Charli XCX on ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’: “This album is the apex of fine art”

nme.com:

Charli XCX has declared her love for the 1967 album ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’, calling it “the apex of fine art”.She namechecked the debut album by the influential New York City underground rock band in her acceptance speech at Variety’s Hitmakers Awards on Saturday (December 7), where she picked up the Hitmaker of the Year prize.As well as naming some of her other musical inspirations – Lana Del Rey, Caroline Polachek, Jack Antonoff – she singled out the seminal LP and its famous Andy Warhol-designed sleeve as a big contributor to her aesthetic.“In March 1967, The Velvet Underground released their album ‘The Velvet Underground And Nico’,” she said. “It debuted on the Billboard 200 at Number 199.

And a few weeks later, it rose to its peak position of 195. But don’t worry, it dropped out, and then it re-entered the charts.

And later in life, Lou Reed told Brian Eno that it had only sold around 30,000 copies over its first five years.”“In my humble opinion, this record is the definition of a hit.

This record is arguably one of the most influential and groundbreaking records of our time. This album is the apex of fine art and DIY culture colliding.