The global heat of Brat summer

• Asjad Nazir
• 21 September, 2024

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By: Asjad Nazir

WHETHER it is Merle Oberon, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Dev Patel, Zayn Malik, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, or AR Rahman, there have been many celebrities of south Asian origin who have made a significant mark on the international landscape.

 Despite being massively successful, none of these big names have impacted popular culture globally in the way Charli XCX has recently done with her ‘brat summer’ movement.  

What started off as a promotion for Brat – the British Indian (her mum is Asian) pop sensation’s sixth studio album released in June – morphed into a worldwide juggernaut that reached all the way to the current US presidential election campaign. 

 It was kick-started with high-energy songs on an album with a distinctive lime green cover, featuring Brat written in a low-resolution font. This subsequently led to fashion trends that encouraged breaking with convention – such as wearing a strappy top with no bra – which many saw as a rejection of the popular, clean girl aesthetic.  

That greenlight to be yourself was embraced universally, especially by the younger generation. 

 Describing the brat trend, Charli XCX said: “You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things, sometimes. Who feels herself, but maybe also has a breakdown. But, kind of like, parties through it, is very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile. Like, does dumb things. But it’s brat. You’re brat. That’s brat.” 

 Even US vice-president Kamala Harris was declared to be a ‘brat’ by the singer when she was announced as the Democratic nominee for the upcoming American election in November. 

 The Harris campaign embraced the trend as a way to connect with younger voters.  

Former US president Barack Obama put Brat song 365 on his playlist and described it as a great album. “Charli XCX, she knows what she is doing,” he said.  

Such was the tidal wave of this movement that it resulted in millions of social media posts, memes, hot online trends and a gathering of like-minded people. The album cover’s lime green was a hit, including in fashion items, merchandise, and accessories.  

What made ‘brat summer’ particularly special was that it crossed age barriers and cultural boundaries around the world. The singer-songwriter, backing up the glorious green trend with superb songs and stunning live performances in major arenas around the world, gave added power to the ‘brat summer’ movement. 

 It empowered women and girls to be themselves, embracing an unapologetic streak in their behaviour, clothes and way of speaking. 

 The popular cultural phenomenon is widely thought to have had an emotional impact by making many girls feel more confident in their skin at a time when social media sets impossible standards. 

 When the singer recently declared ‘goodbye forever brat summer,’ it was retweeted over 30,000 times, with most fans refusing to say farewell and some declaring it was the beginning of ‘brat autumn.’ 

 The entire movement, including the announcement that it was ending, generated headlines around the world.  

As Charli XCX gets ready for a huge live tour, which includes dates across America and a London show at the O2 Arena on November 28, what she created with ‘brat summer’ will have a long-lasting effect that will be felt for years to come.

SOLID STATUES 

THE Bush Theatre in London has staged great theatre plays written and performed by solo British Asian actors. The latest of these is Statues, which runs from October 9 to November 9, and sees Azan Ahmed deliver a play about a grieving schoolteacher, who embarks on a journey of discovery when he finds out an unexpected secret about his deceased father. Tickets for the show, described as witty, honest, and moving, are on sale now.

FARDEEN FLOPS 

FARDEEN KHAN isn’t having a great comeback, after 14 years in the wilderness. A forgettable role in the Netflix series, Heeramandi, has been followed by recent film flops Khel Khel Mein and Visfot. He will next play the villain in the Kannada-language film Devil: The Hero, due to be released in December, which will likely fail. Instead of being a dream comeback, 2024 is turning out to be a nightmare for the actor. 

KHAN COMEBACK MISTAKE

AFTER nearly a decade in the wilderness, Imran Khan will reportedly make a Bollywood return with a movie produced by his superstar uncle Aamir Khan. Unfortunately for the actor his as yet untitled romantic comedy for Netflix will apparently be directed by Danish Aslam, who had helmed his 2010 flop Break Ke Baad. That movie starring Imran Khan and Deepika Padukone was so underwhelming that he was never trusted to direct another film again, which isn’t a good sign for an actor desperate to reclaim his former glories. 

 SENSATIONAL SAHER SHAH  

THEATRE play Vitamin D shows just why Saher Shah is one of the most exciting young British Asian creatives we have.  

