In Her New Single “Camera,” Charli xcx Steps Behind the Lens

Charli xcx does not appear in the music video for her newest single until approximately the halfway mark. “Camera,” the latest single released in the lead-up to her album Music, Fashion, Film, opens on a black-and-white shot of legendary French movie star Vincent Cassel. Standing on a film set in the middle of the desert, he shouts something into a BlackBerry while handlers apply fake blood to his face and hand him sparkling water to sip. It’s only after he begrudgingly starts reshooting a violent, physically taxing scene that Charli xcx enters the frame on a camera dolly—bringing “fashion” into the conversation.

Directed by frequent collaborator Aidan Zamiri, this music video doesn’t find Charli xcx in an array of stylized montages or intricate outfit changes. Instead, she stays perched on the moving platform while Cassel does the heavy lifting of performing. She wears just one outfit: an embroidered set by Daniil Antsiferov. Comprising capri pants and a button-up blouse, the look features white floral detailing that matches the Western-inspired set. Her plunging corset top reveals a bra by New York-based brand Honey Birdette, and her severe pointed heels are Louboutin.

Though decidedly film-focused, her outfit serves as an Easter egg of pop-stardom. Antsiferov has also outfitted Rosalía on her “Lux” tour, as well as Christina Aguilera for a recent private party performance. Charli xcx also wore a dramatic wool boa by the brand for her “SS26” video—cementing it as a decidedly on-theme pull.

In the Music, Fashion, Film universe, each single has played a part in exploring Charli xcx’s relationship to the titular genres. While “Rock Music” leaned into music and “SS26” gave us fashion, “Camera” turns the lens toward the film aspect of this new era. In lieu of heavy-metal visuals and suburban smut, the focus is on the pressure to perform.

Fittingly, the lyrics find Charli xcx grappling with existential questions about her career. The star has recently taken on a slew of acting roles in movies like The Moment, Erupcja and I Want Your Sex. And here, sporting full pop-star drag, we see her reconsider which path feels right. “Do I want to make music? Am I being fucking stupid if I try to be a girl on the screen when I’m turning 34?” sings the singer, whose birthday is approaching on August 2. “But all I know is how it makes me feel, and it makes me feel how it makes me feel.”