Some pop icons nod to the culture that made them; others actually show up. Charli XCX shows up.
“I would not be the artist I am without the queer community,” Charli told Newsweek exclusively. “When the rest of the music industry didn't really get or understand my vision, the queer community did, and they uplifted me and made me feel comfortable in who I am, not only as an artist, but a person. And so anything that I can do to sort of give back in any kind of way is just really important to me.”
She proved that in full force by headlining a packed celebration in West Hollywood on October 10 for National PrEP Day—an initiative founded by telehealth platform MISTR to expand access to free and low-cost HIV prevention, now officially recognized with bipartisan Congressional support across in addition to multiple state and municipal governments nationwide.
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“I think it's just a really important event to continue to amplify the cause and to continue to try and destigmatize HIV prevention,” the Grammy-winner said. “Looking after your sexual health is just such a normal thing to want to do, and there's still so much shame around that conversation. What MISTR are doing with this event just helps bring the conversation into cultural spaces, bring it to the forefront.”
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a once-daily or injectable regimen proven to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Taking that mission global, MISTR founder and CEO Tristan Schukraft recently pledged at the Clinton Global Initiative to fund one million free HIV tests and one million free hepatitis C tests by the end of 2027.
“When's the last time you went to a party that was about sexual health? Never,” Schukraft told Newsweek. “These are celebrities from all facets of the world that are using their platform to say, wait, HIV is still a thing. A hundred people a day are still diagnosed with HIV. We have the science—it's not about science, it's about the access. It's about making it easy for people to get on it and then making it easier for people to stay on their medication.”
The energy at The Abbey felt less like a standard red carpet and more like a cultural summit. In the crowd rallying alongside Charli were Chappell Roan, Khloé Kardashian, Demi Lovato, Emily Ratajkowski, Tinashe and Colton Haynes, among others.
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Charli stepping into this role carries deep pop lineage. Long before it was fashionable for mainstream pop royalty to do so, Madonna put her career on the line during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, inserting herself into activism for the cause and demanding the world pay attention. Decades later, and fresh off sharing the MTV Video Music Awards stage with the Queen of Pop herself, Charli is carrying that same torch forward into a new era of dance music and unapologetic advocacy.
“There's always a connection to Madonna, because she's the blueprint for all of us,” Charli explained. “She was speaking out at a time where it was far more stigmatized than it is now, at really, really early days. To be able to follow in her footsteps and add to that conversation is something that all artists here tonight want to do.”
Charli XCX sat down with Newsweek to talk National PrEP Day, teaming up with MISTR, leveraging her cultural capital for public health and what it means to follow in Madonna’s activist footsteps.
Below is an edited and condensed transcript of the conversation.
What about tonight's event and the theme of it stands out to you as being so important?
Well, I think it's just a really important event to continue to amplify the cause and to continue to try and destigmatize HIV prevention. Looking after your sexual health is just such a normal thing to want to do, and there's still so much shame around that conversation. What MISTR is doing with this event just helps bring the conversation into cultural spaces, bring it to the forefront, especially when it's being attended by so many awesome artists, drag performers, and musicians. I just really wanted to be a part of it, and I'm so happy that I'm performing tonight.
Madonna previously collaborated with MISTR, and you’ve collaborated with Madonna as well. She was one of the early outspoken advocates for HIV/AIDS awareness. There feels like a direct through line between the two of you.
The thing is, there's always a connection to Madonna, because she's the blueprint for all of us, so there's that. But she was speaking out at a time where it was far more stigmatized than it is now, at really, really early days. To be able to kind of follow in her footsteps and add to that conversation is something that all artists here tonight want to do.
So many of us were young kids listening to Madonna and became aware of HIV/AIDS because of her. A lot of your younger queer fans have that same exact devotion to you. How does it feel to have that kind of impact?
Gosh, I think everyone would always dream to have any kind of similar impact that she has had. But specifically when you ask about the queer community, I would not be the artist I am without the queer community. My first fans were a part of that community. My first shows were performing in queer spaces. When the rest of the music industry didn't really get or understand my vision, the queer community did, and they uplifted me and made me feel comfortable in who I am, not only as an artist, but a person. Anything that I can do to sort of give back in any kind of way is just really important to me, because I just wouldn't be here without the queer community.
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Madonna didn't worry about any stigma that came with being vocal about HIV prevention. Does it ever surprise you when people have a shocked reaction to supporting a cause or community that’s at risk?
I feel very lucky that I am surrounded by really open-minded people who would never think that, but obviously I know that these people are out there. All I can say is I hope events like tonight help communicate just how important these kind of nights are and, like I said earlier, how normal it is to want to look after your own sexual health. I hope somebody who does feel perhaps the way that you explained would look at an event like tonight and be like, "Oh, duh." That’s why tonight is important.
Your music connects so deeply with the queer community and club culture. When you’re in the studio, do you feel a responsibility to speak directly to that audience?
No, it's funny, I am not somebody who tries to cater to any type of audience. I feel extremely lucky and grateful that I have the audience that I have, but when I'm creating music, I'm never thinking, what would they think? I think that is kind of part of the joy of having this audience: everybody wants experimentation, and wants to go down different rabbit holes when it comes to creativity, and wants to experience new sonic things. The queer community and my queer fans in particular have given me the confidence to trust myself and trust my instincts. That's kind of what I tend to do when I'm in the studio. I tend to block everything out, do what feels natural to me, and hope that people like it. But also, if they don't, being who you are and standing by what you believe in, both in the world and creatively, is the most important thing.