A year on from the global storm that was Brat summer, we can see how the album did something unique for Charli XCX’s streaming record.

When Charli XCX dropped Brat last year it took the world by storm. Even Kamala Harris jumped on its trends to promote her presidential campaign. The world seemed to turn lime green in support of it.

Of course, this meant critical acclaim and success in both streams and sales. Charli’s average weekly on-demand audio streams increased from 7.7 million in September 2023 to 20.9 million in September 2025.

However, as Luminate have reported, the success of Brat did something unique for Charli XCX’s streaming. The success of Brat grew Charli’s discography from before her 2024 album to a notable increase in streams, that has continued ever since.

Of course, a bump on old releases from a big new release is expected but Luminate report that Charli’s numbers did something different. Charli’s non-Brat songs only grew more at the start of this year, even as Brat’s hype fell.

Between January and May 2025, 7 months after the release of Brat, Charli’s non-Brat songs saw around 272% increase in streams. To investigate the trend, Luminate compared the release of other major artists’s recent albums and its impact on their streams beyond their new albums.

Table showing US audio streams for pop artists eight weeks before and after Charli XCXs Brat

Looking at the comparisons, it’s clear that Charli’s discography had a unique response to the success of Brat. Luminate point to a couple of reasons why this happened, but a likely explanation is that – whilst Charli XCX had had a decade of success and built a loyal fanbase – for many, Brat was their introduction to Charli.

For artists like Taylor Swift, their fanbase will be largely established before any major release. However, for new Charli fans there was a whole discography to explore and find out how Charli progressed to Brat.

Charli XCX’s history is a combination of experimental electronic releases and more pop-focused approaches. Brat was a culmination of these two sides to Charli’s personality and musical approaches, but her discography offers exploration for fans of both sides to her sound.

Luminate writes: “Pulling off a Brat-style halo effect requires a strong and diverse back catalog, a willingness to constantly push your artistic boundaries and a lot of luck.”

So, the lesson of Charli’s exceptional streaming results from her new album may not be easily applicable. However, they do speak to a source of inspiration that any artists can take from: To continue experimenting and finding your sound, staying true to your artist image, and trusting the process to get where you’re going.

Is 2025 the year that chart music and hit singles died?

After a culture storm in 2024, 2025 has been surprisingly placid. There is a space for something new to emerge and resonate with the world. Perhaps, it could be your next release? Publish your music to all of the world’s top streaming services for free at www.routenote.com.