Charli XCX

Charli's partnership with A. G. Cook helped turn adventurous production into a sustained pop language. His role has included creative direction as well as musical collaboration, while the wider circle brought other distinctive talents into the work. Start with their accounts of making records together for the balance between shared taste and deliberate provocation. Charli's control is most interesting as a capacity to recognise and develop a productive relationship: Cook's contributions remain audible rather than disappearing into an anonymous team behind the star.