What Charli xcx's 'Anti-Marketing' means for new artists.

After dominating pop culture with BRAT, Charli XCX is questioning whether bigger is always better. Her vision of ‘anti-marketing’ has sparked debate across the music industry — but is it the future of music promotion, and what can new artists learn from it?

The BRAT rollout verged on monoculture, with Charli embracing almost every promotional opportunity. That approach left the singer exhausted, and eighth studio album Music, Fashion, Film enters the world in the opposite way.

Charli has dubbed her marketing approach for Music, Fashion, Film as ‘anti-marketing’. “We’ve been so saturated with bombastic, over-the-top campaigns,” she says. “It’s cool, but it’s done.

“Those things are still fun but feel really familiar to an audience - even if they aren’t registering that yet. It’s lost its edge and desire.”

What is anti-marketing in music?

Charli is crystal clear about what she doesn’t want to do, but what actually IS anti-marketing? For Pop Never Dies organiser David Chipakupaku, the philosophy comes down to one question: “If you’re trying to appease everybody, does it appease anybody?”

That’s been the philosophy behind Pop Never Dies, the London club night that has picked up a cult following by championing a niche.

“For Charli, anti-marketing makes a lot of sense,” David tells under the radar on the way to the decks on a Saturday night. “After the high of BRAT, it’s a complete pivot. Rather than doing what marketing is asking, going big and better, she’s leaning into fandom.

Anti-marketing isn't the absence of marketing at all. Instead, it's a rejection of a one-size-fits-all approach. While Charli may be popularising a term, it certainly is not new. XCX has always embraced more intimate fan interactions. She wrote large parts of How I’m Feeling Now alongside fans on livestreams and regularly discusses films with followers on Letterboxd. Even the Scala launch show echoed smaller gigs from earlier eras.

Why Music, Fashion, Film is resonating with Charli XCX fans

Connie has been a fan of Charli for more than a decade. “There's always been a sense of closeness to her,” she explains. “Charli has always made the effort to get to know us on a personal level.”

XCX’s social media following may have quadrupled since 2018, but Charli is still prioritising connection over reach. Instead of sitting down with Zane Lowe or Rolling Stone, Charli chose to discuss the album with TikTok pop aficionado Pop Sam Cam.

“It’s the fact she was actually having the conversation with me that felt anti-marketing,” Sam reflects.

“I’m not the most obvious outlet to go to but I think she knew she wanted this album to spark honest, earnest conversations, so she came to people that understood her music..”

Charli has followed that up with listening parties in independent cinemas and conversation events with fans. Another fan, Lucy, is loving the break in tradition. “I feel as though we should be moving away from spending money on an artist under the guise of visiting a pop-up shop they aren’t even at,” she admits.

“I would, however, spend money on smaller, intimate shows and one-off events that feel 100% more meaningful.”

For Georgina, who attended the conversation event, it’s a welcome return to form from Charli. “Getting to experience the opposite with BRAT made me happy too, it’s the best feeling to see your favourite artist doing so well, but it drastically changed the experience as a fan,” she admits.

“It took away an element of meaningfulness and almost felt less genuine. These smaller events feel less corporate and rehearsed.”

What can new artists take from the trend?

Therein lies the appeal of the Music, Fashion, Film campaign. For the rising artists that we love shouting about here at under the radar, there is surely a lot to be learned.

David regularly invites rising stars for guest sets at Pop Never Dies and the event champions independent music.

“I think being passionate about what you’re selling,” David replies when asked what new artists can take from the Charli campaign.

“Just like Charli, I’m always on social media sharing stuff, even if it’s not originally from us - if it’s music, memes or content we like. It’s important to create that personality.”

That personal connection with listeners is something Pablo Brooks relishes. The pop star, who recently dropped glittering soft-pop hit ‘Lover in the Dark’, has hosted meet-ups with fans in parks over recent months.

“Artists and labels tend to forget how powerful fans are, they’re the backbone of the music industry,” Pablo tells us.