She has brilliantly written the comedy-drama about a female divorcee struggling to be properly understood and has played the lead role to perfection. The top talent deserves all the positive praise she has received for the multi-layered stage production and has laid a great foundation for what will be an exciting journey ahead.

ROCKING SHEERAN SURPRISE 

THE live music scene is thriving in the UK, thanks in large part to the pioneering efforts of Vijay Bhola, who has brought major international stars to headline concerts. 

 The visionary concert promoter raised the bar once again recently at a sold-out O2 Arena show in London, featuring the iconic Arijit Singh. The spectacular concert, which had sold out nearly a year in advance, reached even greater heights when chart-topping singer Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance on stage.  

The two global superstars delivered a unique musical collaboration, never before seen on a UK stage. By making this happen, Bhola’s Rock On Music has opened the door for an already vibrant live scene to get even more exciting.

VIJAY HAS GREAT GOAT HIT

VIJAY delivered another blockbuster hit with his new film, The Greatest Of All Time. The action thriller survived mixed reviews to clock up huge box office numbers. By presenting a double role, including a de-aged version of himself, the big-budget movie also helped Indian cinema cross a new creative horizon. With the Tamil superstar now turning his focus to politics, this will be one of the few times fans will see him on the big screen.

RAHAT 2025 RETURN

A SERIES of scandals dragging Rahat Fateh Ali Khan down may have been the reason why he didn’t deliver a UK tour this year. The qawwali singer will be hoping to rebuild his tattered reputation with UK fans in 2025, with April shows in Birmingham (4), London (5), and Manchester (6), when he tours with his son, Shahzaman Ali Khan.  

Ticket sales for the three concerts will indicate if fans have forgiven him for his alleged drunken behaviour exposed in deeply damaging videos. 

 Sold-out shows with his son in other countries may suggest that he has been forgiven by fans.

BUCKINGHAM BLUNDER

KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN has demonstrated quite comprehensively that experience and established stardom don’t always equate to common sense. It was obvious that her recently released film, The Buckingham Murders, would be a huge commercial failure, but for some reason, she wasn’t able to spot it. Director Hansal Mehta has never delivered what would be considered a big commercial cinema success throughout his long career, although some of his movies may have gained critical acclaim. Kareena could have worked with any number of major filmmakers for an internationally geared project, including from the West, but she chose to waste her talent on what was an obvious turkey.

SIKANDER STINKER 

A MAJOR sign that Salman Khan has a lot riding on his next film, Sikandar, is the number of news stories connected to it being spread across media channels. That constant promotion of the 2025 Eid release is unlikely to help the action-drama, as it has many factors working against it. First, by the time it is released, a 59-year-old Salman will be starring opposite 28-year-old Rashmika Mandanna, who is young enough to be his daughter. A long list of flops means the film’s producer, Sajid Nadiadwala, director AR Murugadoss and the lead star have all respectively lost touch with audiences in recent years. All this is not a great sign for the high-profile film, and no amount of promotion can change that.

UK SITAR MAESTROIS UNSTOPPABLE

UK EXPONENTS of classical Indian music have never fully received the credit they deserve, despite the wealth of top British Asian talent.  

Young sitar sensation Jasdeep Singh Degun has changed all that in recent years with exciting projects, prestigious awards, perfectly pitched live performances, and his delightful debut album Anomaly.  

He added to his many accolades by being named instrumentalist of the year at the 2024 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards.  

There is a chance to see the Leeds born music maestro live, as he commenced a 14-date tour earlier this month. His forthcoming tour will conclude with a performance at the Barbican in London with The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, as part of the Darbar festival on October 25.  

Visit www.jasdeepsinghdegun.com for further tour dates of the fast-rising star.

BIG DAWG OF HIP HOP

WATERED-DOWN, one-dimensional hip hop stars like Badshah being popular means that truly talented Indian rappers like Hanomansing don’t get the global credit they perhaps deserve. The fast-rising music star, with more than 1.2 million Instagram followers, has delivered top tracks – like his recent release Big Dawgs – which has gained 93 million YouTube views and 130 million Spotify streams. The Kerala-born 31-year-old, whose real name is Sooraj Cherukat, is part of a new generation of rap stars who have made Indian hip hop exciting and he should be embraced internationally.