Charli XCX

She dominated social media in 2024 thanks to her ‘Brat Girl Summer’ campaign, but Charli XCX has always had a subtle nod to the online space with her stage name.

The singer - who was born Charlotte Emma Aitchison - incorporated the ‘XCX’ part of her stage name in reference to her MSN Messenger display name during her teenage years.

As for what the ‘XCX’ stands for, Charli admitted there’s not a particularly deep story behind the letters.

She explained: “Well, people have speculated that it means ‘Kiss Kiss’, but I really just chose the name because I thought it looked cool and sounded catchy. But really, at the moment, it just stands for everything I’ve done so far.”