Throughout The Moment, the “real” Charli XCX seems to want to make it abundantly clear that her biggest phobia in life after the mainstream success of Brat was engaging in the type of behavior that only the most “cringe” of popular “artists” would deign to do (*cough cough* like Taylor Swift doing several Capital One commercials). With her latest foray into “being a spokesperson”—this time for Poppi—XCX continues to tap into that fear with the same level of self-parodying awareness that occurs in The Moment (with the paranoia and anxiety way tamped down for the sake of, what else, “vibes” a.k.a. being able to sell a product—which being a “bummer” rarely does).
Because, yes, despite how “effortlessly cool” she might appear to be, Charli remains, in truth, patently worried about being a full-tilt sellout—that oh so icky thing to be…at least for musicians in the 90s (but, as Charli did once declare, “I’m a 90s bitch”). However, at the very least, XCX can genuinely say that she already drank Poppi somewhat regularly before being offered this endorsement deal in time for the Super Bowl (the sporting event that few Brits give a shit about, though XCX has made it obvious she really does care [if for no other reason than the money-making potential], as this is her second ad campaign to be rolled out during the beloved American event, following last year’s Uber Eats commercial). The drink, after all, is listed on her rider, as she was sure to mention to Nylon, announcing, “I actually already had Poppi on my rider before I worked with them, so it was nice that they approached me because I actually am familiar with the brand and drink it, so it made sense.” While that statement might have sounded complimentary at first, XCX had to go and get all “brat” about it by adding, “But yeah, I think mainly because whenever someone approaches me and it’s just like, ‘You can steer the creative,’ that’s always a big plus for me.” In other words, it could have been any brand, really, so long as they let her “do her thing.”
And yes, more or less, that’s what Poppi allowed for XCX’s foray into the high-pressure world of Super Bowl commercials, complete with sanctioning the appearance of Rachel Sennott, who also has a memorable scene with XCX in The Moment. Incidentally, the scene she’s in is one where, as is the case in the Poppi commercial, she’s also playing herself (the vocal fry-packing American foil to Charli’s British deadpan). Or rather, a version of herself that blatantly makes fun of Charli for agreeing to put the Brat aesthetic on a credit card for a (fictional) bank called Howard Stirling. However, this version of Sennott (which comes across mostly like Maia Simsbury from I Love LA) is only too down for Charli to promote Poppi (just call her the Tallulah Stiel of the dynamic), having no problem with the cringiness of repeating, “Vibes” along with her when she’s “summoned” into a random college classroom after one of the students pops open a can (in Strawberry Lemon flavor).
So it is that, in the immediate wake of that “pop,” the Ben-Stein-in-Ferris Bueller’s Day Off-esque teacher turns from dry and boring into, well, Charli XCX. Perennially dressed in a white top and leather hot pants with tights underneath, XCX proceeds to nonverbally give a lesson in “vibes,” but is interrupted when Sennott comes crashing through the classroom ceiling.
Surprised and delighted, Charli takes a, er, moment before asking her, “Vibes?” Sennott giggles, nods and replies, “Vibes” before pausing to question, “Wait, uh, Charli, what are we doing here?” Charli looks at her and asks incredulously, “Oh, you haven’t been to one of these before?” Sennott answers, “No…‘one of these’—what is this?” Charli continues, “Well, we’ve kind of been summoned.” All Sennott can say to that is, “Wow.” To which Charli tries her best to explain, “Sometimes when someone opens a can of Poppi, it can rip through the fabric of reality.” Sennott gasps in horror, “No!” Then, as if she’s speaking to a past version of herself that never would have envisioned her post-Brat prowess, Charli advises, “Try not to think too much about it, babes, it’s, like, kind of a vibes thing.” Sennott echoes, “Vibes.” XCX comments of Sennott’s “[Brat] green” nature, “Actually I’m kind of surprised that this is your first time.” Sennott figures, “Well, I’ve been like really busy, I’ve been abroad a bunch, so it probably knows that. That’s probably why I haven’t been summoned.”
Having gotten past the initial unexpectedness of being summoned, Sennott joins in with Charli and the rest of the students in the classroom to feel/dance to the “vibes” of “Club Classics” (one of the many bangers from Brat)—eventually leading Sennott to wield a flame thrower à la DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. At the conclusion of the impromptu nightclub pop-up, the male student next to the girl who first opened the can predictably inquires, “Can I get one of those?” (the Charli x Poppi commercial equivalent of the When Harry Met Sally scene where the woman at Katz’s says, “I’ll have what she’s having” after observing Sally [Meg Ryan] go all orgasmic in front of her sandwich).
In what can then best be described as a “Guess” vocal intonation, XCX concludes, “Make it Poppi.” Which ultimately means, in this scenario, make it brat. And, to this point, the fact that XCX should keep Brat alive in this commercial in such a way, both sonically and visually, only heightens the notion that she’s riffing on the same self-parody she’s freshly done for The Moment. What’s more, as if to further underscore that correlation/message, when she and Sennott walk outside the classroom, a movie poster for The Moment is taped to the front of the door.
Walking down the fluorescently-lit hallway, Sennott then demands of her “sensei,” “Where are we?” Charli admits they never “tell her much” apart from “vibes.” Something that Sennott finds rather “inconvenient,” wondering if they should call a car…or a plane (this latter suggestion hopefully poking fun at the average perception of a celebrity who flies everywhere in an “on-call” private jet). And also what state they’re even in—aside from a state of “Brat summer forever.” The very same “state” that The Moment showcases through a much more nightmarish lens. Poppi, on the other hand, does what it can to make “Brat summer forever” not seem so bad…even if it apparently means being trapped in a liminal space whenever it’s happening.
