‘Kamala IS brat’: how the power of pop music has influenced 60 years of US elections

Jeffrey Phelps/EPA/The Conversation by Prudence Flowers, Flinders University Hours after United States President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, British musician Charli XCX endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, tweeting “kamala IS brat.” The tweet immediately went viral, bemusing media commentators yet electrifying certain segments of the electorate. Charli XCX’s chart-topping album Brat is a brash mix of dance and electronic club hits that celebrates drugs, cigarettes, messiness and vulnerability. To be “brat”, then, is to embrace your messiness and vulnerability – being your own authentic self. It is dominating chunks of Gen Z and queer culture, for whom it is now “brat summer” (or for her Australian fans, “brat winter”). The link between Harris and Brat has been building for weeks, driven by online fan communities and linking seamlessly into pre-existing Harris memes. To the delight of many, on the day Biden stepped down a group of gay men were spotted in unofficial Brat/Harris crop tops. Harris’ campaign has embraced the pop culture moment, sensing its potential to excite young voters. Her account immediately followed Charli XCX on X, and the background on Harris’ official account briefly changed to Brat’s distinctive “slime green”...