Switching from Brat to Lorde summer? Or can two successful women exist parallel in this industry.

We haven’t heard from Lorde in a few years. For those who forgot: Lorde is known to give us big summer hits in 2017 and 2013, very nostalgic times. From her teenage debut Pure Heroine to the sun-drenched introspection of Solar Power, she’s refused to play by pop’s timeline. While others chase relevance, Lorde disappears and re-emerges exactly when she’s ready - and somehow always ahead. After nearly three years away from the spotlight, she’s teasing a return that feels softer, stranger, and more grounded. 

Can this summer belong to Charli XCX & Lorde?

Charli XCX declared it from the Coachella stage: “Welcome to Lorde Summer.” and with that, the pop baton passed from one powerhouse to another. “Brat Summer,” born from Charli XCX’s emotionally raw album Brat, became 2024 more than just a release. It was an aesthetic - acidic lime green, messy Y2K revival and maximal attitude. Her music said: I’m complicated and chaotic, with pride. It gave space for emotional honesty without needing it to be pretty. A rejection of polished femininity and a full embrace of being “too much.” So when Charli brought Lorde onstage during her Coachella 2025 set to perform the remix of “Girl, So Confusing”, the energy shifted. The moment felt like a cultural handoff. 

Brat Summer vs. Lorde Summer: Two Sides of the Same Fight

Where Charli screams in neon, Lorde floats in washed-out colors. Her style - recently captured in Vogue Magazine - is all baggy jeans, vintage dress shirt and timeless weird-girl elegance. The Vogue piece dubs Lorde’s current vibe as “anti-glamour glamour.” It’s not about being off-trend but just being more chill, not needing to post thirst traps to stay relevant. She just shows up with a crisp white shirt, and we’re all listening again. She’s very much still a player and more then just a slow burn to Charli’s firework.

But here’s the thing: Brat Summer and Lorde Summer are not opposites. They’re options. Charli pushes the volume. Lorde pulls it back. Both are rewriting what success in the music industry can look like for women right now. Without begging for male validation, without fitting into a single box.

Can Two Women Take Over Summer? Yes. And They Should.

The music industry loves to pit women against each other, as if there can only be one “main pop girl” at a time. But this moment? It’s about multiplicity. About saying yes to all versions of womanhood: bratty, bored, bold. When Charli and Lorde shared that stage, it wasn’t about rivalry. It was a flex. A mutual nod. A remix of girlhood. In a industry where men are still granted space to shift styles, take breaks, and be unpredictable without consequence, women are forced to constantly define and redefine their personas. Charli and Lorde are doing it on their own terms - one tiny lime-green skirt and one oversized linen shirt at a time.

This summer isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about realizing that both can exist at full volume.

Lareen Roth