Charli XCX has landed the fall 2026 cover of Playboy magazine.
The British pop star, 32, stripped down for a lingerie-drenched photoshoot staged on a boat along London’s River Thames, with the city’s skyline serving as her backdrop. Photographer Aidan Zamiri, who directed her A24 mockumentary “The Moment,” shot the spread.
In the images, Charli appears in various stages of undress against the London scenery. She leans against a bar wearing only a thong and sheer teddy, lies on a bed while climbing the headboard at her feet, and in one shot holds leather-gloved hands over her chest with Big Ben visible over her left shoulder. Another image shows her topping a white lingerie look with an overcoat, a look she captioned on social media by noting, “The tourists were into it.”
“I’ve wanted to shoot with Playboy for a while,” Charli shared in the magazine’s accompanying interview. “It’s such an iconic magazine.”
She continued, “I love the logo. I love the underwear. I love female bodies. I love full-out sexiness.”
The “360” singer even has a track on her latest album “Brat” called “Playboy Bunny,” though the source material refers to the album as “Music, Fashion, Film.” For the interview portion, she turned to friend and fellow Playboy model Kylie Jenner, who also appeared in “The Moment.”
Charli offered Jenner direct praise for her performance in their collaborative project. “You were just so funny, and your improv was effortless. I had fun shooting with you,” she told her.
On her personal philosophy for the revealing shoot, Charli explained her definition of what makes an image genuinely sexy rather than merely polished.
“To me, a sexy photo is something that captures someone’s true essence. It’s not necessarily a perfect photo. It can be raw, messy, perhaps a little vulnerable at points,” she said, adding, “I think a sexy photo shows the truth.”
The cover arrives months after Charli hinted at wanting to shift her professional focus. During a February appearance on “Feeding Starving Celebrities,” she expressed enthusiasm about moving deeper into acting. When asked if she’d like to do more onscreen work, she responded bluntly: “Yes, are you kidding? I want to quit music, babe, and act.”
The Playboy shoot represents a different kind of performance, one that leans into the raw presentation she described. The boat setting along the Thames placed her in full view of the public, a choice that seemed to amuse rather than concern her given her comment about tourist reactions.
The collaboration with Zamiri continues their creative partnership beyond “The Moment,” the A24 project that also brought Jenner into Charli’s orbit. The director’s eye for her aesthetic apparently translated from screen to still photography for the magazine spread.
Charli’s embrace of the Playboy brand extends to her own musical catalog. The “Playboy Bunny” track on her recent release ties directly to this new cover role, creating a through-line between her recorded work and her latest editorial moment.