×

Charli XCX says she is “exploring a lot of stuff with strings” for her next album

By Alex Rigotti Nov 6, 2025 | 2:47 AM

Charli XCX has revealed she is “exploring a lot of stuff with strings” for her next album.

The popstar appeared on Gwyneth Paltrow‘s Goop podcast, where she gave an update on what her music might sound like post-‘Brat‘.

When Paltrow asked Charli whether she might make music “super stripped back”, she responded: “Yeah, I’m a really big Lou Reed fan, he’s kind of my guy. I’ve definitely thought about that.

“I really like to work in contrast,” she continued. “I think whatever I do next will just inherently be different to ‘Brat’ because that’s what feels natural.” Charli went on to reveal that she was currently “exploring a lot of stuff with strings at the moment, which I’m really enjoying,” adding: “I haven’t really worked in that space before”.

Watch the moment from nine minutes 11 seconds below:

Charli has previously hinted at the sound of her next album, sharing in May that she’s expecting her next album to go in a completely different direction: “You can never really do the same thing twice and my next record will probably be a flop which I’m down for to be honest.”

Though we don’t know when her next album may arrive, the singer is confirmed to have written original songs for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights. She additionally shared in 2023 that she was working with Jack Antonoff to write songs for upcoming A24 film Mother Mary.

Outside of music, Charli has kickstarted her career in film by playing a comedic version of herself in the TV show Overcompensating. She has also taken a lead role in Pete Ohs’ Erupcja, and starred in 100 Nights Of Hero, which closed this year’s London Film Festival.

Charli is also set to appear in the adventure-comedy Sacrifice alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Evansthe upcoming erotic thriller I Want Your Sex alongside Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman, and Dakota Johnson’s first film as director.

She will also produce and star in her upcoming A24 “mockumentary” The Moment that “follows the life of a pop star in the lead-up to her first headline arena tour”.

Elsewhere, Luigi Mangione listened to Charli XCX and Taylor Swift in prison before being confronted by an inmate.

The post Charli XCX says she is “exploring a lot of stuff with strings” for her next album appeared first on NME.