Charli xcx Addresses Backlash to Her Saying Dance Is ‘Dead,’ Admits She’s in ‘Worst Place Mentally’ She’s Ever Been

"The discourse is loud, and sometimes that can be very overwhelming," she said.

Charli xcx at The 2026 Met Gala Celebrating "Costume Art" held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026, in New York.

Gilbert Flores/Variety

A lot of people online haven’t been riding with Charli xcx‘s pivot away from breakout album Brat — with the backlash pertaining in particular to her recent lyrical declaration that dance music is “dead” — and in a new interview, the pop star was candid about how it’s been affecting her mentally.

In her Rolling Stone cover story published Thursday (June 18), Charli started by addressing the negative response to parts of her May single, “Rock Music.” On the experimental track, she sings, “I think the dance floor is dead/ So now we’re making rock music.”