Charli xcx Says Her Struggles Not Feeling 'Accepted' as Mixed Race Woman and Musician Allowed Her to Make “Brat”

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NEED TO KNOW

• Charli xcx's shares her experiences as a mixed-race woman and musician shaped Brat

• "I never felt accepted where I went," the singer said. "There was this weird, displaced feeling, where I couldn't quite fit into either place"

• Charli's father, Jon, is Scottish and her mother, Shameera, is Indian

Charli xcx's mixed-race identity influenced the making of her record-breaking albumBrat.

In conversation with Swedish rapper Yung Lean forDazedmagazine's Winter 2025 Issue, Charli, 33, opens up about her struggles of being a mixed-race woman and musician. Having been raised in England by her Scottish father and Indian mother, Charli said she's no stranger to feeling like an outsider.

"I never felt accepted where I went, whether that was in school for being half-Indian and not blonde, or not fully relating to my Indian self because I was half-white," the singer shared. "There was this weird, displaced feeling, where I couldn't quite fit into either place."

"Then with music, being outside of the mainstream and wanting to be in that world, but also really wanting to reject it. It created this concoction that allowed me to [makeBrat]," she continued. "I feel like I used to be very afraid. Not since 2016, really, but prior to that I was very afraid."

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

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The '365' singer, whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison, was born toJon and Shameera Aitchison. Though her parents are her biggest supporters (they took her to perform at her first rave when she was a teenager!), Charli has often shared the challenges of growing up with parents of different races.

For herVogueSingapore 2024 cover story, the popstar said she "grew up in two half-lives."

"When I would go and visit my mum's family, I felt very Indian," she noted. "It was all the classic scenes of my nani and bappa cooking with Bollywood films playing in the background and everybody speaking in Gujarati."

"But then I'd go home to this other world, which was largely white. It was almost like I would experience the Indian part of my identity only on the weekends. I never quite felt like I fit into either world, which I think commonly happens with mixed-race kids."

Joseph Okpako/WireImage

Speaking toGQin 2024, Charli said she "always felt like a loser" at school because she was mixed-race.

"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," she continued. "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."

Charli's viralBrattrack "Apple"is about her relationship with her parents. The song quickly became the soundtrack of summer 2024 for its TikTok dance.

With the lyrics, "I guess the apple don't fall far from the tree / 'Cause I've been looking at you so long / Now I only see me / I wanna throw the apple into the sky / Feels like you never understand me / So I just wanna drive," the hit song chronicles her "sticky relationship" with her parents.

The British pop star confessed that after the release ofBratshe "felt really uninspired by music," and isn't "hungry to learn about new music." Charli revealed that the only artists she's tuning into are Yung Lean, Sophie, AG Cook, Bladee and her husband,The 1975drummerGeorge Daniel.

"[Music has] never inspired me, really," Charli noted. "I've always been more inspired by film. So I think at that point, when I wasn't feeling particularly inspired by music, I wanted to delve more into a different creative space."

The multi-hyphenate has worked on seven upcoming films:100 Nights of Hero(2025),Sacrifice(2025),Erupcja(2025),Faces of Death,I Want Your Sex,The GalleristandThe Moment(2026).

The Moment, a mockumentary-style film, follows the life of a global pop sensation on her first-ever headline tour. Charli plays a fictional version of herself, poking fun at herBratera.

The film will hit theaters on Jan. 30.

Read the original article onPeople

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December 01, 2025

Charli xcx Says Her Struggles Not Feeling 'Accepted' as Mixed Race Woman and Musician Allowed Her to Make “Brat”

Phillip Faraone/Getty NEED TO KNOW Charli xcx's shares her experiences as a mixed-race woman and musician shaped Brat "I never f...

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Megan Thee Stallion wins defamation suit against blogger

MIAMI — A federal jury sided with Megan Thee Stallion on Monday and agreed that a blogger defamed and harassed the rapper — but limited damages to less than six figures.

The federal panel of five men and four women came down in favor of Megan, the artist born Megan Pete, in her lawsuit against blogger Milagro Gramz, whose real name is Milagro Cooper.

The suit was over material Cooper posted after R&B musician Tory Lanez shot Megan five years ago.

Jurors initially awarded Megan $75,000, which U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga knocked down to $59,000.

She declined to answer any questions from reporters as she left court.

Cooper didn't appear to be particularly pleased or distressed by the panel's findings.

"I'm not ecstatic," Cooper said. "Of course you want things to go your way, but like I said, I respect the jury and what they decided."

Her attorney, Jeremy McLymont, said he's grateful that jurors didn't award seven digits of damages.

"We respect the jury's verdict. You always have to, right? Whether we agree with it or not, we respect it," he said.

