Music, Fashion, Film

John Cale, Marc Jacobs and Martin Scorsese are Charli's picks to embody the three creative disciplines that give their name to her brand new work. From the deep musical exploration that BRAT was, becoming a reference for the sound that has defined the industry these past years, to her involvement in various cinematographic projects like the soundtrack of Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights or her own acting debut in Erupcja and the fashion moments that have accompanied her across all eras, the name of the new album couldn't make more sense.

Choosing these three world-acclaimed men to visually represent her own taste is a power move that, if it goes along with a musical project just as powerful as its visuals, has everything it needs to become a new defining moment for culture. While we wait for July 24 to discover if our expectations are met, METAL’s team thinks about which figures we would choose to represent music, fashion and film if we had the chance to assemble our own dream squad.

Music: Cameron Winter

Not content with fronting the band of the moment, he goes and drops one of the records of the decade, Heavy Metal. I'm going to sound over the top, but I'm probably right: this kid, just 24 years old, is one of the great geniuses of this era.

Fashion: Matières Fécales

The universe of Hannah Rose and Steven Raj strikes me as utterly fascinating. They don't just design clothes, they build creatures that are terribly beautiful in their strangeness. Where almost everyone tries to please, they'd rather unsettle. And that's the beauty of it.

Film: Denis Villeneuve

This man has a flawless, fascinating filmography. Villeneuve can leave us breathless and on the verge of collapse with Incendies, Prisoners or Sicario, and with our hearts in our throats with Arrival. Not to mention his flawless, magnificent adaptation of the work many considered unadaptable, Dune. This man stands face to face with the greats.

Music: Bad Gyal

It might surprise some to see Bad Gyal on this list, but those of us lucky enough to follow her project from the beginning know exactly the weight she holds. Witnessing her constant evolution and how hard she has worked to get here generates a sense of pride and respect that feels almost familial. It is only fair to highlight her as the undisputed star she is in today's music scene, and I am always looking forward to what she will conquer next. As a final note, I will just say that a collaboration between her and Charli xcx is exactly the kind of impact the industry needs right now. Consider this a formal request.

Fashion: Matthieu Blazy

If asked about my current favourite designer, I choose Matthieu Blazy without hesitation. I have followed his vision from his shadow work for Raf Simons and Margiela to his time at Bottega Veneta, where he solidified the 'craft in motion' concept. But the ultimate reason I choose him is the masterclass he is currently delivering at the helm of Chanel. He has managed to strip the brand of its historical rigidity without diluting its DNA or falling into nostalgia, opting for radical pragmatism and fluid silhouettes. To me, Blazy perfectly understands that true contemporary luxury is not about designing for the algorithm or generating empty hype but about reactivating fashion's original rebellion through flawless design purely intended for movement and real life.

Film: Steven Spielberg

When I think of the figure who defined my relationship with cinema, Steven Spielberg is the only name that comes to mind. There is no need for an encyclopaedic review of his filmography; if anyone is responsible for building the visual universe I have dreamt of since childhood, it is him. His ability to balance monumental scale with human emotion remains an absolute benchmark. As a true Aquarius, I have to admit that watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind for the first time completely shifted my understanding of fiction. It is a must-watch that turns fifty next year, proving his capacity to inspire awe remains completely intact.

Music: Ninajirachi

I still can't get over I Love My Computer, and I am so excited to finally see her live at this week's Primavera Sound! Her music is extremely enjoyable, danceable, fun, and layered. 100/10 for me.

Fashion: Dilara Findikoglu

There are many designers that I admire and who've formed my way of understanding fashion, but today, I'd probably go for someone who's redefining it for the new generation. I'm deeply in awe of Dilara Findikoglu's work; I think it perfectly balances beauty, horror, and mystery. I'm always excited to see what she comes up with next, and people wearing her designs on the red carpet always eat it up.

Film: Wong Kar-wai

I'm choosing him because I'd looove it if life looked as great as it does in his movies. I discovered him when I was a university student several years ago and completely changed how I perceived movie-making. The yearning, the sensuality, the complexity of his characters' relationships, the beauty… His body of work is next level. P.S.: For those who haven't watched Fallen Angels yet, please do ASAP!

Music: Britney Spears

I literally carry her on my arm as a tattoo, so there was never going to be another choice. There is also something interesting in how her legacy continues to be reframed by a new generation of pop artists, particularly Charli xcx, who has openly drawn from the Blackout era — an album that has only grown in cultural weight over time and remains, to this day, Britney’s favourite. Beyond the hits, she remains one of the most influential pop figures of the last three decades. Her cultural impact, resilience and ability to shape conversations around celebrity, freedom and image make her an endlessly fascinating and deeply modern icon.

Fashion: Miuccia Prada

Miuccia has consistently challenged what fashion can be. Her work embraces intelligence, contradiction and unconventional beauty, proving that clothes can be both intellectually rigorous and emotionally resonant while remaining profoundly influential across generations. Perhaps what I admire most is her ability to remain culturally relevant across different decades. Just when many would have considered La Signora’s story complete, the Miu Miu girl became one of fashion’s defining phenomena. Visionary enough to surround herself with contemporary talents such as Raf Simons and Lotta Volkova, she continues to shape the conversation rather than follow it.

