Charli XCX hits back at claims The Moment is a 'money grab'

Charli XCX has fired back at those who have branded her new movie The Moment a "money grab".

The 360 hitmaker plays a fictionalised version of herself in the new music mockumentary, which lifts the lid on pop star life, skewers tour documentaries and highlights the push-pull between art and commerce.

During an interview with Collider, Charli shut down accusations that she simply made The Moment to make more money.

"It's funny, I saw someone write something about, like, 'Oh, this film is such a money grab,' which, to me, I was like... Babe, we paid to b**ody make it. Do you know what I mean?" she said with a laugh, as director Aidan Zamiri called it "the opposite" of a money grab.

Charli continued, "It's very funny the view that people have about the connection between art and commerce, and what artists do that people think is genuine or for money. I think it's fascinating because I think we're in this time now where the line is so thin."

The singer, who is still riding high off the success of her 2024 album Brat, noted that she and Zamiri wanted to explore the line between creativity and "selling out" in their film.

Zamiri added that most people are "encouraged to monetise any part of themself which is kind of saleable" in the age of social media, and the experience is not limited to famous artists.

"I think the world we live in kind of has an effect on everyone, whether they make art or not, because I think a lot of people in the world now feel this pressure to produce any aspect of themselves," he explained. "And obviously, what comes with that is then perhaps a pressure to appeal to or speak to as many people as humanly possible, and then I guess if you are speaking to everybody, then you're kind of not saying anything necessarily. So, it's something that we found interesting to explore in this film."

The Moment, which also stars Alexander Skarsgard, Kate Berlant and Rachel Sennott, will be released in U.K. cinemas on Friday.