Brat, the word redefined by singer Charli XCX and adopted by supporters of US presidential candidate Kamala Harris, was on Friday named the Collins Word of the Year 2024. “Brat” was the name of the UK singer’s hit sixth album, and the word has now come to represent a “confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude”, said Collins, rather than simply a term for a badly-behaved child.

“Inspired by the Charli XCX album, ‘brat’ has become one of the most talked about words of 2024,” said the UK-based dictionary. “More than a hugely successful album, ‘brat’ is a cultural phenomenon that has resonated with people globally, and ‘brat summer’ established itself as an aesthetic and a way of life,” it added.

The 32-year-old pop star, whose real name is Charlotte Emma Aitchison, described the typical brat girl as someone “who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself, but then also maybe has a breakdown, but kind of parties through it”.

She tweeted in July that “Kamala IS brat”, in reference to the US Vice President, prompting the presidential nominee to use her song “365” in one of her TikTok videos. Her campaign account also re-branded with a lime green photo in the style of the Brat album cover. The album hit number one in her native UK and number three in the US. — AFP