Charli XCX is back with Season 5 of her Apple Music show 'The Candy Shop'. Charli XCX speaks about her upcoming album, how i'm feeling now, which she’s creating at home, how quarantine has affected her relationship with her boyfriend and has influenced the album and how she is staying mentally and physically well. Charli also speaks with her friend and collaborator Caroline Polachek.
Each week on ’The Candy Shop', Charli will share stories and anecdotes about the progress of the album—which she plans to complete from home—taking a collaborative, DIY approach with fan-submitted beats and lyrics, her boyfriend’s artwork, home-shot videos and more.
On how her relationship has changed in quarantine and is the lyrical focus for the new album...
'I'm definitely focusing on right now. I would say the majority of this album will probably be about me and my boyfriend's relationship, because that's what I'm experiencing. But that's actually great because the narrative for us has changed so much because of quarantine. Pre quarantine, there was a lot of physical but also emotional distance between us. And this quarantine time has really just brought us so close together. And that journey has been really interesting and has been something that probably wouldn't have happened as quickly had this time not happened. So for me, I think lyrically it will be surrounded... That will be what the focus is lyrically.'
On how she’s staying on top of her mental and physical health during isolation...
'For me, I try and do a small workout every day, even if it's just for 15 or 20 minutes. I try and move my body a little bit. If I’m able to go outside on some kind of a safe walk, obviously keeping away from anybody that I see, I do try and do that. I try and breathe fresh air. But yeah, moving my body really helps. And honestly, being creative really helps with my mental health and my positivity, and that's why it was so important for me to create this album during this time. I needed to feel like my brain was working on something that brings me joy and so that's how I've been dealing with it. I've also been FaceTiming friends, making sure that I'm speaking to my family when I can, because I feel like that can really bring you such a dose of joy, if that's possible for you to do. So, that's
what I've been doing and it's been working pretty good so far.'
On working remotely and in isolation…
'As I'm sure you can relate to, being creative is just such a huge part of what makes me feel positive. For me, I think it's worked quite well. But yeah, I don't know. For me, I kind of like my own space to create because sometimes I do feel a bit nervous creating in front of people unless I'm like really, really, really comfortable.'
As I'm sure you can relate to, being creative is just such a huge part of what makes me feel positive. For me, I think it's worked quite well. But yeah, I don't know. For me, I kind of like my own space to create because sometimes I do feel a bit nervous creating in front of people unless I'm like really, really, really comfortable.
Caroline Polachek on her experience with Covid-19 and the stigma surrounding it...
'Well, I got it about a month ago, and at that point there weren't... In most places there still aren't tests available, but without a doubt it was coronavirus and not the flu. It was all the same symptoms. And actually I had a couple of symptoms that at the time weren't being so reported on, like loss of sense of smell and weird stomach issues as well. That's one of the things that made it so different than the flu was these weird stomach cramps. And at the time those were curveballs, so I was like, I'm not sure if I have this or not. And then now I know for sure that that's what I had. There were so many people messaging me, and actually a lot of musicians messaging me being like, I have this too. But people who weren't speaking publicly about it. And I can't help but wonder if people feel like there's any kind of stigma around being sick with it, or just being sick in general. But I felt like it was really important to talk about it. Just emphasising that this is something to take very seriously. This is something that people you know have, it is going to start affecting people's real lives. By now we've adjusted to that idea, but a month ago it felt really like, whoa. What?’
Charli and Caroline on the artwork for ‘Forever’...
Charli XCX: 'One thing I wanted to speak to you about it, and that I'm really happy that we managed to figure out, is the artwork that you created for me for the first song. And I just wanted to thank you for being involved in that, because one of the reasons I wanted to reach out to you is when you started releasing Pang, I just remember being, "Oh, these visuals." I just felt like everything was so intricate and deliberate and thought through. Is that something that just comes very naturally to you or is that something that you kind of feel like you've learned over time and experience?'
Caroline: 'I think it's something that I pay such close attention to with other artists. And when I was a teenager I just remember like staring at lyric booklets and album artwork and music videos, that was just the coolest thing for me. And I think one of the things about it that I love so much is how much information is in an image, and especially when you add text and you combine it with music, it's so autobiographical and there's always some kind of political statement in there, even if it's a lack thereof. When you sent me that photo, first of all, I loved that it was an iPhone photo because that's what everyone's dealing with right now.'
Caroline: 'And then, but the realness of it, being you and your boyfriend in your bedroom, your actual bedroom.'
Caroline: 'But then when I heard the music, and oh my God this song is so good. I love it so much. When I heard the music, it just sent me back to some of your early music, like some of your early releases, but it also felt so new.'
Charli XCX: 'That's cool.'
Caroline: 'And so I wanted to just tie some of those ends with the art and kind of get back at a little bit of when you were kind of in your rock phase.'
Charli XCX: 'I really love it and thank you so much for being a part of it.’