"At the end of the day it was not a complete win for any side."

Megan accused Cooper of being a "mouthpiece," a "puppet" and a "paid surrogate" for Lanez, who shot herin Los Angeles on July 15, 2020.

Jurors found that Cooper willfully encouraged her thousands of followers on X and Instagram to view a sexually explicit deepfake video of Megan that had beencirculating on social media.

Lanez shot Megan in the foot after the pair left a party at Kylie Jenner's home in 2020.

A Los Angeles jury found Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, guilty ofthree felony charges on Dec. 23, 2022: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

He wassentenced to up to 10 yearsbehind bars.

Megan said she has been struggling with mental health issues since the shooting and the harassment from the blogger.

Juliette Arcodia reported from Miami and David K. Li from New York.

byNeo

in

December 01, 2025

Megan Thee Stallion wins defamation suit against blogger

MIAMI — A federal jury sided with Megan Thee Stallion on Monday and agreed that a blogger defamed and harassed the rapper — but limited dam...

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Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx Doesn't Think It's 'Cool' When Rock Stars 'Act 25, and They're 65'

Slaven Vlasic/Getty

Nikki Sixxthinks rock stars should accept their age.

In an interview withWTHR-TV's Dustin Grove via Blabbermouth, theMötley Crüebassist and co-founding member spoke about why he thinks artists shouldn't try to act younger than they are.

"Life changes, man," Nikki, 66, told the outlet. "It's cool that it changes. The thing that I don't like is when I see artists that are still trying to act 25, and they're 65.

He continued: "I don't think that's cool for the fans. Evolution is evolution. We all age, we all change, we have different interests, and Mötley Crüe seems to have ridden that wave pretty good, just letting it be real."

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Nikki also noted how he's grown as an individual over the years.

"You evolve as a person, as a lyricist. My evolution as a lyricist, it goes from the rawest of the raw to the most heartfelt. And that's just as I grew as a man and my interests evolved," he said.

According to Nikki, the band isn't "in a rush ever" to make music.

"We don't have to be in a rush. In my case, I've got a six-and-a-half-year-old [daughter Ruby] who's amazing," he said. "And so I wanna not be in a rush to work constantly so I can enjoy that part of it and then go out there and play for the fans.

Nikki noted that it's about "balance" for him.

In December 2023, Nikkiopened up to PEOPLEat the Jackson Hole International Film Festival (JHIFF) about spending time in nature and turning 65.

"It just really clears our head and allows us to reset," Nikki told PEOPLE of he and his wifeCourtney Sixx, now 40, who share daughter Ruby, 6½.

He added: "We spend a lot of time outside. I mean, the whole point of being here is to really be outside whether you're into skiing or fishing or hiking or being up on the lakes or snowmobiling."

Nikki noted how they enjoyed how "social" the area was.

"I wake up and I'm like, 'I can't think of a place I'd rather be.' And to be able to still be creative at 65 and have a wonderful family and be surrounded by good friends. I'm very grateful," he said.

Read the original article onPeople

byNeo

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December 01, 2025

Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx Doesn't Think It's 'Cool' When Rock Stars 'Act 25, and They're 65'

Slaven Vlasic/Getty Nikki Sixxthinks rock stars should accept their age. In an interview withWTHR-TV's Dustin Grove via Blabbermouth,...

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Man mauled to death by lion after climbing into zoo enclosure

A man who climbed over 18 feet to enter a lion's enclosure was fatally attacked in front of horrified zoo visitors.

Gerson de Melo Machado, 19, was mauled to death after he invaded a lioness' enclosure at Parque Zoobotanio Arruda Camara in João Pessoa, Brazil, on Sunday morning,according to the Brazilian outlet Correio Braziliense.

Machado climbed up the side structure of the lioness' cage and lowered himself into the enclosure by sliding down a tree, as seen in adisturbing video posted on X.

The lioness pounced on Machado as he was descending down the tree. He seemingly tried to escape from the animal before being pulled down to the ground, the video shows.

The zoo will remain closed until investigations and official procedures are completed, it announced in anInstagram post on Sunday.

In a separateInstagram post,the zoo said that the lioness will not be euthanized as it is healthy and has not exhibited aggressive behavior outside of this incident.

The zoo assured that the lioness will be observed and monitored moving forward, as it has experienced a high level of stress.

Machado had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had been institutionalized several times, his child welfare counselorVerônica Oliveira told Correio Braziliense.

He dreamed of taming lions on a safari in Africa, and once tried to sneak into the landing gear of an airplane hoping to be taken there, according to Oliveira.

byNeo

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December 01, 2025

Man mauled to death by lion after climbing into zoo enclosure

A man who climbed over 18 feet to enter a lion's enclosure was fatally attacked in front of horrified zoo visitors. Gerson de Melo Mac...

