Friday, August 7, 2026

Friday Flash(back) - Charli XCX - Music, Fashion, Film

Music, Fashion, Film is the eighth studio album by former Album of the Year brat, Charli XCX.

The album features production by her longtime collaborators A. G. Cook and Finn Keane, who both co-wrote the album with Charli. However, don't expect brat part II. This is a totally different direction for Charli.

Prior to its release, four singles supported Music, Fashion, Film, all of which had accompanying music videos; Rock Music was the lead single, followed by SS26, Wink Wink & Camera. 

To further promote the project, Charli is embarking on the eponymous seventh concert tour from next month, through October.

More about Charli...

Charlotte Emma Aitchison was born 2 August 1992, known professionally as Charli XCX. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Records in 2010, Charli XCX released a series of singles and mixtapes in the early 2010s. 

In 2012, she co-wrote and was featured on Icona Pop's I Love It, which became her first number-one song in the UK and received global success, but her debut album, True Romance (2013), failed to meet commercial expectations.

In 2014, Charli XCX was featured on Iggy Azalea's single Fancy, which became her most streamed song and one of the year's best-selling singles worldwide. The same year, she released Boom Clap, which became her first solo top-ten single in the US. Her second album, Sucker (2014), spawned the singles Break the Rules & Doing It. 

She began working alongside producers associated with the UK collective PC Music in 2015, developing a more experimental sound and image. She released the EP Vroom Vroom in 2016 and the mixtapes Number 1 Angel and Pop 2 in 2017. 

Her third album, Charli (2019), produced the hit single 1999 with Troye Sivan. Her fourth album, How I'm Feeling Now (2020), was made during the COVID-19 lockdowns and received critical acclaim.

Charli XCX's fifth studio album, Crash (2022), became her first number-one album in the UK and Australia. 

She contributed the UK top-ten single Speed Drive as part of the soundtrack for the 2023 film Barbie. 

Her sixth album, Brat (2024), became her second UK number-one album and was named the best album of 2024 by various publications, such as Billboard and Rolling Stone. The album spawned the UK top-ten hit Apple & the remix album brought her second number-one song, Guess featuring Billie Eilish. 

Brat and its songs won three Grammy Awards: Best Dance Pop Recording for Von Dutch, Best Dance/Electronic Album, and Best Recording Package. The album sparked a cultural phenomenon dubbed Brat Summer, which served as an inspiration for Aidan Zamiri's film The Moment (2026) that she co-produced and starred in. 

During this period, Charli XCX also began appearing in independent cinema, securing acting roles in the 2025 films Erupcja, Sacrifice, and 100 Nights of Hero, as well as the 2026 films I Want Your Sex and Faces of Death. 

Her seventh and eighth albums Wuthering Heights and the below record, the Friday Flash(back) album, Music, Fashion, Film were released this year.

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), Will.i.am's Boys & Girls (2016), Blondie's Tonight (2017), Shawn Mendes + Camila Cabello's Señorita (2019), Sigala and Rita Ora's You for Me (2021), and Katseye's Gabriela (2025). 

She was awarded the ASCAP Global Impact Award in 2024 and featured on the 2024 Gold House's most impactful Asian A100 list, making her the first woman of British Indian origin to be honoured.

Next week, we stay with the girl power, but local girl power. It's Australian Idol judge, Amy Shark. See you then.

Friday, July 31, 2026

Friday Flash(back) - Jack White - Frozen Charlotte

Frozen Charlotte, also titled Frozen Charlatan, is the seventh studio album by former White Stripes frontman, Jack White. 

Released earlier this month, the album was preceded by three singles, G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs, Derecho Demonico, & Dollar Bill.

Back in April, White released two singles, G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs & Derecho Demonico, and performed them both live on programs including Saturday Night Live.

Frozen Charlotte was first quietly announced by a listing to pre-order the album on Third Man Records website.

It was officially announced the next day, June 10, alongside the release of the third single from the album, Dollar Bill.

The album was released on July 10, 2026. This is the same day a North America tour is set to begin.

Where did Jack White begin though? John Anthony White (né Gillis; born July 9, 1975) is an American musician who was the guitarist and lead vocalist of the rock duo the White Stripes. 

He was a key artist of the 2000s indie and garage rock movements, noted for his distinctive musical techniques, eccentricity, and utilization of analog technology. After the White Stripes split up in 2011, he found success with his solo career and business ventures.

White began his career moonlighting in several underground Detroit bands as a drummer and guitarist. He met Meg White in the 1990s, and the two founded the White Stripes in 1997. He co-founded his record label and studio Third Man Records in 2001, the same year that the White Stripes earned international fame with their breakthrough album White Blood Cells. This, along with the three subsequent White Stripes albums released throughout the decade, established White as a key artist of the decade's rock revival. In the latter half of the 2000s, he founded the rock groups the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather, recorded the Bond theme "Another Way to Die" with Alicia Keys (the only duet to perform a Bond theme), and collaborated with numerous artists.

White released his debut studio album Blunderbuss (2012) to strong reviews and sales. His second studio album, Lazaretto (2014), broke the record for most first-week vinyl sales since 1991, holding that record until 2021. His following three experimental albums garnered critical and commercial success. His sixth and seventh albums, No Name (2024) & Frozen Charlotte (2026), are noted for their unique release methods and earned general acclaim. 

Other ventures by White include acting in the films Cold Mountain, Coffee and Cigarettes (both 2003), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), joining the Library of Congress' National Recording Preservation Foundation in 2013, and opening an art exhibit in 2026.

Among several accolades, White has won twelve Grammy Awards. Rolling Stone included him on their 2010 and 2023 lists of the greatest guitarists of all time. The New York Times called White "the coolest, weirdest, and savviest rock star of our time" in 2012.

White was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the White Stripes in 2025.

Till next week, when we jump into Charli XCX's eighth studio album. It's a BIG departure from Brat!