Charli XCX talks politics and press strategies on new single ‘SS26’
Charli XCX has returned with another new single, the runway-inspired alt-pop tune, ‘SS26’.
Earlier this month, the Brat superstar returned to the limelight with ‘Rock Music’, after the February release of her Wuthering Heights soundtrack for the new Emerald Fennell novel adaptation.
The song divided fans and critics with a sardonic take on the industry, one which Charli explained should be considered “funny, earnest, sincere, and joyful all at the same time.”
However, her new release, ‘SS26’, paints the popstar in a much more earnest light, as she allows a rare flash of negativity to appear in her lyrics: “Nothing’s gonna save us/ Not music, fashion, or film,” she insists, before adding that “we’re walking on a runway that goes straight to hell”.
Charli teased the track earlier this week by posting some of the song’s more pertinent lyrics on her Substack: “Think my politics could work as a press strategy,” she wrote.
She added, “And my heritage could give me quite the USP/Can’t hide the fact I’d rather take the easy road.”
As ever with the Essex-born hitmaker, the song is accompanied by a flashy new music video, which includes a cameo from the singer Abra.
Additionally, the clip begins with a guest appearance from former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld, who remarks, in French, from the front row: “Fashion won’t save us. But let’s go on the runway and walk.”
Throughout the video, we are treated to several different Charli’s and plenty of different outfits. The ‘Apple’ singer recovers from a catwalk stumble before, eventually, her dressing room explodes.
Recently, Charli XCX had another message for her critics, posting on X on May 19th, “I’m not trying to repel people away or convince people to like me. I’m doing what I feel is truthful to me. I think existing as a human being in 2026 is really hard for a multitude of different reasons. My solace is art, but sometimes that doesn’t even really feel safe in this day and age.”
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