Two weeks on: Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama are an endlessly replayable duo

The term ‘iconic duo’ is thrown around a lot these days, and also fairly loosely, might I add. However, never has an overused two-word phrase applied to anyone more legitimately than it does on this long awaited occasion, as friends and pop icons: Rina Sawayama and Charli XCX team up holds our attention span two weeks later with their collaboration of dreams, Beg For You.

It’s a good thing the song has seen as much acclaim as it has, the ‘Pixels’ and ‘Angels’ – their respective fanbases (both alike in dignity) had anticipated this moment with baited breath for years, and the result is what Radio 1’s Clara Amfo aptly described as a ‘pop emergency’ (you can listen to the broadcast here).

Beg For You is the third single from Charli’s fifth studio album CRASH, out March 18^th, which can’t come soon enough. After Good Ones and New Shapes (feat Christine and the Queens, and Caroline Polachek), an earworm single as good as this was surely expected.

The song samples September’s 2008 hit Cry For You, translating the chorus’ melody into a fresh context which is elevated by the pairs luscious vocals. At just under 3 minutes, it manages to encapsulate and project the nostalgic thrill and zeal of the 2008 hit, whilst implementing a contemporary pop sound to brew up the perfect ‘club-banger’ to kick off the year.

Sawayama excels on her first ‘proper’ collaboration, having only been part of remixes in her career, such as the revamp of her song Chosen Family, for which she casually enlisted Elton John. Taking on the second verse of Beg For You, her vocals tie in perfectly with the muffled bassline, subsequently integrating well with XCX’s in the track’s second half. Beg For You marks a promising start to 2022 for the star, whilst boosting anticipation for her sophomore album, which has been in the works since the start of the pandemic.

Having ramped up her frantic electro-pop energy on her last few albums and mixtapes, (including 2020’s How I’m Feeling Now, made in only 6 weeks in isolation), Charli XCX is becoming more innovative and dominant in the pop realm with each new release. Having recently featured on Lady Gaga’s Dawn of Chromatica Remix album (alongside Sawayama) with long-time collaborator AG Cook, she is effectively manoeuvring her unique, intense sound back into the pop mainstream.

This song remains an immaculate pop banger that works as well on the dance floor as it does as an accompaniment to a belated room-tidying session. Bring on CRASH, and nab tickets for her upcoming shows here!