Lorde, Charli XCX and the complex beauty of female friendship

Being girls is so disorienting and confusing. We're subjected to so much pressure, both internal and external. We don't know how to navigate the world and the workplace, or how to relate to our colleagues and peers. Should we be jealous? Should we band together in solidarity against those who wish us ill? Is it true what they say, that women just envy each other and can't support each other and form groups? Should we compete for attention from whom? If we add fame and public scrutiny to these already difficult dynamics, then things get really, really complicated. Or at least, that's what Charli XCX seems to think.

Girl, so confusing by Charli XCX 

The hyper-pop British artist has opened up about it with honesty in Girl, so confusing, a song from her latest album Brat, which with its acid green aesthetic is taking over summer 2024. It alternates danceable tunes with deep reflections on what it means to be a young woman today, especially on the friendships between artists, envy, affection and embarrassment, all mixed together. This song focuses on this, detailing awkward outings and meetings, dinners always postponed, not understanding if the person in front of you hates you or admires you, external comparisons that further poison the relationship. Not a diss, but a candid story. As one might easily imagine, fans from the first listen tried to figure out which artist Charli XCX was talking about. In the end, all suspicions fell on Lorde.

The remix with Lorde: lyrics

Confirming the rumors was the New Zealand artist herself, who provided her version of events in the remix of the song with a verse of her own, where she says, paraphrasing but not too much: "I was speechless when I woke up to your voice note explaining how you felt. Let's resolve it with the remix. You always told me let's go out, but I'd cancel at the last minute. I was trapped in my head and scared of being photographed, because in recent years I've been at war with my body, starving myself to lose weight and then gaining back all the pounds I lost. I was trapped in hatred and your life seemed fantastic." A sad and melancholic confession, which puts to rest any possibility of feud between the two artists, but instead lays the cards on the table and makes us understand that, often, relationships are more complex than we might think at first glance, and that they don't just depend on us, but also on everything going on in other people's heads, their battles, and the difficulties they're going through.

The intricate beauty of girl friendships

This exchange has moved and touched many girls who are now expressing their admiration for Lorde and Charli XCX on social media, and sharing their experiences and friendships among women, with all the difficulties and obstacles that come with it. What's more courageous than protecting relationships between girls, even if it makes us uncomfortable? Striving to talk and clarify, even if it's strange and awkward? The audience needs to hear these stories. Firstly, because the world tends to pit artists and women against each other without any solid basis, for entertainment and domination purposes. Secondly, because human relationships are complicated, profound, and nuanced, and a song that tells them in these terms, focusing on those between women, is precious. So let's go dance, but let's hold our girls close against the whole world.