Skittish artists should take inspiration from Charli XCX during coronavirus

Artists, please, leave your albums where they are and use this time to make something new. It might just be the best thing you ever did, writes Roisin O'Connor

The singer-songwriter believes the lockdown will change how she records music in the future (Getty/Pandora)

My album release diary is carnage right now. When I email a PR asking to confirm that their new album is still being released as scheduled, I almost weep with relief when the reply comes back in the affirmative.

It’s not just for the sake of my scattered-at-best organisational skills that I wish labels and artists weren’t so skittish – fans need their favourite musicians more than ever right now. A new album from one of their favourite singers provides some comfort amid stress and uncertainty. Learning they’ll have to wait before hearing it will only create more disappointment, not to mention a huge backlog of releases towards the end of this year.

Musicians should instead be following the example of artists such as Charli XCX. Already known for her frequent engagement and generosity with fans on social media, the pop star has since collaborated with those fans to produce a new album in just six weeks. The 27-year-old has used only the “tools I have at my fingertips” to create the music, but also the artwork and videos, too. She has posted lyric ideas on Twitter and played early demos via Instagram Live.

The project was announced on 6 April and is scheduled for release on 15 May. Interestingly, the singles released so far have shown some of Charli XCX’s best work. “Part of me is like, ‘I don’t know why I haven’t made an album like this before’,” she told the BBC. “It’s so fun and nice to work like this.”

It’s hardly surprising that having fewer distractions might prove beneficial for musicians who have struggled, in the past, to produce art to a decent enough standard between tours and press campaigns. At the same time, giving herself a release date seems to have benefited Charli XCX because she’ll feel less inclined to iron out imperfections – rather, she’s embracing them. She’s apparently enjoying the process so much that she believes it will change how she records music in the future: “I’m enjoying not travelling and being still and focusing on my music. That’s something I never did before,” she said. “It was always one million things going on at once, and taking a day here and there to record.”

So please, fellow musicians, take a leaf out of Charli’s book. Leave your albums where they are and use this time to make something new. It might just be the best thing you ever did.

Yours,

Roisin O’Connor

Music correspondent