On Saturday, August 27th at 10:00 pm, 24-year old U.K. native Charli XCX took the stage in Bender Arena for the AU Welcome Week concert, presented by AU’s Student Union Board. Charli strutted on stage in a bright green string bikini top and a Scottish kilt-style mini skirt, paired with a white baseball cap. Fans could tell Charli was excited to be playing a college concert, as she tried to converse with the crowd. She even threw out a Ring Pop and asked about the parties that were happening later that night. Charli’s Snapchat story later that night did, in fact, confirm that she attended a fraternity party at American University.
Charli attended college at Bishop’s Stortford College in Hertfordshire, England, although she did not finish her four-year degree. Evidently, she is nostalgic about the college night life she missed out on by leaving school early in 2010, just two years after she was signed by Atlantic A&R, according to Rolling Stone.
i crashed a frat party in DC tonight #yolo right ???
— CHARLI XCX (@charli_xcx) August 28, 2016
Charli XCX began performing at age 14 in London with the support of her parents. The name “Charli XCX” allegedly comes from her MSN messenger screen name when she was younger. Since rising to fame, Charli XCX has toured with Katy Perry and worked with other outspoken female artists such as Iggy Azelea.
Charli’s opening act on Saturday was local D.C. Rock/Electronic band “Color Palette.” The group’s new album “Vaporwave” is now available on iTunes and Spotify.
Missing on Saturday night was Charli’s iconic all-female band, which includes a drummer, bassist and guitarist. However, she was accompanied by a female DJ. Towards the end of the concert, Charli quipped that her DJ was better than “Diplo” before laughing and saying, “I probably shouldn’t have said that.” Diplo is an American DJ who has collaborated on songs such as “Cold Water” and “Where Are Ü Now.”
Fans swooned as Charli performed her iconic songs including “Boom Clap,” “Break the Rules,” and “Vroom Vroom.” Also included in her set list were songs she’s collaborated on, including Icona Pop’s “I Love It” and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy.”
Above Charli XCX (left) is pictured in a performance with Iggy Azalea (right).
After the concert, Charli traded her mini skirt for a pair of more comfortable loose-fitting black sweatpant-style pants as she posed for photos with awestruck event volunteers.
Charli XCX follows in the footsteps of other showstopping musicians who have performed at AU in previous years such as Rae Sremmurd, JoJo, Karmin, and Chance the Rapper.
Photo Credit: Jillian O’Donohue / The Eagle (Cover), 1, Color Palette via Facebook, 2