Although pop stardom has many advantages, it also has some negative aspects. One of these is the obligation to host the hysterically unfunny American comedy institution Saturday Night Live, also known as the place where laughter dies. Adele had to submit to this unpleasant ritual in 2020, and now it is the turn of the Essex-born singer and producer Charlotte Aitchison, aka Charli XCX.

It’s been a big year for Charli, who went from cult artist to mainstream entertainer with her Brat album. It was quite a hit – topping the UK charts and peaking at number three in America – but an even bigger internet meme. Aitchison cleverly sold the ‘Brat’ concept as more than just a sound. It was an atmospheric and lifestyle choice that she defined as a kind of heightened messiness – a sensibility reflected by the LP’s lime green color scheme. In a surreal moment, it even seemed possible that her support for Kamala Harris could have a meaningful impact on the US presidential election after she tweeted: “Kamala is Brat”.

This turned out to be a social media fabrication, but Charli is still riding the wave nonetheless. Ahead of a sold-out UK tour, her Saturday Night Live performance showcased her charisma as a pop star and, even more surprisingly, her talents as an actor and impressionist.

She made her grand entrance after a typically unfunny cold open skit in which actors portrayed Donald Trump and Joe Biden looking and sounding nothing like them (Alec Baldwin joined as Robert F Kennedy Jr, Trump’s new Health Secretary) . That somber drumbeat led to Charli bravely plodding through Saturday Night Live’s traditional opening monologue.