The original “Girl, so confusing” was largely speculated to be about Charli xcx’s friendship with Lorde; perhaps no better way of clearing up the drama was possible than Lorde clarifying her side of the story directly. On this version of the song, the Kiwi enters the fray to discuss her experiences of friendship, insecurity, and girlhood, creating one of the most unique & honest collaborations in pop history – quite literally, the two of them worked it out on the remix.

Speculation started over the song’s subject upon its release, with fans quickly pointing to Lorde largely over Charli’s description of the then-unnamed subject – Charli said they looked alike and had similar hair, causing people to quickly point fingers. (Ironically, Charli has since confirmed that her and Lorde do have the same hair stylist.) However, the conflict between the artists began much earlier. Both singers found their first big break in late 2013, with Charli’s feature on Icona Pop’s hit “I Love It” and Lorde’s #1 single “Royals”, and comparisons quickly grew between the two. In 2014, Charli was notably mistaken for Lorde in an interview, and she played along with the joke, kickstarting a meme that has persisted even a decade later.

However, constant comparisons to another person will not necessarily result in a secure friendship, and allegations of drama followed the two on and off for a decade. In May 2024, shortly before the release of BRAT, Charli confirmed that she had been “jealous” of Lorde’s success since the latter’s debut, chalking it up to personal insecurity.

Being jealous is somehow wrongly equated to not supporting women or not being a girl’s girl, which isn’t true. You can, I think, experience envy and still be a good person who champions other women…when ‘Royals’ came out, I was super jealous of the success that that song got, and that Ella got. You piece all this stuff together in your brain, like: ‘She was into my music. She had big hair; I had big hair. She wore black lipstick; I once wore black lipstick.’ You create these parallels and think, ‘Well, that could have been me.’ But it couldn’t have because we’re completely different people.

Despite years of tension, Charli and Lorde were unable to discuss their problems and perspectives, until just one day before the release of BRAT. On that day, Charli left Lorde a voice note – the same one Lorde mentions in her verse – discussing how she felt. Lorde’s response? An immediate apology – and an offer to collaborate. Lorde described her response in an interview with Billboard.

When I was writing this verse, I was saying these things to her for the first time. There was such a rawness and an immediacy to what I was saying. I love that we truly did work it out on the remix. There’s something very brat about that, something very meta and modern. Only Charli could make that happen. She had opened up a channel between us, and it made me say things that I had never said. I was articulating things I’d never said or maybe even things I’ve never even heard said. This whole thing has been such a huge honor.

The song quickly came together, and was officially released on June 21, 2024, just two weeks after the release of BRAT. The remix was announced via Charli’s ���brat wall” in Brooklyn, New York, a wall that was re-painted and lettered on a livestream to advertise things like “360” and BRAT’s lengthily-titled deluxe version. On June 20, the wall was updated to simply say “Lorde”, and Charli confirmed the remix would be released later that day via Twitter/X.

The remix has been received positively by fans and media outlets alike, but perhaps its biggest supporter is Charli herself. After the song’s release, she posted her initial response to Lorde’s verse on Instagram, stating simply “Fucking hell”. The song went on to peak at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the highest-peaking song for Charli since 2014’s “Boom Clap” and Lorde since 2017’s “Green Light”.