Charli XCX Says She Wrote a Song About Losing DJ and Collaborator SOPHIE: 'I Was in Awe of Her'

"She believed in me in ways that I didn't believe [in] myself," Charli said of SOPHIE in a cover story interview for 'The Face'

Charli XCX is paying tribute to a late friend on her new album.

In a cover story interview for The Face, the "Vroom Vroom" singer, 31, opened up about her relationship with the late DJ and collaborator SOPHIE — who died in 2021 in a "terrible accident" — and writing a song that reflects on the grief she's been untangling since.

“There was a lot of distance between us because I was in awe of her and wanted to impress her,” Charli told the outlet of SOPHIE. “She believed in me in ways that I didn’t believe [in] myself. But I felt like I would never be interesting enough to operate in her world outside of the studio, which was the safe space where we could connect and bond over music.”

Related: Charli XCX and Sam Smith Release Dazzling Night Out Anthem 'In the City': Watch

She added: ​“I didn’t feel like I was magical enough for this unbelievably magic person. And that makes me ashamed now I don’t have the opportunity to experience that anymore, because she’s gone. I feel ashamed for being a coward. It’s hard to write about. I’m sad for myself that I didn’t experience all this person had to offer.”

Earlier this month, Charli previewed a new single that appeared to be titled "Von Dutch" on TikTok.

"Good thing I didn’t switch labels!” she wrote on the social media platform alongside the snippet of the song, adding in the caption: “I’m bored here’s the new song :)."

“You’re obsessin’, just confess it / Cuz it’s obvious / I’m your number one” she sings over an infectious, high-energy arrangement. “I’m just living that life / Von Dutch, cult classic but it still pop / I get money, you get mad because the bank stop / Yeah, I know your little secret, but your act’s up," she sings in the clip.

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Related: Addison Rae Teams Up with Charli XCX for '2 Die 4' Collaboration as She Shares Debut EP 'AR'

The pop star released her last album Crash — also her final LP under her contract with Atlantic Records, though she ultimately re-signed — back in 2022.

In August 2023, she found success with the release of "Speed Drive" from the movie Barbie.

The track was featured in an epic car chase scene in which Mattel CEO Will Ferrell and his cohort of executives goes after Barbie (Margot Robbie).

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