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Bolivia eases visa requirements for US and Israeli travelers

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Visiting Bolivia became a little easier for certain travelers on Monday, when the South American nation'sfirst conservative government in nearly 20 yearseliminated visa requirements for citizens from the United States and Israel, among several other countries, as part of a broadergeopolitical and economic overhaul.

Americans and Israelis, as well as citizens of South Korea, South Africa and several eastern European nations that had been obliged to apply and pay for Bolivian tourist visas can now enter the country with only a valid passport for stays up to 90 days.

From the snowy slopes of its 20,000-foot peaks to the dense forests of its Amazon basin and the world'slargest salt flats, Bolivia is home to an array of tourist experiences often overlooked by international travelers vacationing in neighboring Brazil and Peru.

Monday's measure is a bid byBolivian President Rodrigo Paz— whotook over the government last monthfrom the long-ruling Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party — to build a strategic alliance with the U.S. and to fuel economic progress by attracting more visitors.

Bolivia is currently facing asevere shortage of U.S. dollarsthat has hampered imports and paralyzed the economy.

Anti-American hostility in Bolivia peaked under former left-wingPresident Evo Morales(2006-2019), a charismatic coca-growing union leader who gained popularity in the early 2000s among Bolivians tired of a half-century of dependence on Washington and angry about the violent U.S.-backed war on drugs in the tropics.

Morales led the country's decoupling from the U.S. — throwing the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency out of the country, expelling the U.S. ambassador and imposing visa restrictions on U.S. citizens.

He cited the principle of reciprocity, meaning that Bolivians — who are still charged $185 and required to undergo a cumbersome application process to obtain visas — should be afforded the same benefits when traveling to the U.S.

During the 2014 Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Morales also severed diplomatic ties with Israel and began requiring tourist visas for Israeli travelers to Bolivia.

Meanwhile,Bolivia drew closer to Russia,Chinaand Venezuela.

After mass protests against alleged electoral fraudforced Morales to resign under pressure from the military in 2019, right-wing former interimPresident Jeanine Áñezbriefly scrapped the entry restrictions for citizens from the U.S. and Israel.

But then formerPresident Luis Arce, Morales'political heirfrom the MAS party, reinstated the visa rules when heentered office in 2020.

Paz's officials on Monday estimated that Bolivia had lost around $900 million from the decline in visa recipients since 2007 and promised $80 million in new tourism revenue over the next four years.

"We must restore the world's confidence in Bolivia being a suitable and safe country to visit," Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo told reporters in announcing the new measures.

The State Department keeps Bolivia at a level 2 travel advisory that urges visitors to "exercise increased caution" because of the risk of civil unrest. It also issues a level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory, the highest grade of warning, for the country's coca-growingregion of Chapare where ex-President Morales is currently holed up, evading arrest for alleged statutory rape.

Seeking to replenish depleted dollar reserves and liberalize Bolivia's economyas it undergoes its worst crisis in four decades, Paz last weekscrapped some corporate and wealth taxesand laid out plans for taking on more debt.

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December 01, 2025

Bolivia eases visa requirements for US and Israeli travelers

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Visiting Bolivia became a little easier for certain travelers on Monday, when the South American n...

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Guardsman who survived Washington shooting gives thumbs up, still in serious condition

By Brad Brooks

Dec 1 (Reuters) - The surviving National Guardsman shot by a gunman last week near the White House gave medical personnel a thumbs up ​when asked if he could hear them and also wiggled his toes in response, West ‌Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said on Monday.

Morrisey said that Andrew Wolfe, 24, one of two West Virginia National Guard ‌members shot on Wednesday, remained in serious condition.

"Andrew is still fighting for his life," Morrisey told reporters at a news conference. "Andrew needs prayers."

Sarah Beckstrom, 20, the other West Virginia National Guard member shot last week, died on Thursday.

The two were deployed in ⁠Washington after U.S. President Donald ‌Trump's sent National Guard forces there in August to help fight crime.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday that the suspect in the shooting, Afghan ‍national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was radicalized after he and his family moved to the U.S. in 2021.

Lakanwal, who faces first-degree murder and other charges, was himself shot and wounded during his ​attack.

He moved to the U.S. under a Biden administration program that resettled about 70,000 ‌Afghans who helped the U.S. during the 20-year war in their homeland. The U.S. withdrew in 2021 as the Taliban seized control.

Lakanwal, who was part of a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan, was granted asylum under Trump.

Trump, in response to the shooting, said he was halting migration from "Third World countries" and that the U.S. stopped processing ⁠visas for Afghan nationals.

