Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Charli XCX
How Charli XCX built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Charli XCX is a British singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and DJ who gained initial recognition posting music on Myspace and entering the London rave scene. She signed with Asylum Records in 2010 and released several singles and mixtapes. Her breakthrough came in 2012 as a featured artist on Icona Pop's hit song "I Love It", which topped charts in the UK and achieved international success. While her debut studio album, True Romance (2013), garnered positive reviews, it didn't achieve significant commercial success.
2008: Posting Songs on Myspace and Rave Scene Performances
In 2008, at the age of 14, Charli XCX began posting songs from her first album, 14, and other demos on her official Myspace page after persuading her parents to grant her a loan to record it. This led to performances at illegal warehouse raves and parties in East London.
2008: Release of Singles and Expression of Distaste
In late 2008, Charli XCX released the two singles "!Franchesckaar!" and double A-side "Emelline"/"Art Bitch" under Orgy Music. She has since frequently expressed her distaste for her music of the time, going as far to call it "gimmicky dance tracks" and "fucking terrible Myspace music".
2010: Signing with Asylum Records
In 2010, Charli XCX was signed to Asylum Records, a time she later described as feeling "lost" as she was unsure of her musical direction and hated pop music.
November 2011: Release of "Nuclear Seasons"
In November 2011, Charli XCX released the single "Nuclear Seasons", which gained attention from the music website Pitchfork and earned "Best New Track" accolades.
2012: Feature on "I Love It"
In 2012, Charli XCX was featured on the Swedish duo Icona Pop's song "I Love It." The song became an international hit, reaching number one in the UK.
April 2013: Release of "True Romance"
In April 2013, Charli XCX released her debut album, True Romance. It received positive reviews, earning a 76/100 on Metacritic.
2013: Release of "SuperLove"
In late 2013, Charli XCX released "SuperLove" as the lead single from her upcoming album. It reached number 62 on the UK Singles Chart.
January 2014: Release of "Allergic to Love"
In January 2014, Charli XCX released a song called "Allergic to Love" on her SoundCloud.
December 2014: Release of Sucker in North America
In December 2014, Charli XCX's album Sucker was officially released in North America, debuting at number 28 on the US Billboard 200.
2014: Featured on "Fancy" and Release of "Boom Clap"
In 2014, Charli XCX was featured on Iggy Azalea's single "Fancy", which became her most-streamed song. That same year, she released "Boom Clap", which became her first solo top-ten single in the US.
February 2015: Release of Sucker in Europe and "Doing It" Single
In February 2015, Charli XCX released the album Sucker in Europe. Also in February, she released the album's third single, "Doing It" featuring Rita Ora, which peaked at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart.
May 2015: Release of "Famous" as a Single
In May 2015, Charli XCX released "Famous" as the fourth single taken from Sucker.
August 2015: Cancellation of Second Leg of US Tour
On August 21st, 2015, Charli XCX announced that a planned second leg of her US tour with Bleachers would not go ahead due to "personal reasons".
October 2015: Premiere of "Vroom Vroom" on Beats 1 Radio Show
In October 2015, Charli XCX premiered the song "Vroom Vroom" on the Beats 1 Radio Show. She announced that it would be the first song released from her upcoming third studio album.
February 2016: Announcement of Vroom Vroom Recordings and Vroom Vroom EP
On 23 February 2016, Charli XCX announced the creation of her experimental pop record label, Vroom Vroom Recordings, and her intention to release an EP entitled Vroom Vroom on 26 February 2016. The title song was also officially released on 26 February 2016.
July 2016: A. G. Cook becomes creative director
In July 2016, it was announced that British producer A. G. Cook, founder of record label PC Music, had signed on as Charli XCX's creative director.
February 2017: Performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
On 8 February 2017, Charli XCX performed "After the Afterparty" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, along with a new song titled "Bounce" featuring Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.
March 2017: Release of Number 1 Angel mixtape
On 10 March 2017, Charli XCX released the mixtape, Number 1 Angel, which featured an all-female line-up of guest artists including MØ, Raye, Starrah, Uffie, Abra, and Cupcakke and was produced largely by PC Music artists including A.G. Cook, EasyFun, and Sophie.
July 2017: Release of "Boys" and music video
On 26 July 2017, Charli XCX released the song "Boys", accompanied by a self-directed music video featuring many male celebrities.
August 2017: Leak of Charli XCX's third studio album leads to its cancellation
On 20 August 2017, most of Charli XCX's third studio album leaked online, and the remaining tracks leaked the following year. The leak, which included the then-lead single "After the Afterparty", led to the cancellation of the album and Charli XCX deciding to create an entirely new third studio album.
December 2017: Release of Pop 2 mixtape
On 15 December 2017, Charli XCX released the mixtape Pop 2, which featured collaborations with numerous artists including Carly Rae Jepsen, Tove Lo, and Kim Petras.
2017: Co-wrote "Tonight"
In 2017, Charli XCX co-wrote Blondie's song "Tonight".
March 2018: Performance at El Rey Theatre
On 15 March 2018, Charli XCX performed at El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles to promote her mixtape Pop 2.
