Charli XCX has surprisingly low name recognition for the girl behind the past two summers’ biggest hits. The 22-year-old Brit co-wrote and sang on both Icona Pop’s “I Love It” and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” but her work still flies somewhat under the radar. That will probably change soon, so if you’ve yet to witness her power-pop chops, her rollicking cover of The Strangeloves’ “I Want Candy” is an apt introduction.
She’s been performing the cover for a while now, but here we get the full force of her voice—a brash, elastic instrument that’s more than a little influenced by Gwen Stefani—and the goth-pop sensibilities that anchor her image. All in all, much better than Aaron Carter’s version of the song.
(Via Vulture.)
