As if writing, recording, producing and releasing an entire album over the course of lockdown wasn’t already impressive enough, Charli XCX has just announced that a documentary covering its creation is in the works. Aptly titled 6ft Apart (the US’ imperial alternative to our own two metre social distancing guideline), the L.A.-based pop star revealed to Variety magazine that “it felt only natural to document [her]self making this album”.
After announcing her fourth album how i’m feeling now on the 6th of April, Charli imposed upon herself a strict five week production time frame and filmed its entire recording process, right up to its release on the 15th of May. 6ft Apart is expected to be in keeping with the DIY approach Charli took towards making the album. It promises to be, as she puts it, “very indicative of the times we’re in”.
Cataloging the developments of the project via livestreams on her Instagram account and YouTube channel, (as well as several exclusive Zoom meetings) fans of the singer were invited to collaborate on much of the promotional material. A collage of home movies submitted by her fans was used for the music video for the album’s lead single “forever”.
6ft Apart will be the feature length directorial debut for Bradley&Pablo, the duo behind music videos for high profile artists such as Lil Nas X, Harry Styles, Rosalía and Frank Ocean. The two have also been longtime collaborators of Charli’s, directing the videos for her tracks “Vroom Vroom”, “2099” and “Blame It on Your Love”.
In her press release with Variety, Charli said of the upcoming film: “I don’t think I’ve ever made music in such a unique situation: being so logistically far apart from my collaborators, but going through exactly the same thing, writing songs about my relationship with my boyfriend sitting in the next room, and being so connected to my fans in such an intense and creative way, it felt quite overwhelming and heartwarming all at the same time. So I wanted to film it all. Why not add to the pressure of making an extremely personal album within a five-week timeline by putting a load of cameras in my face and zooming in on my personality and insecurities too??! You know???”
Featuring contributions from A.G. Cook and 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady, Charli XCX’s fourth album how i’m feeling now was released in May via Asylum Records to high critical praise. Review aggregate site Metacritic has awarded the album a Metascore of 82 out of 100 based on 16 professional reviews, indicating “universal acclaim”. Though there is no release date yet set for 6ft Apart, it has been confirmed that the film is already in post-production. Read its official press statement below:
The project would be a virtual experiment like no other, with Charli making use of all the tools at her disposal – collaborating online with select artists and her fans around the world via social media. No fancy recording studios. No glossy music videos; everything is made at home, and yet everything is made with the world watching. ‘6ft Apart’ depicts how this project would become a cathartic lifeline for both Charli and her fans, called the ‘Angels’, and a welcome distraction for the wider music world. At the very heart of ‘6ft Apart,’ we uncover the profound power of music to inspire hope, bringing people together in a time where we are forced to be apart; from Charli’s own relationship with her long-distance-now-live-in boyfriend, to a generation around the world in times of global crisis.
