Charli XCX is about to blow. If you've been following the charts this year, you might think she already has. But after dropping two albums that flew under the radar of most casual fans and critics, the British singer and songwriter is gearing up to drop the project she's always wanted to create. And there couldn't be a more perfect time to do so. It doesn't matter what country you live in or what language you speak, you've danced to one of the hits she's penned, whether it was Icona Pop's 2012 mega-smash "I Love It" or Iggy Azalea's inescapable summer hit "Fancy." Both songs have sold over 4 million copies, making Charli one of the most sought-after talents working in music today.
It's Charli's time now. She's still working with a who's-who list of artists, but instead of channeling all of her energy into helping her contemporaries pop off, she's settled on a vision for herself. One that differs greatly from what we've expected a pop star to be. And one that will be clearly on display for her third full-length album, Sucker. For the second cover of our October/November issue, shot by photographer Timothy Saccenti, Complex sent Senior Editor Foster Kamer to kick it with Charli as she tore down NYC and find out what type of pop star she's becoming.
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