Charli XCX burns a brand-new car in her ‘White Mercedes’ Video, then gets blasted for polluting the environment.
In the early days of music video, stars could get away with just about anything: stripping elementary school teachers, oversized bottles of Spanish fly — nothing was too outlandish. But those days are long over.
Late last week, singer Charli XCX released a music video to accompany her track, “White Mercedes”. The video features a car burning in flames with black smoke pouring out of it, and many were upset that the stunt was bad for the environment.
Of course, plumes of black smoke are never good for the environment, which raised howls of eco-unfriendly accusations.
The backlash against the video got so bad that Charli XCX was forced to respond to it on Twitter. She insisted that the fire and the smoke in the video were nothing but computer graphics. She added that not only was the vehicle “emptied of all its oil and toxic liquids” prior to the stunt, but that the white paint used on the car was actually organic and “made for easy removal.”
That story doesn’t quite stack up, however. Computer graphics typically refer to CGI or another fabricated effect technology. But Charli XCX’s continued explanation that the car was ‘drained’ and had organic paint suggests that this was a real fire — and very real pollution.
Interestingly, none of the vehicles depicted in the video are actually a white Mercedes. But unfortunately for Charli XCX, that’s not the biggest issue.
“White Mercedes” was included on Charli XCX’s third album, which is entitled Charli.
The album features artists such as Lizzo, Christine and the Queens and Troye Sivan. Many fans have called it more “mainstream” than her previous efforts.
In addition to singing, Charli is also a gifted songwriter. Not only has she written songs for herself, such as “Boom Clap,” but she also co-wrote “Fancy” for Iggy Azalea. She also co-wrote the hit song “Señorita” along with Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, Ali Tamposi and Jack Patterson.
The British-born singer got her start in 2008 when, as a 16 year old, she began posting songs on MySpace. A promoter soon discovered her and she began performing at both parties and raves. This led to her first recording contract in 2010 with Asylum Records.