Charlotte Emma Aitchison (b. 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery by a promoter who invited her to perform at warehouse raves. In 2010, she signed a recording contract with Asylum Records, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012.
In 2012, Charli XCX rose to prominence with the Icona Pop collaboration "I Love It", which became an international success, reaching top 10 in North America and Europe. Her debut studio album, True Romance (2013), was released that year to critical acclaim but failed to meet commercial expectations. In 2014, she contributed the hook and bridge to "Fancy" by rapper Iggy Azalea, which finished the year as one of the best-selling singles worldwide and was nominated for two Grammy Awards. The same year, Charli XCX released "Boom Clap", which became her first solo top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100. Her second studio album, the punk-influenced Sucker, was released at the end of the year, and spawned the successful singles "Break the Rules" and "Doing It".
In 2015, Charli XCX began working alongside producers associated with the UK collective PC Music, developing a more experimental sound and image. While working on her third album, she released the Vroom Vroom EP (2016) and the mixtapes Number 1 Angel and Pop 2 (both 2017), as well as a series of singles including the BPI-certified "After the Afterparty", "Boys", and "1999". Her third and fourth studio albums, Charli (2019) and How I'm Feeling Now (2020), received widespread acclaim; the latter was created within a span of six weeks during the COVID-19 lockdowns. In 2021, Charli XCX co-wrote and provided vocals on the Jax Jones and Joel Corry single "Out Out". The singer's fifth album, Crash, is scheduled for release on March 18, 2022.
In addition to her solo work, Charli XCX has co-written songs for other artists, including Iggy Azalea's "Beg for It" (2014), Selena Gomez's "Same Old Love" (2015), Blondie's "Tonight" (2017), and the Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello collaboration "Señorita" (2019).
She made her musical guest debut on Saturday Night Live on December 13, 2014, the ninth episode and Holidays episode of Season 40, hosted by English actor Martin Freeman. She performed "Boom Clap" and "Breaking the Rules".
She was supposed to return SNL for her 2nd musical guest appearance on December 18, 2021, the ninth episode and the Christmas show, hosted by actor Paul Rudd, where she performed "Good Ones" and "New Shapes", but her appearance was canceled due to the threat of the Omicron variant in New York but cameoed in a music video that was filmed prior to the Omicron spread.
Her performance was later rescheduled for the March 5, 2022 episode of Saturday Night Live's 47th season, hosted by actor Oscar Isaac. She performed "Beg for You" and "Baby".
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