Last week, Charli XCX delivered a free MP3 for Valentine’s Day, the appropriately titled, “Valentine.” Now less than a week later, the 19-year-old UK electro-pop upstart has another freebie for us.
The bright, tropical “I’ll Never Know” was created for designer Fred Butler’s London Fashion Week show, a collaboration produced by something called the Red Bull Catwalk Studio.
From Charli XCX’s “mouth”:
“I’m hugely inspired by fashion and creation, so when I heard about the opportunity to write a track specifically for Fred Butler, I was super excited. I think her work is hugely unique and fresh, and her new collection is especially different from anything I’ve seen before. She has a great vision and I love to work with people who speak in color and music — so we get each other perfectly.”
Obvious PR puffery aside, if such arrangements are what it takes to keep the music flowing — Mountain Dew’s Green Label Sound immediately springs to mind — then I don’t mind if more brands step up as patrons of the arts. Money may not be the primary motivation for making music, but artists do have to make a living.
Plus, there’s no mention of Red Bull in “I’ll Never Know,” though I imagine the track’s caffeinated beat is enough for the company to consider it cash well spent. I suspect Charli XCX was plied with plenty of Red Bull prior to recording. Hear here:
Charli XCX recently nabbed a nomination for mtvU’s Breaking Woodie award, the only British act nominated in the category. I’m sure she’d be most appreciative if you threw a vote her way.
Free download of Charli XCX – “I’ll Never Know” via the player above.