Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer, songwriter, music video director, and record producer. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery by a promoter who invited her to perform at warehouse raves and parties. In 2010 she signed a recording contract with Asylum Records, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012. In 2012, Charli XCX rose to fame with the Icona Pop collaboration "I Love It", which became an international hit, reaching top 10 in North America and Europe. Her debut studio album, True Romance (2013), was released that year to critical acclaim but failed to meet commercial expectations. In 2014, she contributed the chorus and hook to "Fancy" by rapper Iggy Azalea, which finished the year as one of the best-selling singles worldwide and was nominated for two Grammy Awards. The same year, she received her first solo hit with "Boom Clap", which became her third (first solo) top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her second studio album, the punk-influenced Sucker, was released at the end of the year, and yielded the successful singles "Break the Rules" and "Doing It". In 2015, Charli XCX began working with producers and artists in A. G. Cook's British collective PC Music, as well as producer Sophie, developing a more experimental sound and image. While working on her third album, she released the Vroom Vroom EP in 2016 and the mixtapes Number 1 Angel and Pop 2 in 2017, as well as a series of singles including the BPI-certified "After the Afterparty", "Boys", and "1999". In 2019, Charli XCX released her third studio album, Charli, followed by her fourth studio album, How I'm Feeling Now, in 2020. In addition to her solo work, Charli XCX has co-written songs recorded by other artists, including Iggy Azalea's "Beg for It" (2014), Selena Gomez's "Same Old Love" (2015), Blondie's "Tonight" (2017), and the Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello collaboration "Señorita" (2019).