Just when we needed her, Charli XCX revitalized the 2025 Grammys like a last-minute bathroom bump. Whew! The energy was flagging in the Crypto.com arena and on my couch when the British pop star rolled out of her SUV, grabbed a flute of Champagne, and splashed it onto the street. As she stormed into the building singing “Von Dutch” — which won Charli her first of three Grammy Awards earlier that night, in the Best Dance Pop Recording category — her posse gathered behind her, starting first with the models Alex Consani and Gabbriette. She paused in a remote wing to perform the rest of the song, as if she were at a secret warehouse rave that none of the other Grammys attendees were cool enough to get invited to. Finally, she strode onto the stage, rolled off her fur coat, and launched into “Guess.”
It was messy and riotous and exactly what was needed at the last hour of the ceremony. All of her friends joined onstage, writhing and acting horny. The Dare was in the midst of a sloppy makeout when Charli pulled his head for a shout-out (“Send them to the Dare, yeah, I think he’s with it”); Quenlin Blackwell threw it back. Near the end of the performance, Charli took a moment to publicly wish Julia Fox happy birthday. I just know the afters are going to be crazy.