“I’ve never been signed but I have a community of people who have found the music and allowed me to have the career that I have. So I don’t see why I should lean into those traditional ways of marketing, when that’s not where I come from.”

RYL0, who has just dropped the brilliant Odyssey EP, argues that, in many ways, independent musicians have been practising anti-marketing for years out of necessity.

“As a smaller artist without much budget, everything inherently feels like anti-marketing because there’s essentially no buffer between the artist and the listener,” she explains.

“All independent artists know the power of direct fan engagement. Oftentimes, it’s the only marketing option for small, independent artists.”

The common theme when discussing anti-marketing is in-person connection. The pursuit of viral hits on TikTok that worked when music fans were in lockdown isn’t necessarily a winning recipe - those listeners want genuine connection again.

“I think that online fandom can become negative quite quickly,” Sam says. “What you see in real life is the opposite. It’s an incredibly positive atmosphere.

“Servicing a core fan base with things like in-person events, you start building a dedicated group that will continue to spread your music - Charli is a master of this.

“Find your audience very early on, even if it’s tiny and understand them and only them. Especially if you’re a pop artist, don’t try and find the centre because it no longer exists.”

Welsh electropop siren twst (check out ‘Catch Me’ if you haven’t already) also aligns with Charli’s desire to chase the minority, rather than the majority.

“During lockdown, everyone was chasing these huge viral moments because we were all behind our screens,” twst remembers. “Now it feels like artists are putting more energy into the people who already care through smaller shows and intimate experiences.

“We’ve reached a point where content is infinite and what’s actually valuable now isn’t access to more content, it’s experiences that feel limited or shared.

“I think the lesson for new artists is that you don’t need to try and win everyone over straight away. Focus on the people who are already connecting with what you’re doing and give them a reason to stick around.”

Is anti-marketing a privilege?

In the conversations, however, there is an elephant in the room. Building hype around these anti-marketing events is much easier when you already have a couple of GRAMMY Awards under your belt.

Charli has the success to be able to turn her back on the mainstream, but are independent artists afforded that privilege?

For Dave, it’s a balance. “If you’re at the beginning of your career, you can’t really afford to take a U-turn on a portion of your audience and risk driving some away, as Charli has,” he admits.

“You do have to lean into what people are wanting. It’s a crossover between what the audience want, making more of that and also leaning into the original fandom.”

RYL0 agrees that anti-marketing becomes much easier once you've already built an audience.

“It definitely requires a level of privilege,” she says. “Anti-marketing requires trust that fans will always fill the rooms and buy the merchandise. You have to do a ton of pre-requisite marketing and brand positioning to get to the point where scaling down feels like a choice.”

Pablo is on the same page. While he feels the most benefit from engaging in person, rejecting social media completely would be foolhardy.

“To be fair, I’m still omnipresent on social media,” he says. “I admire artists who find a way to ditch socials completely but that rarely happens for artists who aren’t established players already.

“I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all solution. It has helped me to ‘be loud’ about my music but I’ve always tried to stay true to my narrative and tell the story I want to tell.”

For twst, it’s not that fans have fallen out of love with big campaigns - “everyone still loves a cultural moment”. It’s just that it’s easier to spot something that’s forced.

“If we’re defining anti-marketing as less polished campaigns that feel more authentic, then I think anyone can embrace that,” twst reflects.

“In some ways it’s actually easier when you’re a smaller artist because you’re naturally closer to your audience. I don’t really think it’s anti-marketing at all - it’s just marketing that’s focused more on genuine connection than trying to reach absolutely everyone.”

The niche is the new mainstream

Charli’s anti-marketing is not a middle finger to the traditional album campaign, but a different way of looking at it. The goal is still success, just through fewer, stronger connections rather than trying to reach everyone at once.

Whether you're a global pop star or an artist playing their first headline show, that idea resonates. The challenge isn't to market less, but to give the people who already care a reason to care even more. As Sam puts it: “The niche is the new mainstream.”