“He’s like my brother now – but sometimes I want to strangle him”

Charli XCX has spoken about her friendship with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy and the pair's new collaboration, praising the band for “taking risks” with their creative output.

Healy will appear on the star-studded remix album Brat alongside the likes of Ariana Grande, Julian Casablancas, Lorde and Bon Iver. He will be involved in a rewrite of “I Might Say Something Stupid” with Jon Hopkins.

• READ MORE: It's Charli XCX's world and we just live in it: a timeline of the 'Brat' summer so far

During a new video interview with Apple Music, Charli spoke with Zane Lowe about the massive success of “Brat” and the unstoppable cultural phenomenon that was “Brat Summer” 2024.

She also shared details about Brat and it's completely different but also still brat, which is set to hit theaters this Friday (October 11). At one point in the chat, Lowe described Healy's contribution to the remix collection as “really moving” and “eye-opening.”

“I really wanted him to sing the song. “He's like my brother now, you know?” explained the pop star, who is engaged to The 1975's drummer and producer George Daniel.

“And I hope he wouldn't mind me saying this, but I have endless respect for him as a songwriter and him as a person. But sometimes I want to strangle him.”

She continued: “Even before I started dating George – many years ago – I’ve always been a big fan of her work. His thinking about the way everything is digested in terms of their work, their artwork, their font, their videos, their everything… it's very, very holistic.

“All I can say from my perspective regarding the show (The 1975's) is that I just really like people who take risks when it comes to what they put out artistically. And I think this show is a little divisive, but I think great art is divisive.”

At the start of the conversation, Charli explained that she was inspired by the viral.Selling gasoline” moment on The 1975’s live show.

A lyric in the group's 2018 single “It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)” has gained cult status among fans. “And Danny says we're living in a simulation/ But he works in a gas stationHealy sings, before the crowd loudly chants the background vocals.SELL GASOLINE”.

“Since I'm with George, of course I go to her shows a lot,” Charli said. “And I just remembered this line:”Selling gasoline” or whatever. This moment in the crowd starts. Nobody knows who the hell Danny is – it's one of her old childhood friends.

“But that moment in the show has always really fascinated me because it's like the audience is really responding to these very specific personal references. Because it’s a window into the artist’s life, so to speak.”

You can watch the full interview above.

In 2021, Charli, Healy and Daniel appeared alongside No Rome on the collaborative single “Spinning”.

Daniel recently received co-writing and production credits for his fiancée's latest album, Brat. He is mentioned in “Club Classics” – where Charli explains: “I want to dance with George” – and the viral hit “Apple”.

In June, Daniel made a guest appearance at Charli's DJ set at the 2024 Glastonbury Festival. That same month, Healy confirmed his engagement to Gabbriette Bechtel – a close friend of Charli's who stars in her “360” video.

Bechtel shared the news by posting a photo of herself wearing an engagement ring at Charli's appearance in New York. “MARRYING THE 1975’S IS VERY BRAT,” she captioned the picture. The model and singer previously fronted Charli-curated pop-rock band Nasty Cherry.

In conversation with NME At this year's BRIT Awards, Charli responded to a question about whether her fans were more intense than The 1975's.

“Good question! I think there’s something really intense about the superfans of both parties,” she said. “Honestly I think it would be a fight to the death, which I hope never happens…”

In a four-star review of “Brat” NME wrote: “On the self-proclaimed “club record,” XCX offers pure party girl hedonism. Piercing beats, sassy synths, left-field production and vocal lines that vacillate between cheeky jokes and honest one-liners. With “Brat,” XCX proves that going your own way always sounds good.”

Next month, Charli XCX will launch a series of arena shows in the UK with Shygirl, including a stop at the O2 in London. All remaining tickets can be found here.

The pop star is currently on her North American “Sweat” tour with Troye Sivan – you can find the setlist from the first night here.

In a five-star review of her New York concert – where Lorde made a surprise appearance for the “Girl, So Confusing” remix – NME wrote: “It's clear that they have both not only mastered their craft, but are now receiving the recognition they deserve. The 'Brat' summer may be over, but these two are just getting started.”