charli xcx and I have the theory that Charli is going to market herself next as just ‘Charli’ like other popstars are doing right now (like Jenny, Lisa, Chloe, etc). Changing the XCX to lowercase serves as a transition since we start seeing more the Charli than the xcx. thoughts? Honestly, I would find it sad to let go of the xcx, specially since I already miss hearing X X X c X on her songs.”
Charli XCX revealed the quirky origin of her stage name during a red carpet interview at the 57th GRAMMY Awards back in February 2015. On the Grammy’s website, there’s a clip where she’s asked if it’s true that her stage name was her old MSN messenger handle—a chat service that was all the rage from 1999 to 2013.
She confirmed: “I didn’t have a manager when I decided on the name. I couldn’t think of anything so I just used that. It’s my MSN screen name. I’m not going to change it.” Buzz is building around Charli XCX possibly hitting Glastonbury 2025, with rumours suggesting she’ll be joined by Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo. A source spilled to The Sun: “Charli will headline The Other Stage and Chappell will be playing the Pyramid Stage.”
They added: “Olivia is coming straight to Worthy Farm after playing BST Hyde Park, so her slot is being firmed up. Emily really wanted Glastonbury to go back to its rock roots but by bringing in three of the world’s biggest female stars to play too, she is making a real statement.”
The insider teased that the final line-up will be “really impressive” with big names like Stevie Wonder and Nile Rodgers also rumoured to be performing. There’s even chatter among fans about Neil Young making a return.
