The world is officially healing — Charli XCX and Lorde have finally resolved the decade-long conflict I frankly didn’t know they were having. Hoorah! It seems like the “360” singer and the “Royals” queen have gone from frenemies to besties after they got all their feelings about each other out in the new “girl, so confusing” remix. There was some comparison, envy, projection, and miscommunication going on, but these pop girls are so back now. If you’re as confused as I was when I first heard about this song and drama, here’s a full breakdown of WTF happened between Charli and Lorde that led them to releasing this golden remix. (Can we get one of these from Taylor and Olivia, Olivia and Sabrina, or Taylor and Billie next?)

The Charli XCX And Lorde Drama Explained

Me watching Lorde and Charli work it out on the remix pic.twitter.com/3e2mYmy66h

— mkb (@MatthewKBegbie) June 21, 2024

Why Were Charli XCX And Lorde Beefing?

Apparently these two have had subtle beef for a long time? Although their music sounds nothing alike, Charli and Lorde have similar aesthetics and hair, which has sparked comparisons on social media over the years. During a May 2024 interview with Rolling Stone UK, Charli shared her complicated feelings about Lorde breaking out with “Royals.” She recalled, ” I was super jealous of the success that that song got, and that Ella got.” (For the fake fans: Ella is Lorde’s real name.)

Charli continued, “You piece all this stuff together in your brain, like: ‘She was into my music. She had big hair; I had big hair. She wore black lipstick; I once wore black lipstick.’ You create these parallels and think, ‘Well, that could have been me.’” I also think “that could’ve been me” every time a new pop star arrives on the scene, so I can relate. “I think you just read what you want into it because you’re feeling insecure about your own work,” Charli reflected.

When Charli appeared on the Las Culturistas podcast in June, she didn’t reveal who inspired her Brat track, “girl, so confusing,” but she did explain the meaning behind the track. “I don’t think you become a bad feminist if you maybe don’t see eye to eye with every single woman,” she said. “That’s not the nature of human beings. There’s a competitiveness between us. There’s envy. There’s camaraderie. There’s all of these different dynamics.” IDK what she’s talking about… I’ve only felt strictly feminist feelings.

How Did Lorde Respond To “Girl, So Confusing”?

In “girl, so confusing,” Charli sings about her weird relationship with Lorde, admitting, “Sometimes I think I might hate you / Maybe you just wanna be me.” She references people’s comments about their similarities, but explains that when she and Lorde hang out, it “it feels a bit awkward ’cause we don’t have much in common.” Charli even mentions that she and the New Zealand singer have discussed musical collabs before, but she didn’t know if those conversations were “honest.” 

And then Lorde decided to hop on the song and make us all sob. In her verse on the remix, she reveals that she turned down Charli’s invitations to go out because she was scared to be photographed. “For the last couple years I’ve been at war in my body / I tried to starve myself thinner and then I gained all the weight back,” Lorde sings. She also shares that her tough exterior is “just self-defense until you’re building a weapon.” Oof. At the end of the verse, she predicts that the internet will “go crazy” after they release this healing track. And girlie was not wrong.  

Are Charli XCX And Lorde Friends Now?

Beef: squashed. When Brat came out, Lorde praised Charli in an Insta Story. “The only album I’ve ever presaved is out today … Charli just cooked this one different,” the “Solar Power” singer wrote. “So much grit, grace & skin in the game. I speak for all of us when I say it’s an honor to be moved, changed and gagged by her work. There is NO ONE like this bitch.” This was pre-remix, of course, and it was so enthusiastic that a lot of people couldn’t tell if Lorde was complimenting Charli or making fun of her. Fortunately, it turned out to be the former.

Lorde supported Charli at her June 11 New York City show, and she promises in the remix, “I ride for you, Charli.” Which one of my ex-besties would like to write an apology/explanation verse for me? I’m accepting applications.