The Sound of My Heart: The True Story of Charli XCX's 'Boom Clap'

What does it mean to you when I say the word “brat”? What even is brat at this point? Are you brat? Am I brat?

In 2024 we learned what brat was and wasn’t, thanks to Charli XCX - who had a major breakthrough in 2024, but it wasn’t exactly her first rodeo. She has been flirting with stardom since she was a teenager.

As early as 2007, Charli took out a loan from her VERY UNDERSTANDING parents in order to make her first album, called 14. While promotional copies of 14 were shared with friends and members of the press - the album was never commercially available. However, a copy of the CD found its way into the hands of Atlantic Records, which offered Charli a record deal. At first Charli XCX wasn’t sure about signing with Asylum, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. She was only 18 and enjoying making weird rave music on her own terms.

By 2012, Charli had found her niche as a songwriter and featured artist - penning tracks that became hits for Icona Pop and Iggy Azalea. 

But in 2013/14, while working on her album True Romance, something weird happened. A song called "Boom Clap", which had been sitting on the shelf for a year -originally planned at one point to be given to Hilary Duff, was given a second chance by Charli as her first real single recording. 

This is the story of 'Boom Clap' with newly unearthed audio from Charli XCX.