Charlotte Aitchison, known better by her stage name Charli XCX, is arguably one of the biggest up-and-coming names in modern music — a dance music icon known for her mastery in beat-centric hyperpop. The newest single, “Wink Wink,” is from her upcoming album, “Music, Fashion, Film,” released on June 26. This song signals a new era for Charli, one that is slower in tempo but no less influential in message and aesthetic.
XCX’s new song is enjoyed best alongside its music video, which doesn’t shy away from sexual and complex themes. The video complements the song’s nuanced message about being a woman with sexual agency going through change as she grows older and facing constant criticism from others.
XCX sings in the pre-chorus, “Yeah, do you get me? / No, you don’t get me / No, you don’t get me / No, you don’t.” She poses a question to the audience, more specifically to those that critique her — do they really understand her, or are they quick to make judgments? She concludes it as the latter. The repetition of these lines strengthens her resolve — she is herself without filter, and she accepts that not everybody understands her way of living. She persists despite it.
The song’s chorus is a simple yet effective way of asserting claim over sexual agency, where XCX sings, “I’m not a bad girl anymore, I promise / Here’s the truth, and I gotta be honest / I’m not a bad girl anymore / Wink, wink, wink, wink.”
XCX is making her own playful gimmick over this critique from others. She plays with their attempts to pressure her into changing how she expresses herself. The implied critique towards her flamboyant and non-apologetic self-expression is met with implicit, sexual visuals of her embracing herself in the music video. Combined with the sneaky, deceivingly passive clapback within the chorus’s lyrics, XCX makes it a point that she frankly doesn’t care about how she is perceived amidst the frisky, bold demeanor she chooses to represent herself with. She’s going to continue being herself, whether or not she chooses to pretend to play along with others’ critiques.
Needless to say, this resilient mindset didn’t come from nowhere.
“I used to say, ‘Scream if you wanna go faster’ / But then I sold my Porsche / My friend Rostam told me I dressed like a s**t / So now I shop at A.P.C.” XCX sings. “I don’t know why you don’t believe me / I don’t know why you don’t think I could be an angel girl.”
XCX is redefining her own perception of an “angel girl,” someone stereotypically “pure” who doesn’t get into trouble. She recites her efforts to appease this standard, only to wink at her efforts to go against them, staying as bold as ever in the repeating chorus. She points out the absurdity of holding someone to this standard and sarcastically acknowledges her own efforts to meet it, ignoring that she’s happier when living in her own way.
Themes of change and witty lines are no stranger to enhancing the already bold demeanor of the song.
“I used to lick cream off strawberries in the summer / And maybe I f****d your dad / Just kidding, I’m only saying that for effect,” XCX sings in the first verse. “But my point is I think people can change / I used to jump on trampolines with no underwear on / And now I basically just wear trousers.”
This verse almost feels more like a conversation than lyrics. This conversational tone induces active engagement rather than a passive listening experience.
The tenacity of her lyrics both draws in listeners, and come off a bit blunt. The rest of the verse directly conveys that people change, and items she associates with her youth, like a trampoline or cream-covered-strawberries, are symbols of how far she’s come from that forced “angel girl” mindset. She’s redefined what that mindset meant to her and paved her own way separate from who she was before and who people have perceived her as.
A valid suggestion is to include more extensive lyricism to further enhance the song’s message. Besides the chorus, there are only two verses that do the rest of the storytelling. The song’s message and complex layers covering sexuality, self-expression and change fall flat when there’s little room to bring out what makes XCX so passionate about these topics.
Overall, “Wink Wink” is a decent introduction to her new album. The song’s message hits home, especially for female audiences, and the beat and tempo are reminiscent of Charli XCX’s iconic style. Its shorter length also makes it easier to listen to and absorb, although that also means it falls flat with less stand-alone verses. It’s hopeful that the rest of the album carries this same tenacity — but with more layers and detailing — which would really nail down the story XCX is attempting to tell through her lyrics.
Audrey Phoukong is an Arts & Entertainment Staff Writer for the summer 2026 quarter. She can be reached at aphoukon@uci.edu.
Edited by Travis Foley and Riley Schnittger.
