Revelations this week have added more color to what was already one of the most revealing stories of 2024 in the world of pop. 

Rewind to June 7. The release of the album Brat (2024) by superstar English singer/songwriter Charli XCX (08/02/1992, Leo Monkey) immediately prompted rumors that one of the tracks, “girl, so confusing”, was about another famous pop-star, Lorde (11/07/1996, Scorpio Rat). The lyrics certainly deal with some thought-provoking questions around competition, tension, and the pressure of sharing the limelight:

Yeah, I don’t know if you like me
Sometimes I think you might hate me
Sometimes I think I might hate you
Maybe you just wanna be me
…
I think we’re totally different
But opposites do attract
Maybe we’re so meant to be
Just you and me
’Cause people say we’re alike
They say we’ve got the same hair
One day we might make some music
The internet would go crazy
But you might still wanna see me
Falling over and failing
At least we’re closer to being on the same page 

Two weeks later, a remix was released—“Girl, So Confusing Version With Lorde”—featuring an additional verse by Lorde herself, which included:

Well, honestly, I was speechless
When I woke up to your voice note
You told me how you’d been feeling
Let’s work it out on the remix
…
I was trapped in the hatred
And your life seemed so awesome
I never thought for a second
My voice was in your head
…
And now I totally get it
Forgot that inside the icon
There’s still a young girl from Essex

According to a new interview this week, Charli had intended to give Lorde a heads up about the original version, but was unable to due to the time difference between the US and New Zealand. However, Charli reached out immediately after the release, and the two began exchanging voice notes that led to the remix being completed in such a short time frame. Charli and Lorde performed the remix together in New York in late September.

The whole experience seems to have had an immensely positive impact for audiences around the world, in part because the pervasive sense of confusion running through both versions of the song “touches on a universal experience: uncertainty about others’ feelings toward us.” 

From an astrological perspective, the relationship energy between Charli XCX and Lorde adds a fascinating dimension to this complex tale of tension and resolution. 

In the Western zodiac, signs that are three steps apart—like Charli’s Leo and Lorde’s Scorpio—form a hard Square angle. This energy is famously combative for all Square combinations, and being a major aspect there is not much room to hide. Conflict of some kind or another is more or less inevitable. In the case of Leo and Scorpio, the potential for head-on collision is especially strong, because they are both Fixed energy signs, accustomed to taking charge and achieving prodigious real-world impacts. Because Leo is a noble Fire sign, ever propelled towards light and glory, the emotional profundity and darkly brooding nature of Scorpio means these two tend to be drawn in starkly different directions. 

The countervailing benefit of Square energy, however, is the extraordinary potential for growth—both separately and together. The way in which Charli XCX and Lorde have articulated extremely relatable tensions for the whole world to see, enriching both of their personal brands and achieving noteworthy commercial success into the bargain, could be seen as a paradigm example of Square energy being translated into positive outcomes.

However, arguably no analysis of this ultimately positive episode would be complete without acknowledging the Chinese side of their relationship. The combination of Charli XCX’s Monkey and Lorde’s Rat signs is one of the most cherished in the whole Chinese zodiac. A Trine connection, these two are natural allies, usually bound to relish sharing their highly compatible aptitudes for sharp observation, witty repartee, and an irrepressible sense of adventure. Especially relevant here is the creative intensity that characterizes these signs, which in other company can seem somewhat overpowering, and mean the Monkey and Rat themselves may often feel bored or controlled. With each other, however, their shared qualities of provocative enthusiasm can be a source of endless inspiration and entertainment. The result in this case has been an intoxicating mix of personal drama and authentic, hypnotic pop music.

Of course, 2024 being a year of the Dragon—the third sign in the Trine family that also includes the Monkey and Rat—both Charli XCX and Lorde have the potential to attract some stellar fortune. Their experiences with “girl, so confusing” suggest that both are making the absolute most of the current favorable conditions.