{"id":106389,"date":"2025-11-13T11:14:04","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T11:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=106389"},"modified":"2025-11-14T15:48:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T15:48:04","slug":"what-charli-xcxs-brat-says-for-music-streaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/what-charli-xcxs-brat-says-for-music-streaming\/","title":{"rendered":"What Charli XCX’s Brat says for music streaming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>. The world seemed to turn lime green in support of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, as Luminate have reported<\/a>, 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Table<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Is 2025 the year that chart music and hit singles died?<\/a><\/blockquote>