If you were deep in the trenches of the internet during the 2020 lockdown, you probably remember a very specific vibe. Everyone was baking sourdough, playing Animal Crossing, and watching Charli XCX document her entire soul on Instagram Live. But in the middle of that DIY pop experiment—which eventually became the mercury-slick album how i’m feeling now—there was a guy. A guy named Huck Kwong.
He wasn’t a flashy pop star. He wasn’t a publicist-approved "A-list" boyfriend. He was just... there. Often in the background of grainy camcorder footage, looking a little sleepy or doing a puzzle while Charli recorded vocals for "claws" in the next room.
For years, the Charli XCX Huck Kwong relationship was the ultimate "if you know, you know" for fans. It was messy, it was long-term, and it was the DNA of some of her most vulnerable music. But where did it go? And why does it still feel like the blueprint for the "Brat" era we're living in now?
A Seven-Year Slow Burn
Huck Kwong wasn't some random guy Charli met at a party in 2019. They go way back. Like, 2014 back.
In the hyperpop lore, Huck is actually a pretty legendary figure. Rumor has it—and Charli has basically confirmed this in various interviews and podcasts over the years—that Huck was the person who actually introduced her to SOPHIE’s music. Think about that for a second. Without Huck Kwong, we might not have Vroom Vroom. We might not have the entire sonic shift that defined her career.
They dated off and on for about seven years. That’s a lifetime in the music industry. Honestly, it’s a lifetime in your twenties. They had this weird, bicoastal, fragmented relationship where they rarely spent more than two weeks together at a time. She was touring the world; he was living his life in New York. It worked because it didn't have to be "real" in the domestic sense.
Then 2020 hit.
The Lockdown Pressure Cooker
When the world shut down, Charli and Huck ended up quarantined together in Los Angeles. This is where the Charli XCX Huck Kwong story gets really intense.
Charli decided to write, record, and release an entire album in five weeks. She filmed the whole thing for a documentary called Alone Together. If you haven't seen it, it's basically a 90-minute study on what happens when you force two people who are used to being apart to suddenly share every single meal, breath, and thought.
It was visibly straining. In the film, you see:
- Charli spiraling over her creative process.
- Huck looking slightly overwhelmed by the constant presence of cameras.
- Moments of genuine, heart-wrenching closeness that felt almost too private to watch.
- The "puzzle" era—where Huck would literally just sit and do puzzles while Charli created some of the most abrasive pop music of the decade.
The album how i’m feeling now is essentially a diary of their relationship during that time. Songs like "7 years" are a direct tribute to their history. "Enemy" is about the fear that your partner knows you too well and could destroy you. It's raw. It's not the polished "I love you" stuff you hear on the radio. It’s the "I’m annoying and you’re tired of me" stuff that actually happens in real life.
Why They Eventually Called It Quits
Despite the "happily ever after" vibe some fans wanted after the documentary, the relationship didn't last. By early 2022, the internet started noticing the signs. The unfollows. The deleted photos. The classic digital footprint of a breakup.
By the time Charli started rolling out the Crash era, it was clear she was moving in a different direction. She eventually confirmed the split, and shortly after, her relationship with George Daniel from The 1975 became public.
So, what happened with Huck?
Honestly, it seems like the pandemic did what it did to millions of other couples: it accelerated the end. When you spend seven years in a long-distance, "on and off" loop, you can maintain a certain fantasy. But five weeks of 24/7 isolation removes the mask. You realize that maybe you're just different people now than you were at 21.
The Huck Kwong Influence on "Brat"
You might think Huck is just a footnote now that Charli is married to George Daniel, but his influence is all over the Brat era.
In the song "Every Rule" (from Crash), Charli talks about a relationship that started while they were both with other people—many fans believe this traces back to the very beginning of her and Huck. Even on Brat, there’s a sense of nostalgia for the "messy" years. Huck represented the era of Charli's life where she was still figuring out if she wanted to be a pop star or an underground legend.
He wasn't a "industry" guy in the way George is. He was a connector, a fan of the scene, and a steady presence through her most chaotic years.
What Most People Get Wrong
People like to paint Huck as the "bad guy" because he looked disinterested in the documentary. That’s kinda unfair.
Imagine your girlfriend is one of the most famous pop stars on the planet, she’s having a self-documented mental breakdown, there are cameras everywhere, and she’s asking you to "perform" your relationship for her fans while you're just trying to exist during a global plague. Most of us would look a little checked out too.
Huck Kwong wasn't a character in a movie; he was a guy in a long-term relationship that ran its course.
Looking Forward: How to Process the Lore
If you're a new fan trying to catch up on the Charli XCX Huck Kwong history, the best thing you can do is go back and listen to how i’m feeling now with fresh ears. It’s not just a "quarantine album." It’s a breakup album that didn't know it was a breakup album yet.
To really understand the nuance of their dynamic, you should:
- Watch 'Alone Together': It’s available on most streaming platforms. Look past the music and watch the body language. It tells the real story.
- Listen to '7 years' and 'Enemy' back-to-back: These two tracks represent the duality of their relationship—the history versus the mounting anxiety.
- Acknowledge the SOPHIE connection: Give Huck his flowers for being the one to play SOPHIE for Charli. That single act changed the trajectory of pop music.
The Charli XCX Huck Kwong era is over, but it’s the foundation that the house of XCX was built on. It was the "real" version of the party-girl persona. It showed us that even the coolest girl in the room struggles with the boring, painful, puzzle-filled reality of keeping a relationship alive when the world is ending.