Charli XCX’s new album seems to be her answer to a meme comparing her to Lorde. To us, the lyrics to track 10 on have more than one meaning. “Girl, so confusing” refers both to how “confusing” it is to be a woman, and how confusing Charli finds some of the women in her life.
One of those women, according to fans, could be Lorde. “People say we’re alike, they say we’ve got the same hair,” Charli , making reference to a meme about Lorde’s 2013 hit, “Royals”. When a journalist told Charli said she was a huge fan of her music – accidentally mentioning “Royals” – Charli went with the flow.
Ten years later, and the meme has stuck, with the Cambridge-born artist talking about it on numerous occasions. “We talk about making music, but I don’t know if it’s honest. Can’t tell if you wanna see me,” she sings on “Girl, so confusing”.
Ardent XCX fans have linked the lyric to a post Charli once shared on her not-so-secret Instagram account @360_brat, after one follower asked whether she’d collaborate with Lorde. “I want to. We speak about writing a lot but it never seems to happen and I don’t know why,” Charli responded.
“I sort of go round and round on it in my head. Like why doesn’t this happen? It’s actually something I want to ask her about.” And on “Girl, so confusing” she sings: “One day we might make some music, the internet would go crazy.
” Speaking to queer comedians Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers on their podcast a.
