Charli XCX photo purchased by National Portrait Gallery

A portrait of the pop star Charli XCX has been added to the National Portrait Gallery's collection, in the week where she's aiming for her second number one album of the year.The picture, which shows the singer leaning against a wall in a white crop top and unbuttoned black jeans, was taken in 2024 by British photographer Harley Weir.It became one of the key images in the promotion of her Brat album, matching the the music's debauched swagger and emotional candour.Announcing the acquisition, the National Portrait Gallery called Charli "one of the defining artists of our time".The photo will be displayed in the gallery's History Makers Now space, which celebrates figures who have shaped contemporary culture. The purchase was funded by a gift from the Bukhman Foundation.Praising the portrait, the gallery's senior curator, Brandei Estes, said: "Harley Weir has developed a distinctive photographic language that combines intimacy with a powerful sense of presence. "We are delighted to acquire this striking portrait of Charli XCX, which captures one of the defining cultural figures of her generation."Charli's eighth album, Music, Fashion, Film, was released on Friday, to largely positive reviews.Built around chopped-up guitar samples and acid-burned melodies, it finds the star dissecting her relationship to art and fame after Brat transformed her from cult favourite to mainstream star.The New York Times called it, external "proudly prickly [and] satisfyingly scuzzy", while DIY magazine described the 29-minute record, external as a "candid, introspective triumph".On Monday, the Official Charts Company said the album was on course to top this week's album chart, fending off competition from Snow Patrol, Shania Twain and The Strokes.If its sales hold up, it would become Charli's fourth UK number one overall, and her second this year, after the soundtrack to Wuthering Heights topped the chart in February.Over the weekend, the singer released three "b-sides" to iTunes, as part of a deluxe edition of the album.The star had previously told fans they were "never gonna go on streaming", but said she had "begrudgingly" changed her mind after fans clamoured to hear them."I made b-sides for each of the songs released ahead of Music, Fashion, Film because it felt natural to pair each songs with a fitting counterpart – something that's adjacent to the album but not entirely part of it," she wrote on Instagram."Traditionally, b sides often become fan favourites… and I guess in the case of some of the b sides for this album, that has proven to be true. "I felt adamant I wouldn't put them on streaming because it sort of felt counter intuitive to the whole ethos of those songs, but I know you all really wanted them so I've begrudgingly put them on iTunes lol."Fans will get to hear the new material live when Charli headlines the Reading & Leeds festival next month.