Charli XCX – “Baby”

Charli XCX – “Baby”

Charli XCX is the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this weekend — making up for a cancelled performance that was supposed to take place in December — and she’s bringing a new song with her, “Baby,” which is being released today. It’s the latest single from her upcoming album CRASH, due out in a couple weeks — we’ve also heard “Beg For You,” “Good Ones,” and “New Shapes.”

“‘Baby’ was actually one of the first songs that came together for this album,” Charli explained in an interview with Apple Music. “I was working on it with Justin Raisen, and we’d done a lot together for my first ever album, True Romance. So it kind of felt cyclical to go back and with him again on what is my final record in my deal with Atlantic.” She continued:

But obviously so much has changed, and this song, it was kind of the foundation of the vibe of the album. It’s probably the most sexy song I’ve ever made. It’s about sex and sexuality and having good sex and just feeling yourself essentially. I know that that’s the tone. I knew that that was the tone I wanted to carry across for the entire record. This kind of hyper-sexualized, feminine power zone was where I was feeling myself going, and “Baby” was the genesis of this.

Also I think that’s probably why I wanted to challenge myself on the choreo for this song, which was really, really tough and I have so much respect for dancers, professional dancers, anyone who communicates emotion through dance. It is so hard and challenging, but so rewarding.

That choreography is on display in the new music video for “Baby,” which you can check out alongside the song below.

CRASH is out 3/18 via Asylum/Atlantic.

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