Culture

Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama join forces on massive pop anthem Beg For You

By Sam Damshenas

28th January 2022

Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama’s first ever collaboration is here and yes, it absolutely slaps.

Produced by Digital Farm Animals, Beg For You is a euphoric dance anthem with a quintessential UK garage beat that sees the pop trailblazers plead for their lover to stay by their side.

The track, which samples September’s iconic europop hit Cry For You, is the third single from Charli’s upcoming fifth studio album, Crash, following the critically-acclaimed lead single Good Ones and the Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polacheck-assisted banger New Shapes.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Charli said of Beg For You: “It feels to me like one of those songs that comes on at the height of a party where you are a little bit f—ed up, you maybe want to cry, but you also want to dance.

“When I was driving through L.A. listening to this beat for the first time, I felt a real sense of euphoria — but also this quite nostalgic thing.

“Because it’s a garage beat, it reminded me of being at home in the U.K., at a house party with my friends who I’ve known since I was 12 years old.”

The hitmaker also said a duet with Rina was a “long time coming”, and recalled saying to the star: “I think this could be really right for two British artists.”

“​​This is one of the more straightforward pop moments that she will have done,” Charli added. “It was quite interesting to hear her on more of a clean-cut pop record where her voice — which is actually really classically a pop voice, she can sing like a diva — takes the forefront.”

Crash is due for release on March 18.

The album, which marks the final project in her five-album deal with Atlantic Records, will also feature frequent collaborator A.G. Cook, Oneohtrix Point Never and The 1975’s George Daniel and Ariel Rechtshaid.

The star said Crash is inspired by the “emotions that I feel as a person when I’m falling in and out of love and hating myself” and “commentary on my space in pop music and my journey through the major label system.”

Beg For You is now available on iTunes and streaming services.

Listen here or below.