Film: Sofia Coppola

Sofia created a cinematic language that feels instantly recognisable yet impossible to imitate. Her films capture isolation, desire and femininity with extraordinary sensitivity, turning intimate emotional worlds into some of the most visually compelling stories in contemporary cinema. She was also the first filmmaker to truly awaken something in me artistically. Back in 2006, Marie Antoinette became – and remains – my all-time favourite film. Despite being famously booed at Cannes, it marked the beginning of a new visual language for an entire generation of image-makers. She is also a creative I feel particularly close to because of her longstanding relationship with Chanel, my ultimate weakness, a house founded by another iconic woman whose influence continues to resonate across culture today.

They are all women who changed culture by trusting their own instincts rather than following expectations. Each was underestimated at different points in her career, yet all three went on to redefine the visual and cultural language of their respective fields. From music and fashion to film, their influence extends far beyond their disciplines. We owe them much more than we often acknowledge.

Music: Warpaint

Their self-titled album is one I always go back to. Sound that balances peace with discordance, full of tension, that feels like it’s straining up against something is my favourite kind. Yes, there are more radical and more successful artists, but to judge a work based on external validation will only get you so far. There’s something bodily about the groans and swelling instrumentation on Warpaint; like swimming in the sea or a river, it’s a sensory experience.

Fashion: Jean Paul Gaultier

Hero of the unlovables, I stayed at the designer’s exhibition in Paris as a teenager until I was asked by security to leave. His designs are deeply moving, exploring ideas of sex and sensuality that I never tire of. The British spirit of punk with French cultural know-how are two of many elements that I relate to in the brand’s output. The documentary interview series with Gaultier on Radio France reveals some extremely interesting stories and is well worth a listen.

Film: Chantal Akerman

A lesson in patience and meditation, her works like Je Tu Il Elle are simultaneously disruptive and full of the weird empty space that often punctuates life (when you put down your phone). Her short Saute Ma Ville was a really impactful watch for me. This feverish interiority says something about sex and the position of women and non-men in the world. Feminist storytelling remains all too little represented on the big screen, and as politics slide right, our viewing and reading habits might need to address the balance or at least be engaged more critically. Akerman is a great start.

Music: João Gilberto

João Gilberto has been my “home record” for as long as I can remember. It’s the music I go back to when I want something familiar, something that feels like home. A quiet pioneer whose sound redefined Brazilian popular music, stripping it down to its most minimal and intimate form and helping shape what we now know as bossa nova.

Fashion: Yves Saint Laurent

It’s a fairly obvious choice, but he’s been someone I’ve been obsessed with for years. There’s something very human and complex about him: an extreme sensitivity, a certain fragility, and a constant insecurity that somehow coexisted with immense creative power. That contrast has always fascinated me more than anything else about his work. It also takes me back to being a teenager, reading Lettres à Yves by Pierre Bergé in school, and discovering his world from a very early, almost obsessive place. He was also one of the key figures in modern fashion, introducing prêt-à-porter as something culturally relevant and redefining the modern female wardrobe through tailoring, structure, and a new kind of freedom.

Film: Ingmar Bergman

Bergman introduced cinema into a deeply interior and philosophical space at a time when it was still largely dominated by narrative storytelling. His films are dense, but in a way that makes them unforgettable — they stay with you over time. They are works that confront you directly with your emotions and your own existence. I find it deeply fascinating. He is also one of the most influential filmmakers in modern cinema, shaping generations of directors who saw in him a new way of using film as emotional and existential exploration.

Music, Fashion, Film: Lady Gaga

Is there anything Lady Gaga can’t do? Seriously. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga, has already given us mantras to live by, from Dance or Die to a career built on breaking every rule in the book. But if we had to crown her with three new words, they’d be Music, Fashion, Film. Chameleonic yet instantly recognisable, she’s mastered the impossible: staying true to her DNA while transforming for every challenge that comes her way. Limits? Gaga has never been particularly interested in those.

Music: Layne Staley

Across my seventy-six (and counting) Spotify playlists, I could probably find enough names to grace an infinite amount of covers; I'm someone who likes many things, and I like them all deeply. However, there's a name and a voice that have been speaking to me in a special way for a while, a voice that I listen to with more attention and care than anyone and that manages to reach a deep part of my heart. Layne Staley from Alice in Chains had a tone, a range, a way with words, and a world in his head that won't ever be replicated. Fleeting as a shooting star, the world didn't have the chance to watch him get old; however, what he did in life is more than enough to last us for a lifetime. If you haven't had the luck to encounter his art, listen to and watch Nutshell's MTV Unplugged performance. There will be nothing left to say.

Fashion: Jun Takahashi

To any question that involves having to pick a name in fashion, my answer will always be Jun Takahashi. The man, the myth, the legend. The designer, the artist, the musician. Jun has always been my most important inspiration when it comes to creation across all disciplines. From his youth, when, alongside his friends, he ventured into his passions, creating and helping to expand Japanese streetwear, a new style and way of understanding fashion that defined the 21st century, to his surrealist and complex work in Undercover or his mind-blowing paintings and sculptures. Jun, for me, is the ultimate creator. Also, his taste, from who he works with to what music he listens to. Impeccable.

Film: Joachim Trier

My dear colleague Arnau took the words out of my mouth when defining Wong Kar-wai, my forever number one. However, this is a good chance to highlight someone whose work and vision of the world not only changed the way I view it myself but also someone who I think would complete this group in a way where all the vibes would match really well. Dream blunt rotation, as people call it. Joachim Trier managed to convey the human experience in 128 minutes with The Worst Person in the World. Words can't explain the feeling I got when the movie ended, when I felt that during those two hours a whole life had gone by, where I laughed, yearned, cried, tried to understand and felt understood. The whole Oslo Trilogy is a good representation of what it feels like to be alive.