Charli XCX: Iggy Azalea and I are underdogs who won

Charli XCX says she and Iggy Azalea overcame racist jibes and underdog status to rule the American charts.

The 21-year-old British pop babe says it was not an easy ride to the top for either of them, but the pair are enjoying having the last laugh.

‘People give Iggy a hard time because she’s Australian and white and female and apparently that’s a weird thing, which I don’t get,’ she told Guilty Pleasures in an exclusive chat.

‘People also view me as an underdog so I think it’s cool that we came together and had this girl power moment and were No. 1 in the states for seven weeks. We really proved everyone wrong which I think was really cool.’

With her own synthpop track Boom Clap heading for British chart success this week, Charli said she is glad people are taking note of her solo work.

‘I would never change my style or my way of song-writing just to fit in with what other people think is cool or commercial.

‘It’s cool people now think my s*** is cool – but I won’t change if it becomes not cool either,’ she laughed.

Charli, aka Charlotte Aitchison, also revealed she is angling for a Coldplay duet after supporting Chris Martin and Co on tour back in 2012 and explained she was so overwhelmed by their recent album, Ghost Stories, that she was reduced to tears.

‘I actually listened to that record on a plane the other day and I cried! I think that album is so good,’ she gushed.

‘To collaborate definitely would be cool. I think Chris Martin is one of the best, top line writers around at the moment. I’ve always thought his melodies are incredible.’

And it is not just Coldplay Charli has her sights on – she also wants to work with Bill Murray.

She admitted she had more than a passing interest in the 63-year-old Lost In Translation actor.

‘I sometimes ask for a framed picture of Bill Murray on my rider just because I think he is really cool,’ she said.

‘There are a few I have collected and some of them have been in nice frames!’

‘I have a weird Bill Murray collection, I guess. Although it’s not some weird obsession.

‘It would be sick to have him in a music video.’

No stranger to music, Murray was once MC for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Thursday 24 July 2014]