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Charli XCX has opened up about her platonic relationship with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, saying the singer is like a “brother” to her before adding: “But I sometimes want to strangle him.”
Charli, 32, is engaged to The 1975’s drummer George Daniel, 34.
The band feature on the pop singer’s new Brat remix album, covering her song “I Might Say Something Stupid” along with electronic producer Jon Hopkins.
In a new interview with Apple Music, Charli said: “I really wanted [Healy] to do the song. He’s like my brother now, you know?”
She continued: “And I hope he wouldn’t mind me saying this but I have an endless amount of respect for him as a songwriter and him as a person. But I sometimes want to strangle him.”
In the last couple of years, Healy has been at the center of a long string of controversies, including a podcast in which he engaged with a number of derogatory remarks about rapper Ice Spice, as well as women and Japanese people.
Healy apologized to Ice Spice in April 2023, saying he didn’t want to be “perceived as, like, kind of mean-hearted.”
Charli added: “All I’ll say from my perspective in terms of [The 1975’s] show is like, I just really enjoy people who take a risk in terms of what they’re putting out there artistically.
“And I think that show is a little divisive, but I think great art is divisive.”
She went on to say that she was a fan of the band long before beginning her relationship with Daniel, explaining: “Even before being with George – years and years ago – I’ve always been such a fan of their work.
“His thinking of the way everything is digested in terms of their work, their artwork, their font, their videos, their everything… it’s very, very holistic.”
Charli - whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison - reportedly first met Daniel when they worked together on the single “Spinning” in 2021. The one-off track was a collaboration between her, The 1975, and Filipino singer No Rome, who co-produced the single alongside Healy and Daniel.
The Brat remix album, which is titled Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat, was released on Friday 11 October.
Along with The 1975, it also features guest appearances from the likes of Ariana Grande, Bon Iver, Lorde, Billie Eilish and Julian Casablancas.
