If you’re chronically online, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of brat. But what is it? Technically, brat is just Charli XCX’s brand new album, but it’s much more than that. Brat is quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and taking over the internet.
“brat” actually didn’t go viral on Tiktok until its creator, Charli XCX did what I think might be one of the best music marketing stunts ever (second to maybe Lil Nas X’s blood-filled shoes). Charli took to twitter and tweeted “kamala IS brat.” nearly two weeks after her album was initially released.
Immediately, Kamala Harris supporters as well as the Kamala Harris campaign began using the song. This is seemingly what made “brat” much more than just an album, as supporters of the candidate used the song behind edits to show their support online.
To me, this denotes what could be a revolution in the way that politicians try to gain support from their younger bases.
After “brat” seemed to have gained so much traction, Kamala Harris was becoming a hot topic all across TikTok, her opponent, Donald Trump, even began to post more TikToks on the app also as a way for him to engage with his younger bases.
While his TikToks did gain plenty of traction, brat seems to be what has truly kickstarted the Harris-Walz campaign to new heights. The theme was even encouraged on the campaign’s social media.
“brat” also seemed to be a huge part of the 2024 Democratic National Convention. A simple google search of “brat at the dnc” shows plenty of “brat” merchandise. The signature lime green color also seems to have extended past Harris-Walz’s young audience, as many prominent figures were seen sporting the merchandise at the DNC, like Senator Cory Booker of NJ as well as actress Mindy Kaling.
So, if you didn’t exactly understand the trend before, hopefully you have a bit of a better idea now. Again, props to Charli, because tweeting that really might be one of the most well executed and smartest marketing stunts ever.
