Charli XCX’s ‘Boom Clap’ Almost Went to Another Pop Star But It Wasn’t Cool Enough
Hopefully, good music finds the right singer. “Boom Clap” by Charli XCX was initially meant for a 2000s pop star. Charli XCX said the star in question turned down the track — but that wasn’t exactly true.
Charli XCX felt her life was ruined when Hilary Duff supposedly turned down ‘Boom Clap’
During a 2014 interview with MTV News, Charli XCX said that “Boom Clap” is a song about feeling true love to the point where your partner makes you feel safe. She also said it’s about being immersed in another person. Despite this, Charli XCX said the track has a tinge of sadness.
Charli XCX wrote “Boom Clap” with Patrik Berger, the same songwriter behind Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own.” When former Disney star Hilary Duff was looking for songs for a new album, her team reached out to Berger. Charli XCX freaked out.
“My No. 1 project as a songwriter is to write for Hilary Duff, so when I heard about this, I was like, ‘F***! Are you serious?! This is my in! I’m going to make a Hilary Duff album!'” she recalled. “So we sent over ‘Boom Clap,’ but they came back and were like, ‘This isn’t cool enough for Hilary.'”
The “I Love It” singer did not take the news well. “I was like, crushed,” Charli XCX sighed. “I thought I was a cool writer, but maybe I’m not. Hilary didn’t want my song. What a life-ruiner.” Charli XCX recorded the song herself — but she only heard part of Duff’s story.
Hilary Duff was not the 1 who turned down Charli XCX’s offer
During a 2014 interview with Popjustice, Duff said her team rejected the song — she didn’t. “I didn’t know that I had an option to have it,” Duff said. “It’s my favorite song on the radio right now.”
The Lizzie McGuire star said she almost got to work with Charli XCX. “I remember there was talk about my label trying to get us to write together and it was in New York and I was flying home so I didn’t have time to have a session with her,” she said. “I am literally obsessed with that song and I didn’t know that it was an option for me.”
Duff joked that she would be glad to make “Boom Clap” her own after the fact. Regardless, Duff was happy with her then-current single, “Chasing the Sun.” Sadly, while “Boom Clap” is one of the most beloved songs of 2014, “Chasing the Sun” fell on the ash heap of pop music history.
How ‘Boom Clap’ performed
“Boom Clap” became Charli XCX’s biggest hit as a solo artist. It reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting on the chart for 25 weeks in total. The tune appeared on the album Sucker. That record reached No. 28 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for eight weeks.
The Official Charts Company reports that “Boom Clap” was slightly more successful in Charli XCX’s native United Kingdom. There, the song reached No. 6 and charted for 27 weeks. Meanwhile, Sucker peaked at No. 15 and charted for six weeks.
Charli XCX thought she’d failed when Duff’s team turned down “Boom Clap” — but it turns out the public still loved it anyway.
