Is Charli XCX's Talk Talk about George Daniel? Singer says Brat song all about nearly following drummer into the toilet at 2020 NME Awards

Charli XCX revealed that her song Talk Talk from her latest album Brat is based on a real-life incident of her nearly following The 1975’s drummer George Daniel to the toilet at the 2020 NME Awards. Brat is the singer's sixth studio album, released on June 7, 2024.

Addressing the song on TikTok recently, the singer revealed the incident occurred before the two started dating but at a point when the pair were "very into each other." Charli and Daniel have been dating since 2021 and announced their engagement in November 2023.

Charli XCX took to TikTok to clarify the inspiration behind the lyrics "I followed you to the bathroom and I felt crazy" in Talk Talk, revealing that the line was written about a "very specific moment" that occurred during the 2020 NME Awards. She said:

“Talk Talk’ is about a very specific moment where me and my fiancé. We were not together, but we were definitely very into each other. We were at the NME Awards, we were both sat on different tables, and we were like texting each other, but we weren’t hanging out.

She continued:

But we were both looking over at each other – it was very like, one of us would look and the other one would look away, and then just vice versa.”

In the video, Charli XCX elaborated that she saw Daniel leave his table to go to the bathroom, which made her want to follow him so they could bump into each other and start a conversation. She revealed that she got halfway to the bathroom before realizing it looked "insane" and went to take her place at her table again. She concluded:

“But then I got halfway there and I was like, this is insane, and then I went and sat down again.”

At the 2020 NME Awards, the British singer was nominated for Best Solo Act In The World, Best British Solo Act, and Best Collaboration. At the same award show, The 1975 took home the awards for Band Of The Decade Award, Best British Band, and the NME Innovation Award.

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Charli XCX on making music with George Daniel

In a December 2023 interview with Spout Podcast, Charli XCX opened up about making music with her fiancé, adding that the aspect revealed a "whole new dynamic" in their relationship. She said:

“It’s funny, I have never sort of been in a relationship with someone that I’ve worked with, so it’s like a whole new dynamic. But it’s cool. There will be a couple of songs that he’s worked on with me.”

The couple first connected when The 1975 worked on Charli XCX's collaborative single Spinning with No Rome in 2021. George Daniel later produced several songs on her 2022 album Crash. He also produced the song Hot Girl used in the OST for A24's horror flick Bodies Bodies Bodies.

According to Billboard, the couple publically revealed their relationship in May 2022 via Instagram. In November 2023, the Speed Drive singer announced their engagement by sharing a picture of a diamond engagement ring in its box, placed on a tray between two cups of tea. The caption read:

"charli xcx and george daniel f**king for life!!!"

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Charli XCX is currently on tour to promote Brat. The singer will perform in New York, Illinois, California, Mexico, Brazil, and Poland from June 10 to July 3, before joining Australian singer Troye Sivan to co-headline their North American Sweat tour from September 13 to October 23, 2024.

After wrapping up the Sweat tour, she will resume her Brat tour in the UK, with four shows in Manchester, London, Birmingham, and Glasgow from November 27 to December 2, 2023.