May 2018: Opening act on Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour
In May 2018, Charli XCX began performing as an opening act on Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour, alongside Camila Cabello.
October 2018: Release of "1999" with Troye Sivan
On 5 October 2018, Charli XCX released the single "1999" with South African-Australian artist Troye Sivan, as the lead single from her third album Charli.
May 2019: Release of "Blame It on Your Love" featuring Lizzo
On 16 May 2019, Charli XCX released "Blame It on Your Love", the second single from her album Charli, featuring American singer and rapper Lizzo. The track was written in Los Angeles and produced by Stargate, with additional production by A. G. Cook and EasyFun.
2019: Co-wrote "Señorita"
In 2019, Charli XCX co-wrote the Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello collaboration "Señorita".
2019: Release of "1999"
In 2019, Charli XCX released her third studio album, Charli, which produced the hit single "1999".
January 2020: Feature on Galantis song "We Are Born to Play"
In January 2020, Charli XCX was featured on the Galantis song "We Are Born to Play", used as the theme song for the Japanese theme park Super Nintendo World.
April 2020: Announcement of album How I'm Feeling Now
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Charli XCX announced in April 2020 a new album, titled How I'm Feeling Now.
May 2020: Release of How I'm Feeling Now album
On 15 May 2020, Charli XCX released the album How I'm Feeling Now, which was written and recorded in six weeks during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
2020: Release of "How I'm Feeling Now"
In 2020, Charli XCX released her fourth studio album, "How I'm Feeling Now," which was made entirely during the COVID-19 lockdowns and received critical acclaim.
February 2021: Announcement of collaboration with No Rome and The 1975
Early in February 2021, No Rome announced he was working on a track featuring Charli XCX along with The 1975.
March 2021: Collaboration on "Spinning"
In March 2021, Charli XCX and George Daniel first met while working on the No Rome track "Spinning".
June 2021: First post-pandemic performance at Wynwood Pride in Miami
Charli XCX's first post-pandemic performance was at Wynwood Pride in Miami in June 2021.
2021: Co-wrote "You for Me"
In 2021, Charli XCX co-wrote the Sigala and Rita Ora collaboration "You for Me".
2022: Release of "Crash"
In 2022, Charli XCX's fifth studio album, Crash, became her first number-one album in the UK and Australia.
February 2023: Signing of new recording contract
In February 2023, Charli XCX revealed in an interview with British Vogue that she had signed a new recording contract for her next two albums.
August 2023: Collaboration with Addison Rae on "2 Die 4"
In August 2023, Charli XCX collaborated with singer Addison Rae on the song "2 Die 4" from Rae's extended play (EP) AR.
2023: Contribution to the Barbie soundtrack with "Speed Drive"
In 2023, Charli XCX contributed the UK top-ten single "Speed Drive" as part of the soundtrack of the film Barbie.
February 2024: Release of "Von Dutch"
On 29 February 2024, "Von Dutch", the lead single for Charli XCX's sixth album, Brat, was released.
May 2024: Release of "360"
On 10 May 2024, "360" was released as the second single from Charli XCX's album Brat, accompanied by a music video.
June 2024: Release of album Brat and deluxe edition
On 7 June 2024, Charli XCX's album Brat was released to critical acclaim. On 10 June 2024, the deluxe edition, titled Brat and It's the Same but There's Three More Songs So It's Not, was released.
October 2024: Release of Brat remix album and Valentino Beauty Ambassadorship
In October 2024, Charli XCX released the remix album, titled Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat, featuring artists such as Ariana Grande, Kesha, Caroline Polachek, Tinashe, Jon Hopkins, Bon Iver, Shygirl, Bladee, Julian Casablancas, The Japanese House, Bb trickz and The 1975. Charli XCX was also named US ambassador of cosmetics brand Valentino Beauty.
November 2024: Hosting and musical guest appearance on Saturday Night Live
On 16 November 2024, Charli XCX appeared as host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
2024: Boiler Room set PARTYGIRL in Brooklyn
In 2024, Charli XCX played her second Boiler Room set since 2020, titled PARTYGIRL, which took place on 22 February in Brooklyn. The set received about 37,000 RSVPs, the largest amount in the history of Boiler Room, and of that number, only 400 were permitted entry. The set featured guest performances from A.G. Cook, George Daniel, Doss, Easyfun, Addison Rae and Julia Fox, and songs from her upcoming album were teased.
2024: Release of "Brat" and Grammy Wins
In 2024, Charli XCX's sixth studio album, Brat, became her second UK number-one album and was named the best album of 2024 by various publications. The album and its songs earned her eight Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year, and three wins.
May 2025: Release of "Party 4 U" music video
On 15 May 2025, a music video for Charli XCX's song "Party 4 U" was released, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the release of How I'm Feeling Now, its parent album.
June 2025: Surprise appearance with Air at We Love Green Festival
On 7 June 2025, Charli XCX made a surprise appearance during Air's set at Paris's We Love Green Festival, and performed "Cherry Blossom Girl" with the band.
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