Charli XCX Talks The Velvet Underground & Nico, Lana Del Rey Celebrates Jack Antonoff At Variety’s Hitmakers Awards
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We certainly weren’t the only people who thought Brat was the Best Album Of 2024. On Saturday, Charli XCX was crowned Hitmaker Of The Year during Variety’s eighth annual Hitmakers brunch in Los Angeles. While accepting the award (following an introduction by ”360” music video star Rachel Sennott), Charli named a few of her biggest musical inspirations, including Lou Reed, Caroline Polachek, Jack Antonoff, and Lana Del Rey, the latter of whom she apparently only met for the first time that day.
Charli has long praised Lou Reed, and this year she talked about his music to Howard Stern, GQ, and Billboard, telling the latter, “I kind of want to make a Lou Reed record, to be honest. That would definitely be a pretty big swing.” She recently showed off three different Reed shirts, at SNL, MSG, and Facebook. And last year two Reed songs were among the top top tracks on her Spotify Wrapped (including “Dirty Blvd.,” a #1 alternative chart hit in 1989).
In her Variety acceptance speech, Charli said:
In March 1967, the Velvet Underground released their album The Velvet Underground And Nico. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at #199. And a few weeks later, it rose to its peak position of 195. But don’t worry, it dropped out, and then it re-entered the charts. And later in life, Lou Reed told Brian Eno that it had only sold around 30,000 copies over its first five years.
In my humble opinion, this record is the definition of a hit. This record is arguably one of the most influential and groundbreaking records of our time. This album is the apex of fine art and DIY culture colliding. It’s high and low, it’s poetry meets drugs, it’s earnest meets arrogance, and even if you’re never heard a single song from this album, you’ll undoubtedly recognize its cover, either from the walls of a modern art gallery or from the shop floor of an Urban Outfitters. And let’s be real, what is a hit if you’re not conquering both of those places? My album cover has not yet appeared at the Guggenheim or the Whitney or the Tate. However, some of my merch is available to purchase right now in Urban Outfitters. So I guess that means that I’m halfway there. So thank you very much, Variety.
Del Rey also gave a speech presenting Jack Antonoff with the Producer Of The Decade award, and explained how his marriage to actress Margaret Qualley helped her find success in her own very recent marriage. Olivia Rodrigo presented her creative partner Dan Nigro with the Producer Of The Year Award, while Doechii accepted the Hip-Hop Disruptor Award. (Both Rodrigo and Doechii also made some of the best music of 2024.) See clips from the event below.
@varietymagazine "Let's give it up for 'Brat'!" Rachel Sennott presents Charli xcx with the Hitmaker of the Year award at Variety Hitmakers presented by AFEELA.
@varietymagazine Olivia Rodrigo honors Dan Nigro at Variety Hitmakers presented by AFEELA: "Dan is, quite simply, a genius. He hears music in a way nobody else does."
@varietymagazine "A lot of the time, being a disruptor means being misunderstood, but still having the audacity to create anyway." Doechii accepts the Hip-Hop Disruptor of the Year award at Variety Hitmakers presented by AFEELA.
