Charli XCX has revealed she couldn’t visit her father when he was battling cancer because she was travelling so much with work.
The singer, 31, made the confession in The Heroes Issue of British GQ as she reflected on her wild career beginnings.
Charli – real name Charlotte Aitchison – recorded her first album aged 14 and by 18 she was signed to Asylum Records.
She was then thrown headfirst into the industry and worked around the clock to build up her career.
Charli confessed: ‘I was travelling constantly for two years. My dad got cancer and recovered from it [in that time] and I didn’t see him because I was just travelling.’
Charli XCX has revealed she couldn’t visit her father while he battled cancer because work kept her away as she reflected on the ‘crazy’ start to her career in a chat with GQ Magazine
![Charli confessed: 'I was travelling constantly for two years. My dad got cancer and recovered from it [in that time] and I didn't see him because I was just travelling' (pictured with dad Jon)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/31/11/85553133-13479685-image-a-6_1717150500688.jpg "Charli XCX's Emotional Reflection on Balancing Work and Personal Life During Father's Battle with Cancer 3")
Charli confessed: ‘I was travelling constantly for two years. My dad got cancer and recovered from it [in that time] and I didn’t see him because I was just travelling’ (pictured with dad Jon)
She continued: ‘My life was crazy. But when you’re 21, you can go full throttle: f***ing party, drink, be an idiot, and still feel fine. You can go to shoots kind of drunk, but not really show it. You can do it all.’
Charli has previously credited her ‘mental’ and ‘eccentric’ father Jon for her bubbly personality.
She was raised by Jon – a Scottish show-booker for a music venue near the family’s home in Stevenage, Hertfordshire – and mother Shameera a former nurse of Gujarati Indian descent.
Reflecting on her upbringing and growing up mixed race, Charli added: ‘I always felt like a loser, I had friends, but my school was full of blonde white girls and I was this half-Indian girl with frizzy hair and different interests.
‘That always made me feel a little bit rejected. I thought if I made music, people would think I was interesting… Deep down, one of my biggest fears was being boring.’
Her parents supported her music career, paying for her to record her first album as a teenager.
Yet Charli revealed they weren’t fully onboard with every aspect as she recalled being invited to perform at an illegal rave in London.
She shared: ‘My mum, in particular, was terrified. She grew up in Uganda and never really drank, never smoked a cigarette.
‘She came from a Muslim family where the idea of a 14-year-old going to a rave was completely alien.’
Charli – real name Charlotte Aitchison – recorded her first album aged 14 and by 18 she was signed to Asylum Records
Charli continued: ‘My life was crazy. But when you’re 21, you can go full throttle: f***ing party, drink, be an idiot, and still feel fine. You can go to shoots kind of drunk, but not really show it’
Charli was raised by Jon – a Scottish show-booker for a music venue near the family’s home in Stevenage, Hertfordshire – and mother Shameera (pictured) a nurse of Gujarati Indian descent
Charli has been a force in the pop music space since her breakout feature on Icona Pop’s 2012 hit I Love It.
Along with releasing her own studio albums, the brunette diva has written songs for major artists like of Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello.
She recently confirmed rumorus that she worked on music for a potential new Britney Spears album.
During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Charli said she did work on new songs even though Britney, 42, denied it in the past.
The Boom Clap hitmaker reluctantly confirmed the rumor and explained what happened while answering fan questions on Andy Cohen’s talk show.
‘Um, so. Well, yes, but it leaked to the press,’ she said.
She then recalled how Britney had shared a post in January, strongly denying that she worked with her and Julia Michaels on a new album.
At the time, the Toxic singer also declared she would ‘NEVER return to the music industry.’
On Watch What Happens Live, Charli recalled the situation and explained: ‘Britney then did this post where she was like, “I don’t have random people write for me.” I was like, okay, go off! So I don’t know that she was part of the process.’
‘Maybe her team was looking for—’ Andy began before Charli interjected and clarified her thoughts on the series of events.
‘Her team was running before they could walk,’ she said. ‘Britney probably has a load of other projects that she’s focusing on. So I did get asked but I don’t know if it’s, like, real.’
Andy then added: ‘Let me ask you this: did you write anything in the hopes of her recording it?
‘Of course,’ Charli responded. ‘I went to Malibu and I wrote. You always write songs hoping Britney’s going to record them. But, you know, she didn’t record it.’
She said she hoped for the pop star to record the tracks. ‘I love her,’ she said. ‘It would be a dream come true.’
Charli recently confirmed rumorus that she worked on music for a potential new Britney Spears album (Britney pictured in 2018)
