Lorde is doing her best to put any rumors of potential beef between herself and Charli XCX to rest. Lorde’s New Zealand residence allowed her a sneak peek at Charli’s new album, which officially comes out tomorrow in the United States — and she’s apparently a fan. On Thursday, Lorde shared a message of support to her fellow singer on Instagram, confirming there were no hard feelings between the pair as rumors continue to circulate that one of the songs on Brat is focused on her.
Fans have speculated that the unreleased track “Girl, So Confusing” is about Charil’s complicated feelings toward Lorde. The song’s lyrics detail an ever-shifting relationship with another unnamed female singer, who she simultaneously admires and is jealous of. While Charli hasn’t outright named Lorde as the inspiration behind the track, the singer has discussed the public’s constant comparison of the two in the past. “People say we’re alike/ They say we’ve got the same hair,” she sings on the song.
“The only album I’ve ever presaved is out today… Charli just cooked this one different… So much grit, grace and skin in the game. I speak for all of us when I say it’s an honour to be moved, changed and gagged by her work. There is NO ONE like this bitch,” Lorde wrote on her Instagram Story without referencing “Girl, So Confusing” directly.
On Wednesday, Charli neither confirmed nor denied whether “Girl, So Confusing” was written about the “Royals” singer. “I haven’t quite decided whether I’m revealing. When I wrote it, I was like, ‘I’m revealing!’” she said during an appearance on the La Culturistas podcast. “But now, you know, the time is here; I’m like, ‘Mmmmrrmm.’ Do you think I should reveal?… People are gonna guess. You probably have an accurate guess, and I’m not gonna say out loud ’cause you’ll tell by my face, but it’s probably going to be that person.”
While speaking to Rolling Stone UK earlier this summer, Charli admitted that even she often compares herself to Lorde.
“When ‘Royals’ came out, I was super jealous of the success that that song got, and that Ella got. You piece all this stuff together in your brain, like: ‘She was into my music. She had big hair; I had big hair. She wore black lipstick; I once wore black lipstick.’ You create these parallels and think, ‘Well, that could have been me.’ But it couldn’t have because we’re completely different people. I wasn’t making music that sounded anything like ‘Royals.’ I think you just read what you want into it because you’re feeling insecure about your own work.”
While fans are left to read between the lines on the track inspiration, Charli explained the overall message behind the song on La Culturistas. “I feel that working in entertainment, there is this kind of dance that we all do with each other. Whether you’re in music, whether you’re in your world, no matter how you identify, there is this dance. Everybody’s watching each other. Everybody’s posing in the picture, like, “Hey, oh my god, so nice to see you!” But then you’re like, “I want what they have.” And then the next day, you’re like, “They suck!” This happens, but no one really is willing to discuss it.”