That’s So Brat

… and the metaphorical cocaine it takes to succeed as a pop star today

By Kylie Grebinar

Graphic by Arrow Kempthorne

In today’s world, getting onto the main stage takes more than just releasing a song or album. Musicians have begun to shift from strictly music records and concerts to creating other types of projects, such as Kendrick Lamar’s live-rapping front row at Louis Vuitton’s SS 2023 show, or The Weeknd’s role in The Idol. These ventures reflect a growing expectation that artists should exist across multiple forms of artistic spaces to remain both relevant and successful. Charli XCX is no exception with her newest project being The Moment, a mockumentary closely mirroring her career and the success of her album Brat.

Premiering at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, The Moment explores the intricacies of stardom and what exactly it takes to be successful in the music industry today. It features Charli XCX in her post-Brat era, questioning whether to stay true to herself in her artistic creation or give in to market demands. The mockumentary blends satire with reality, using humor to convey the expectations of pop artists to maintain the commerciality of their music while staying authentic. Scenes in the film show the musician meeting with executives, highlighting how artists now need to rely on the marketability of their music rather than just the songs themselves. Throughout the movie, tensions between self-expression and delivering what the markets want are navigated by Charli XCX.

Keeping in touch with Charli XCX’s party-girl-grunge aesthetic is the film's soundtrack. Produced by A.G. Cook, tracks like “Residue” amplify the film’s representation of the musician's career. Within the music video, an extension of the film itself, Charli is shown in a warehouse full of doppelgangers, representing the “Brat” era and its ability to be replicated and marketed for continuous success. The score builds on tracks from Brat, using similar electronic, hyper-pop, and techno elements to show cohesion between Charli’s existing musical personality and the film. Including this specific style of song in the score helps The Moment reflect Charli’s own artistic identity that has become so well known. The imagery reflects how stars' commitment to an aesthetic (in this case, Charli’s signature fashion style or Brat-green) can ensure the marketability of themselves as popstars.

The Moment as a whole suggests that modern success in the music industry is no longer defined by only a single production, but by when the artist goes beyond a single song or album. Much like rappers ventures into other creative spaces, this film represents a new direction for Charli XCX, one that is seeming to further her development as an artist. The film takes her career from a musician to a creator who is active in many artistic realms. By entering into the film world, Charli XCX shows the evolving expectations of artists to make it to the level of fame she’s reached. The Moment ultimately offers a unique perspective on modern stardom and what it takes for an artist to make it, arguing that fame is much more than just musical talent.