Charli XCX dedicates song to SOPHIE, brings out Robyn and Caroline Polachek at UK tour kick-off shows

Charli XCX is making sure her homecoming tour kicks off in a big way.

The English musician has launched the UK leg of her global tour Brat tour on Wednesday (November 27) with a show in Manchester, which was expected to lean heavily on her that defines culture sixth album.

About halfway through her set on Wednesday, Charli XCX turned her attention to her late friend and collaborator SOPHIE, who died suddenly in February 2021. “This is the first time I've ever performed this song,” Charli XCX said before she began at the remix of “So Me” for the first time. “This song is about WISDOM.”

“So I” was written in response to SOPHIE's death, saying NME it was written about “dealing with grief”. SOPHIE and Charli XCX's relationship dates back to 2015 when the pair announced a collaboration, which resulted in the late musician taking on production roles for Charli XCX Broom Broom EP and her Number 1 Angel album. The original version of “So I” made its live debut at the 2024 Billboard Women In Music Awards in March.

THE Brat The tour continued in London on Thursday (November 28), with a handful of special guests joining the event. Kicking off the night with Shygirl's remix of “365” featuring Shygirl herself, the set also featured the addition of Charli XCX's fiancé, 1975 drummer George Daniel.

Daniel's appearance was notable for die-hard fans, with his appearance during 'Apple' resulting in his decision to finally step down from long-term denial to do the song viral TikTok dance.

The set's encore welcomed several special guests to the stage, including Caroline Polachek, who joined the live debut of 'Everything Is Romantic' and a version of her own song, 'Welcome to My Island'. Similarly, Swedish singer Robyn teamed up with Yung Lean for a performance of “360” before running her own hit single, “I'm Dancing Alone”.