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Charli XCX co-performer 'found the next Madonna'

Henry Godfrey-Evans
BBC News, Essex
Billa Baldwin Charli XCX in a purple glitter dress, a pink wig and a golden chain, in the midst of singing.Billa Baldwin
Charli XCX in 2008 at the H2O Nightclub in Bishop's Stortford

A musician who invited a young Charli XCX to perform with his band after watching her Myspace videos said he knew he had "discovered the next Madonna".

The five-time Brit 2025 nominee from Start Hill, near Stansted Airport in Essex, performed with Charlie "Chaz" John Ross's band The Coolness in 2008, when she was aged just 15.

This week she has already been announced as winner of Songwriter of the Year and is up for Artist of the Year and four other awards at Saturday's ceremony.

Remembering hearing the pop star sing for the first time, Mr John Ross said: "My jaw was on the floor, I was gobsmacked."

Billa Baldwin Two brightly-coloured performers, one man singing and a woman dancing.Billa Baldwin
Charli XCX (left) performing alongside Charlie "Chaz" John Ross

"Her dad phoned me up days later and that's what got the ball rolling, really.

"She started supporting my band, to the point where we were even her back-up band."

He said Charli - whose real name is Charlotte Emma Aitchison and was born in Cambridge - was 15 when she did her first public gig at the White Hart in Whitechapel, London, in 2008, supporting his band.

"She played her, maybe, first dozen or 20 shows supporting my band," he said.

Charli was soon signed by Warner Brothers after a gig in a hair salon.

Billa Baldwin A woman singing into a microphone with a long red ribbon around her with hair that is dishevelled and make up that is smudgedBilla Baldwin
Charli performing at Koko in London in 2008

Fast forward to present day, Charli is the most nominated artist at this year's Brits.

The now 32-year-old is up for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Dance Act and Pop Act.

She brought out her album, Brat, in June, which went on to reach the UK number one slot and made waves across the Atlantic.

The album's success led to "brat summer" becoming a cultural phenomenon and Collins Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2024.

Billa Baldwin A woman singing into a microphone with a long red ribbon around her and stripy black and white tights, her hair is dishevelled and her make-up is smudged.Billa Baldwin
Speaking about Brat, "she's harked back to that inner energy she had," said Mr John Ross

Mr John Ross said her smash hit album had similar zeitgeist and humour to how she started out.

"She's harked back to that inner energy she had before the record company got involved," he said.

"They tried to make her too much like Katy Perry, and not enough like Kate Bush."

Mr John Ross thinks his former stage partner should "win it all".

"I think she should have won songwriter of the decade, not of the year."

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