Ah, Charlotte XCX. Pop pioneer. True visionary. The only musician bold enough to decide, in lockdown, that she was going to remotely create a whole new record — with the help of two producers on opposite sides of the country — and drop it within six weeks. how i’m feeling now, the frenetic DIY electronic pop wunderkind, was made with the assistance and direction of her fans who helped her with everything from lyrics to the cover art. When it dropped on 15 May, it received widespread acclaim from critics, who called it “glorious” and “honest”.
Well, it seems like the project isn’t quite finished yet. Last week, Charli dropped all of the stems (think of them as song ingredients in a way) to the tracks on how i’m feeling now; a prime opportunity for her fans to have a play about with the songs they’ve been bopping to for the past 10 days, and recreate them in any way they like. For any budding pop producer, it’s pretty much a dream gift from a genre great.
Not only do you have the chance to make some cool remixes and edits of Charli’s record, but she’ll be keeping an ear out for some of her favourites. In the same tweet, she alluded to an upcoming B Sides spin on how i’m feeling now, packed out with those aforementioned chosen remixes, alongside demos and tracks that didn’t make the final cut. So if you think you’ve got what it takes, jump into her Twitter replies with the Soundcloud link, girls!
This latest move comes after Charli spoke out about how she was feeling in the aftermath of the album’s release, and the fragility and emotions she had masked by making the record during lockdown. She ends it with a mantra that feels relevant in the age of coronavirus: “Don’t put pressure on yourself”. Listen to Charli’s words closely. That queen is a genius.