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Barack Obama has been bumpin’ that. And by that, I mean “365” by Charli XCX, the Hot Girl Anthem of the season, which appears on his official 2024 summer playlist.
The former president shared his annual list this afternoon, featuring a range of new hits and old classics. In his picks, you’ll find “Chihiro” by Billie Eilish, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey, and “Texas Hold ’Em” by Beyoncé alongside “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones and “Where Did Our Love Go” by The Supremes. There are TikTok favorites like “Million Dollar Baby” by Tommy Richman and “Jump” by Tyla, Gunna, and Skillibeng. And there are ’90s bangers like “No Diggity” by Blackstreet and “How Do U Want It” by 2Pac. (There is no Chappell Roan, but that’s a discussion for another day.) However, none of the songs stick out quite like the Brat track.
“With summer winding down, I wanted to share some songs that I’ve been listening to lately–and it wouldn’t be my playlist if it didn’t include an eclectic mix,” Obama wrote on Instagram. “I hope you find something new to listen to!”
Obama’s famous playlists have been met with some skepticism in the past, with viewers questioning whether he was really behind the picks, or if a Cool Young Person on his staff was secretly doing the selecting. But the former POTUS told Hasan Minhaj in an interview that he is indeed the one making the playlists.
“I do! Listen, I am so glad that I have this opportunity. People, they believe the books and the movies, but the playlists, they somehow think, and this is mostly coming from young people like you, somehow, y’all think you invented rock ‘n’ roll, you invented hip-hop,” he said, per BuzzFeed.
“The fact that my lists are, you know, pretty incredible, people seem to think, well, he must’ve had some 20-year-old intern who was figuring out this latest cut. No, man! It’s on my iPad right now,” he added.
In that case, did Obama listen to Brat in full to narrow down his favorite tracks? Did he, too, walk around the house singing, “I’m so Juliaaaa”? Did Malia and Sasha teach him the “Apple” dance? Did “I think about it all the time” also make him contemplate his life choices?
Between the “365” pick and Charli tweeting that presidential candidate Kamala Harris “IS brat,” the beloved lime-green album has been making quite an impact not just on pop culture, but also on American politics.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.