Charli XCX is rudely being dubbed an ‘industry plant’ – here’s why she’s not-Kitty Chrisp-Entertainment – Metro

Some people are calling Charli XCX an ‘industry plant’ online – but she isn’t one (Picture: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images)

If you’re a fan of Charli XCX, you’d know she’s been around for years. But months after Brat summer, she’s been accused online of being an ‘industry plant’.

An ‘industry plant’ can be loosely defined as a new artist who rockets instantly to success because of music industry big dogs creating them and shoving them into the public consciousness, rather than through organic growth.

This happens in K-pop, where bands and solo artists are tailored to perfection in academies, rather than naturally climbing the ranks through gigging and hard work. 

Of course, the UK used to have The X Factor as a prime example of an industry plant machine. Contestants were plucked out of oblivion and thrust into mainstream success overnight, with their images being curated as they went. There wasn’t anything strictly wrong with that, as zero to hero is a story arc we humans like to see.

But there is a certain amount of resentment for industry plants outside these competitions who have never been zeros. The irritation is reserved for musicians who found huge success through their industry connections rather than years of hard work. It’s the music industry’s unique version of nepotism.

Notably, earlier this year indie rockers The Last Dinner Party were accused of being an industry plant after they seemingly blew up ‘overnight’ after just one LP and one single.

Charli has been a music industry name for 10 years now (Picture: George Pimentel/LP5/Getty Images for TAS)

Loads of artists, like Chappell Roan and Charli XCX to name a few, worked in the industry for years before finding their big break.

Many therefore thought it was suspicious that The Last Dinner Party – famous for their song Nothing Matters, which peaked in the charts at 16 – were signed by a major label as soon as they arrived onto the scene.

The Last Dinner party hit back at these accusations against them, writing on social media: ‘I know I shouldn’t engage but this is just a nasty lie.

‘We weren’t put together like a kpop girl group, we’ve known each other since we were 18 as we met during freshers week, there are videos of us playing live as an unsigned band all last year and we got signed from those.’

Why are people calling Charli XCX an industry plant?

One X user reposted Spotify’s Best Hit Songs of 2024, for which Charli’s 360 from her album Brat was number one.

‘I’ve never believed there are such things as “industry plants”, but I’m having a hard time explaining this Charli xcx thing otherwise. How do you top a “hit song” list when you peaked at 41 on the Hot 100?’ they wrote.

The Billboard Top 100 is a singles chart that measures the most popular singles in the US, based on sales (physical and digital), online streaming, and radio plays.

In the UK, 360 peaked at 11th in the Official Charts. But Brat as an album did top the UK chart, and it undoubtedly was the most discussed record in mainstream culture of 2024.

The Last Dinner Party were accused of being industry plants earlier this year, too (Picture: Jim Dyson/Redferns)

However, fans have taken to the comments section to explain exactly why Charli isn’t an industry plant.

‘Industry plant is crazy bc the brat hype was so organic especially compared to other stuff on this list,’ wrote @BloodGumbo.

@yosoymichael said: ‘Charli XCX was performing at underground raves in London at 16 and released her debut album when she was 20. She has released at least six more albums since then. Nothing about that is giving “industry plant”.’ 

Artists accused of being industry plants are often women

The label is thought to have misogynistic undertones, with many who have been dubbed industry plants over the years being successful women in the industry.

To name a few – Clairo, Wet Leg, Lana Del Ray, Lizzo, and The Last Dinner Party have all been accused of being plants.

Wet Leg vocalist Rhian Teasdale responded to the claims in an interview with Rolling Stone last year, commenting: ‘If you’re a guy in a band, I don’t think you get it as much, I’ll say that. When it comes down to it, it’s just misogyny isn’t it?’

Charli has been working hard to break through into music royalty status for years now (Picture: Aurora Rose/WWD via Getty Images)

Charli XCX’s Brat explosion

Many people might not have heard about Charli XCX before she rocketed to a new level fame this year with her lime green album Brat, capturing a cultural mood like no artist has done for years.

Suddenly fashion, personalities (with the Brat party girl persona) and even the US election were channelling the atmosphere of Charli’s Brat album.

Through Brat, Charli created the cultural movement of Brat summer, and the word was even crowned the Collins Dictionary 2024 word of the year. 

Her Brat success wasn’t manufactured, but one of the most organic pop culture moments of recent history (Picture: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images)

Brat’s message? The celebration of hedonistic pleasure, confident rebellion, and an unflinchingly bold attitude.

So with such an explosion into A-lister status, it’s no wonder some people who weren’t aware of her existence before 2024 thought Charli was planted for this stratospheric success by industry puppeteers. 

But that’s not the case.

Charli XCX pre-Brat

Charli, born Charlotte Aitchison, has been climbing the pop music ranks since the release of her 2013 album, True Romance.

Brat was her sixth studio album, and she finally – after years of graft – found her big break in 2024.

Charli’s parents took her to raves when she was 16 – so she didn’t just wake up one day in her early 30s and decide to be a pop star… (Picture: Tabatha Fireman/Redferns)

But Charli has enjoyed some big successes over the past decade too.

She collaborated with Iggy Azalea on her Billboard No.1 hit Fancy in 2014. Also in that year Boom Clap reached the top 10, and she’s made a steady stream of impressive albums ever since, influencing the music industry before going interstellar in 2024.

With Brat, that all changed. Charli tapped into a public mood and was in the right place, doing the right thing, at the right time – or perhaps everyone else just caught up with her.

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