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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hofstra chapter.

Following the release of ‘Girl, so confusing featuring lorde’, the internet did indeed “go crazy” as Charli XCX had predicted in her lyrics. After over a decade, the air had been cleared between two pop stars who had often been turned on each other by tabloids. Once the song had hit its peak virality, one question remained – could this song become an anthem for girls to reconcile their relationships and work it out on the remix? 

Since the beginning of both artist’s careers, Lorde and Charli XCX have been pitted against each other because of their similarities. In the early 2010s, both Charli and Lorde were starting to emerge in the mainstream with hit songs. 

In 2013, Lorde released her debut track, “Royals” which took the Billboard chart by storm. “Royals” became memorialized as an iconic, nostalgic song to represent the early 2010s with its somber, slow-paced moody vibe. The song was meant for the Tumblr girls of the time who enjoyed ‘bedrotting’ and numerous other sad girl hobbies before they became mainstream. 

At the same time in 2013 Charli XCX released “I Love It”, a hyper-pop girl anthem for crashing cars into bridges and letting them burn. Bold and unique from other trending songs at the time, the song resonated more with the bright and eccentric neon orange lipstick wearing girls with thick brows and chunky boots in 2013. 

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/ Unsplash

Despite their radically different styles of music, both artists had similar voices and appearances in aesthetic, hair, and style. By the time “Royals” and “I Love It” were gaining traction neither artist had an established fanbase. Consequently, listeners confused the two and often compared Lorde and Charli XCX. Once, an interviewer even mistakenly asked Charli how she came up with Lorde’s song, and Charli had to improvise a fake response. 

As the hyperpop and Tumblr girl era makes a comeback in 2024, with both artists still releasing music a decade later, the stage was set for the controversy to be solved. 

Ten years later, Charli XCX spoke vulnerably in her Rolling Stone interview article saying

“(Lorde) was into my music. She had big hair; I had big hair. She wore black lipstick; I once wore black lipstick.’ You create these parallels and think, ‘Well, that could have been me’.”

https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/charli-xcx-interview-brat-music-39628/

Charli XCX released “Girl, so confusing” as a single, signaling an invitation to Lorde to repair their friendship. 

Lyrics: 

“Think you should come to my party

And put your hands up

I think we’re totally different

But opposites do attract

Maybe we’re so meant to be

Just you and me”

It’s almost as if Charli is throwing a life raft at Lorde in hopes of rekindling a friendship that became tainted by fame and relentless comparisons online from both fandoms. 

In a shocking twist of events given the legacy of female artist rivalries in the industry, Lorde graciously reciprocated Charli XCX’s feelings of regret for their subtle beef through the years and a remix of the original call to camaraderie was released. “Girl, so confusing featuring lorde” put Lorde’s side of the story under the brat-green limelight. In the song, Lorde shares that she constantly compared her life to Charli’s. She opens up about her eating disorder and the strenuous, long battle she’s had with her appearance. 

“I was speechless when I woke up to your voice note”

“I never thought for a second my voice was in your head”

Lorde was shocked that Charli even thought about her. Let alone to the point where Charli would reach out to her or feature her in a song. The collaboration between the two has since skyrocketed their careers and caused a frenzy online of other famous women fans wish to see “work it out on the remix” like Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo or Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall. 

But what about relationships that aren’t under a constant spotlight? Could you and your old best friend work it out on the remix? Who knows, the drama could all end with a simple text.

Django is a Political Science and Public Relations student at Hofstra University from Manhattan, New York City. In her free time, she creates political content and vlogs her life as a student at Hofstra on TikTok, is the Fashion Marketing Director for 'Sound of the Creatives', is the PR Chair for Student Voices for Palestine at Hofstra and likes to go thrifting, get cozy with a good book, and explore the tri-state area by train. Her interests include pop culture, world politics, and celebrity gossip (including and especially politicians). You can often find her in her dorm room watching C-Span while downing an entire bag of chocolate covered pretzels.
Anastasia is a freshman at Hofstra University studying Journalism. She's from Orange County, New York. Anastasia loves cars, fashion, and writing.