How Charlie XCX saved her friendship with Lorde through her new song

Charlie XCX saved her friendship with Lorde by airing out her grievances in her new song, Girl, So Confusing.

Ahead of their collaboration on the upcoming remix, the duo opened up to Billboard about the song’s real-life context, and Charlie XCX did not hide the fact that the song was about Lorde.

“I had to go through the process of telling her that this song is about her and her being OK with that first,” Charli, 31, shared. She recalled that addressing the issue had been difficult due to a rough patch in their friendship.

However, she finally mustered the courage and left a voice note for Lorde a day before the song's release on June 7. Lorde responded with surprise and empathy, saying, “Oh my God, I had no idea you felt this way. I’m so sorry.”

The original song explores Charli's uncertainty about how Lorde truly feels about their friendship. Upon realising Charli's feelings, Lorde suggested, “You know, maybe I should be on a version of the song.”

Reflecting on writing her section for the remix, Lorde said, “There was such a rawness and an immediacy to what I was saying. I love that we truly did work it out on the remix.”

She added, “She had opened up a channel between us, and it made me say things that I had never said or maybe even things I've never even heard said. This whole thing has been such a huge honour.”