Investigators, who are exploring Lakanwal'​s motive for the attack, said he drove across the ​country from his home in Washington State and shot the two Guardsmen with a .357 Magnum revolver, before being wounded by other troops.

Morrisey, a Republican, ‍on Monday defended the National ⁠Guard mission in Washington, D.C. and other cities run by Democrats, which critics have said is a politicized move by Trump. The governor said that all 170 ⁠members of West Virginia's guard who are in the capital had volunteered for the mission.

"They're volunteering because they ‌believe in the mission," Morrisey said.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks in ‌Colorado; editing by Donna Bryson and Cynthia Osterman)

byNeo

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December 01, 2025

Guardsman who survived Washington shooting gives thumbs up, still in serious condition

By Brad Brooks Dec 1 (Reuters) - The surviving National Guardsman shot by a gunman last week near the White Hous...

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New “Harry Potter” star reveals his reaction to getting a letter from Daniel Radcliffe: 'It was insane'

Aidan Monaghan/HBO; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros.

Harry PotterTV starDominic McLaughlin could not believe his eyes when he was handed a letter from the first Boy Who Lived.

Last month, OGHarry PotterstarDaniel Radclifferevealed that hepenned a personal letter to McLaughlin, wishing him well on his Wizarding World journey and officially passing the torch. During a visit to BBC'sSaturday Mash-Up! Live, the 11-year-old actor shared his astonished reaction to getting the note.

"I got a letter from the man himself, from Daniel Radcliffe," McLaughlin said during the interview. "It was insane. I was on the train back up to Glasgow and my Dad tapped me on the train and just gave me this letter."

McLaughlin went on to share that he didn't fully realize what he was reading until he reached the end. "I read it and then I got to the bottom, and it said, 'Dan R,'" he recalled. "I was going mad, but I had to [keep cool]. I was on the train."

Radcliffe, who originated the role of the boy wizard, was the same age as McLaughlin when he began his own eight-movie journey. After beating out thousands of kids for the lead role, McLaughlin is set to headline the series over the next 10 years.

Rob Kim/Getty

Asked how things are progressing so far, the young actor said that filming HBO'sHarry Potterseries has been "going amazing." He added, "It's going really well. I've made good friends with everyone, it's great to be there."

In November, Radcliffe toldGood Morning Americathat he wrote a letter to McLaughlin and got a "very sweet note back" from the young actor. Though Radcliffe has spent the past few years distancing himself from controversial series author J.K. Rowling — whose transphobic rhetoriche has repeatedly condemned— he noted that it felt important to reach out to McLaughlin, who is on the verge of embarking on his own life-changing journey with Harry Potter.

"I don't want to be a specter in the life of these children but I just wanted to write to him to say, 'I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did — I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better time,'" Radcliffe said. "I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I just want to hug them. They just seem so young."

He added, "I just look at them and say, 'Oh, it's crazy I was doing that at that age.' But it's also incredibly sweet and I hope they're having a great time."

Radcliffe wasn't the onlyHarry Potteralum to offer words of support.Rupert Grint, who spent a decade as Ron Weasley,penned a few paragraphs to Alastair Stout, who is taking over the role in the HBO series.

"I wrote him a letter, before they started [filming]," Grint toldBBC News. "Passing the baton, as it were."

He shared that while he "can't remember exactly" what he wrote in his letter to Stout, it was "something to that effect" of feeling "really happy for him."

Grunt added, "I'm really intrigued [about] what it's going to be like. It's quite strange, having it, the cycle, happen again. I had so much fun stepping into this world, and I hope he has the same experience."

Aidan Monaghan/HBO

Alongside Stout and McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton completes the Golden trio, taking overEmma Watson's role as the studious Hermione Granger. Between them, the trio beat out 32,000 kids who auditioned for the roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. McLaughlin previously appeared inGrow, a Sky comedy with Nick Frost and Golda Rosheuvel, while Stanton starred as the titular character in a West End production ofMatilda. Stout has no prior acting credits.

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HBO's upcomingHarry Potterseries (currently in production) is fromshowrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod, both also executive producers, and will debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max. It has been billed as a faithful adaptation, expanding each of Rowling's seven books into individual seasons.

The young cast of the new series also includes Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, and Amos Kitson portraying Dudley Dursley.

They will be joined by adult stars including John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byNeo

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December 01, 2025

New “Harry Potter” star reveals his reaction to getting a letter from Daniel Radcliffe: 'It was insane'

Aidan Monaghan/HBO; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros. Harry PotterTV starDominic McLaughlin could not believe his eyes when he was handed a lett...

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