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Not since Prince beat Michael Jackson at pingpong has a pop duel been handled so creatively.聽

Music fans hadn鈥檛 fully been aware of tensions between Charli XCX and Lorde. Then came the rerelease of 鈥淕irl, So Confusing鈥� 鈥� one of the hits of the summer.聽

The annals of music history are filled with stories of tensions between artists. Joni Mitchell versus Joan Baez. Neil Young versus Lynyrd Skynyrd. Axl Rose versus Kurt Cobain. This year, hip-hop luminaries Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been lobbing lyrical hand grenades 鈥� 鈥渄iss tracks鈥� 鈥� at each other. The press treats such rivalries like sport. Blow-by-blow reports of who鈥檚 鈥渨inning鈥� make the rounds on social media. It鈥檚 just as well that Salieri and Mozart aren鈥檛 around today.

By contrast, the two rival pop stars just released a hit that鈥檚 being hailed as a model of conflict resolution. A remix of 鈥淕irl, So Confusing鈥� by Charli XCX and Lorde is bracingly honest (also, catchy). As the singers trade verses, they admit to secret insecurities that turned them into frenemies. They鈥檙e pushing back against the ego and competition inherent in the pop industry.聽

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think our culture incentivizes pop stars to be humble and self-reflective,鈥� says Simon Vozick-Levinson, an editor at Rolling Stone. 鈥淚t鈥檚 counterintuitive for two pop stars to actually sit down and say, 鈥榃ait a second, we鈥檙e not actually enemies here. We actually have a lot more in common.鈥欌��

The duo鈥檚 collaboration has a surprising backstory. The original version of 鈥淕irl, So Confusing鈥� (released June 7) doesn鈥檛 feature Lorde. It appears on Charli XCX鈥檚 鈥淏rat,鈥� the most critically acclaimed album of 2024 so far. Its lyrics are about an unnamed foil. The British pop star wonders in the song if her peer is being honest when she says they should make music together. She speculates that the other pop star wants to see her fail.聽

Internet sleuths correctly guessed the song was about Lorde, whose hits include 鈥淩oyals鈥� and 鈥淕reen Light.鈥� Charli XCX and Lorde both got their start as teenagers by posting songs online. In 2013, they each released debut albums on big record labels. Result? Endless comparisons. (As Charli XCX sings, 鈥淧eople say we鈥檙e alike / They say we鈥檝e got the same hair.鈥�) Privately, the two stars were comparing themselves to each other, too.

A remix of 鈥淕irl, So Confusing,鈥� released June 21, features new verses with Lorde鈥檚 perspective. In the song, Lorde declares she was speechless upon discovering Charli XCX鈥檚 feelings. 鈥淵our life seemed so awesome,鈥� raps the New Zealander. Lorde also explains why she鈥檇 cancel Charli XCX鈥檚 meetup invitations at the last minute. She was afraid of being in pictures alongside her photogenic contemporary.

鈥溾�機ause for the last couple years / I鈥檝e been at war in my body / I tried to starve myself thinner / And then I gained all the weight back,鈥� Lorde reveals.聽

鈥淟orde opening up like that on the track is incredible,鈥� says Mr. Vozick-Levinson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a testament to the tone that Charli XCX set with that song. ... Being really upfront and honest about how it feels behind the front of being a pop star who projects all of this confidence and attitude. The real human emotions behind that.鈥�

According to friendship coach Danielle Bayard Jackson, our culture encourages competition between women. Example: Tabloid magazines ask, 鈥淲ho wore it better?鈥� The phenomenon goes beyond just celebrities. She says there are societal pressures to hit certain milestones 鈥� such as jobs, marriage, and children 鈥� and to look a certain way. That outside noise can encourage women to measure themselves against one another. It can turn close friends into perceived threats.

Men are more likely to confront each other to hash out differences. Women tend to keep their jealousies and dissatisfactions with one another secret, says Ms. Bayard Jackson, author of 鈥淔ighting For Our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women鈥檚 Relationships.鈥� They manifest as sabotage or a backhanded compliment. Women worry about being labeled 鈥渄ifficult,鈥� so they have to maintain the appearance of cooperation.聽

鈥淚鈥檝e seen videos on social media of girls playing this video [of the song] and showing their reaction to the song and girls getting very emotional,鈥� says Ms. Bayard Jackson. 鈥淢any women wish that they could speak so openly and lay it bare without the game playing, without the unspoken rules of covert aggression among women. I think that so many women are craving the same freedom just to lay bare their insecurities, to just put it on the table and to reconcile.鈥澛�

There have been notable previous instances of musicians putting long-standing feuds to rest. In 2018, Taylor Swift found a surprising package in her dressing room: an actual olive branch. It was from Katy Perry. Ms. Swift then invited her adversary 鈥� widely believed to be the target of her hit song 鈥淏ad Blood鈥� 鈥� to co-star in the music video for 鈥淵ou Need To Calm Down.鈥澛�

Steven Hyden鈥檚 2016 book, 鈥淵our Favorite Band Is Killing Me,鈥� details other pop music rivalries, including stories about Mr. Jackson, Prince, and a table tennis match. The downside of public sparring between musicians is it can engender tribalism among listeners.聽

鈥淭he idea of defining yourself as a fan of this thing, and therefore you鈥檙e against this other thing, is much more of a young person point of view,鈥� says Mr. Hyden. His latest book, 鈥淭here Was Nothing You Could Do,鈥� is about Bruce Springsteen鈥檚 album 鈥淏orn In The U.S.A.鈥� 鈥淭he world is a lot more nuanced to me now than it was when I was a teenager. I鈥檓 more inclined to look at things I don鈥檛 understand with an empathetic eye.鈥�

Mr. Hyden still finds entertainment value in disputes such as the one between Drake and Mr. Lamar. They can spawn great tunes. But, the music writer adds, 鈥淚f you鈥檙e looking for role models in pop culture, you would probably want to veer more towards the Charli XCX [and] Lorde side. You talk it out.鈥�

In 鈥淕irl, So Confusing,鈥� Lorde sings, 鈥淚鈥檓 glad I know how you feel / 鈥楥ause I ride for you, Charli.鈥� At the end of the chorus, ready made for blasting out of open car windows and boom boxes at the beach, Charli XCX responds, 鈥淵ou know I ride for you, too.鈥