Charli xcx gets 'swallowed up by shadow self'
Charli xcx has opened up about getting "swallowed by my her shadow self", which she's trying to work to change.
Charli xcx feels like she "can get swallowed up by her shadow self".
The 33-year-old singer - who will headline Reading and Leeds Festival in August 2026 - has reflected on the importance of dreams as she agreed with friend Yung Lean about the idea of exploring darkness and "incorporating it into yourself".
During a conversation together for Dazed, the rapper reflected on the premiere for his film role in Sacrifice and said: "I didn’t take in that much while watching the film, I was just feeling the moment.
"I really want a role where I can access more darkness, maybe. Or more insanity, or more love. Just more.
"I felt like I was touching something, but I couldn’t go all the way."
Charli admitted the sentiment resonated with her.
She explained: "You mentioned going into the darkness a bit more – I feel like I can get swallowed up by my shadow self sometimes, but I’m working hard on not doing that.
Yung Lean
"I just started doing this dream work stuff with an acting coach, and it’s been really interesting accessing elements of things that I push into my subconscious, and dreams that I try to run from or dismiss as pure fiction."
The Apple hitmaker recently admitted she felt "stuck" and "empty" creatively after releasing Brat, before starting work on the soundtrack for the upcoming Wuthering Heights film.
She told fans on her new Substack account: “I still love [Brat], don’t get me wrong, but I was itching to move on and was simultaneously frustrated that I was so depleted that I couldn’t.
Charli xcx
"I was stuck, I was empty, I was barren, I was running on the spot in a different kind of way.
"I couldn’t really even listen to music without feeling depressed. Everything felt monotonous and boring, even if it wasn’t.”
However, she was "immediately" inspired to begin making music for new film.
She wrote on social media: “After being so in the depths of my previous album, I was excited to escape into something entirely new, entirely opposite.
"When I think of Wuthering Heights, I think of many things. I think of passion and pain. I think of England. I think of the Moors, I think of the mud and the cold. I think of determination and grit."
