Nothing has announced the appointment of singer Charli xcx as its first global brand ambassador and latest shareholder.

The company, on its community page stated that it first set out to make a mark on what it described as a long-sanitised industry. By the time Nothing arrived, the tech world had grown “cold and minimalist”, caught in a cycle of over-optimisation where every new release felt the same as the last.

Five years since its launch, the company said it has continued to push against that sameness.

Drawing parallels between the brand and the artist, Nothing said Charli xcx has done the same thing in music by putting 'the messy, complicated stuff centre stage while most artists smooth it out'. Nothing added that she lets her personality take the place of the 'usual commercial vision'.

As a shareholder, Charli joins a global roster of cultural leaders backing Nothing not just as a technology company, but as a platform for creative expression.

Charlie Smith, chief brand officer, Nothing said, “Charli xcx has spent her entire career rejecting the obvious path, and that’s exactly what Nothing’s philosophy is too. This isn’t a traditional endorsement. She’s a shareholder, a collaborator and someone who shares our belief that technology should be a vehicle for creative expression. Charli is the perfect creative partner to build the future of tech and culture.”

Charli XCX added, “Nothing actually feels different to me. I’ve always just wanted to do things on my own terms, and that’s exactly what they’re doing, making stuff with personality that doesn’t look or feel like anything else. A creative partnership and becoming a shareholder just felt like a natural extension of that.”