Charli XCX has “never felt fear” when in the studio.
The ‘Out Out’ hitmaker says recording new music is her “happiest place” because “anything can happen” while appearing on Zane Lowe’s Apple Music 1 show.
The 29-year-old pop star told the 48-year-old DJ: “Honestly, I don't feel fear when I'm making the music. I've never felt fear when I'm in that room with three people making the song. That's my happiest place. I feel anything can happen in that room. It could be the worst song ever or something completely amazing or nonsensical. It feels so good. I don't feel fear then. And I think that feeling drives me to continue to create. I love it so much. I know some artists who love making music videos and hate recording. And I know some artists who love being on tour and hate music videos. And I love being in the studio. I love it so much. I would do it every day until a point if I could. If I'm feeling inspired, there's nowhere else I would rather be.”
Charli - who is dropping her fifth studio album on ‘CRASH’ on Friday (18.03.22) - began the year “having a really tough time” mentally and “felt very uninspired”.
She said: “I think the beginning of this year, I was having a really tough time with my mental health. I was just feeling very under pressure from work, from literally everything. It was really, really heavy and I was really struggling and it kind of began because at that point in time, I felt the album was done. The album's done. It's going to come out. The photo shoots, the video, it's all done and I'm like, "Okay. So what am I inspired by right now?" I felt very uninspired by music and really was struggling with that because generally at the point where I've made an album and it's going to come out in four months time, I'm already onto the next one. I'm like, "I can't wait to write it. I know what it looks like. I know this. This is who I'm working with. Da da da da." I'm there. I'm way wheeling ahead to the point where my team are always, "Yeah but you need to focus on the current album. You need to do it justice," and for the first time I didn't have that feeling and that really freaked me out. And normally if I ever feel creatively stifled or blocked, I know it will come back in a couple of months after I take some time out but this time, I really had this feeling of, "I don't know if this is going to come back. I feel very flat right now," and I think it's because I've done this professionally since I was 16 years old and in that time, I've taken a break here and there whilst working but I've never actually stopped and absorbed life.”
