"Once the fervor around Charli XCX's 2024 album "brat" had cooled, the singer was approached to make a documentary about the tour-a practice that's been embraced by the likes of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. But Charli, who has built her brand in opposition to mainstream expectations, instead released "The Moment," a tongue-in-cheek satire about the pressures stars face to milk career highs like "brat summer" for all they're worth."
"Many of these projects promise genuine insight into their subjects, but what they actually show is the increasingly delicate balancing act of "authentic" celebrity. "It is really hard to both reveal and conceal at the same time," Fry says. "To invite the fan in-but not in a way that feels unsafe, or that could get you cancelled, or could make you sell less, or could make you unloved.""
Charli XCX declined a conventional tour documentary and released The Moment, a satirical take on the commercial pressures around career peaks and "brat summer." The Moment contrasts with sanitized concert films and traditional artist documentaries while aligning with projects that intentionally subvert the documentary form. These projects often promise deep insight but instead reveal an ongoing negotiation between appearing authentic and managing exposure. The negotiation centers on inviting fans without creating vulnerability, avoiding cancellation, preserving sales, and maintaining affection. Related works include Homecoming, Gaga: Five Foot Two, Taylor Swift: The End of an Era, Sean Combs: The Reckoning, and Renaissance.
Read at The New Yorker
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