Charli XCX was keen to get ‘down and dirty’ during younger years

Charli XCX was “always up for getting down and dirty” during her younger years.

The 30-year-old pop star began her career at warehouse parties and small clubs when she was still a teenager, and Charli has confessed to missing the chaos of the early days.

The ‘Boom Clap’ hitmaker said: “When I was younger, I was always up for getting down and dirty. I miss the ease and the fun of those shows, for sure.”

Charli has even made a concerted effort to recapture the feeling she had during her teens.

She told the BBC: “Five years ago, I used to request that my dressing room be trashed, like there’d just been a party in there. It was fun for about two weeks and then we were kind of just sitting in a literal mess.

“Now it’s definitely a lot more health-orientated backstage – Kombucha and echinacea tablets. Real rock star stuff.”

Charli’s stage shows have evolved markedly over the years.

And she’s now feeling much more confident about her dance moves.

The chart-topping star shared: “Now I’m 30, I realised I’d never learned a new skill and mastered it from the ground up.

“So, whilst dancing isn’t exactly a giant leap away from music, I really was not a good dancer at all, so I spent months and months learning and training.

“And I’m just really proud of myself for being able to start from nothing and end up with something that’s really cool.”

Charli – whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison – also tried, and failed, to master another skill during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The singer explained: “I had a brief cooking phase in the lockdown. I’m afraid that didn’t really get past the beginner stages.”