Angels, now we scream: Charli XCX is embarking on a journey to create a collaborative album while in quarantine, with live updates for her fans and Zoom feedback sessions every step of the way — and an official release date of May 15, 2020. Turns out that "fake" fan leak was real after all.
According to Charli XCX Updates, the record, appropriately titled How I'm Feeling Now, was announced by Charli over a Zoom meeting with a 1,000 person cap this afternoon after she wiped her social channels yesterday to immense fanfare and speculation. The only image left on her social media was a hole emoji. She returned with a massive bang today, however, and officially declared that she would be putting her current album's production process on pause for a new, collaborative project to reflect her current state of mind.
"It's important to do this for me now — to make something that feels really authentic, and real and representative of what I'm going through," she told fans on her Zoom livestream. She also let fans know that her frequent collaborator A. G. Cook would executive produce the record alongside BJ Burton. Just because these superstars are at the helm doesn't mean she's not looking for help, though. Charli also requested that her Angels send in beats and points of reference for her to go off of throughout the creative process.
Charli may be taking a DIY approach to making the record from "scratch," using only the tools at her disposal during social distancing as a result of the coronavirus, but that doesn't mean the result will be any less polished than her previous works. If you recall, several songs from prior projects like Charli and Pop 2 were derived from a scrappy "album in a day" session she had years ago with A. G. Cook. Charli is a master songsmith and will surely deliver — and if she isn't hitting the mark, she's welcoming the criticism.
"I'll be constantly posting updates so you give me feedback on everything," she told fans. "I'm really open for this entire process, so you guys can explore your creativity." If you didn't have a hobby for your time in isolation, now you do. Go help Charli XCX make pop gold.
Photo via Instagram