"Party 4 U" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by the British singer

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...

from her fourth studio album, '' How I'm Feeling Now'' (2020). She wrote the song with its producer,

A. G. Cook Alexander Guy Cook (born 23 August 1990) is an English record producer. He first became known as founder of the influential record label PC Music in 2013; its signees included Hannah Diamond, GFOTY, Danny L Harle and Felicita (musician), Felici ...

. It is a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

hyperpop Hyperpop (sometimes called bubblegum bass) is a loosely defined electronic music movement and microgenre that predominantly originated during the early 2010s in the United Kingdom. It is characterised by an exaggerated or maximalist take on p ...

, and

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

track that incorporates echoing

synth A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s and

crescendo In music, the dynamics of a piece are the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings require interpretation by the performer depending ...

ing composition. The lyrics describe hosting a party for a person who never arrives, along with the highs and lows of the narrator's fluctuating relationships. Music critics praised "Party 4 U" for its composition and Charli XCX's vocal performance. Commercially, the track reached the top 30 in Ireland, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. It was included on the set lists of Crash: The Live Tour (2022–2023) and the

Brat Tour The Brat Tour (also referred to as the Brat Arena Tour for the arena dates) is the ongoing fourth solo concert tour by English singer-songwriter Charli XCX, in support of her sixth studio album ''Brat'' (2024). It began in Manchester, England, o ...

(2024–2025), and was performed at several other events. The song was also featured in the

black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

film '' Bottoms'' (2023), and the

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series '' Overcompensating'' (2025). "Party 4 U" began to resurge in popularity and

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in early 2025 after

going viral Viral phenomena or viral sensations are objects or patterns that are able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them. Analogous to the way in which viruses propagate, the te ...

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, leading

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to release it as a single to US

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on 9 May 2025. To promote the song, a music video was released on 15 May 2025, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the release of ''How I'm Feeling Now''.

Background and initial release

Charli XCX released her third studio album, '' Charli'', on 13 September 2019. The following month, she revealed that she had started working on her next project. On 6 April 2020, Charli XCX announced that she would release her fourth studio album, '' How I'm Feeling Now'', on 15 May of that year. She recorded the album within five weeks during the

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in a "

do it yourself "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, wikt:modification, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals ...

" collaborative process with her fans.

released ''How I'm Feeling Now'' to critical acclaim; "Party 4 U" is the album's ninth track. It was featured in the last scene of the

film '' Bottoms'' (2023). ''

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'' Fletcher Peters said that it was "the perfect way to wrap up a memorable soundtrack" due to its

ing composition.

Production and composition

Charli XCX started recording "Party 4 U" in May 2017, and completed recording the first part of the song in the same year. It was intended to appear on her fourth mixtape, '' Pop 2'' (2017), but it was excluded from the final track listing. "Party 4 U" became a fan favorite track after Charli XCX performed it at a concert in

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, with snippets from the song appearing in her subsequent live shows and online videos. "Party 4 U" was eventually completed during ''How I'm Feeling Now'' recording sessions in 2020. On 30 April 2020, Charli XCX announced that it would be included on the album. She described the final version of the song as "euphoric and sad at the same time" compared to the previous unfinished versions. Charli XCX wrote "Party 4 U" with its producer,

, who additionally played

synthesiser A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s and provided drum programming. The track was recorded by Charli XCX and mastered by Stuart Hawkes. Geoff Swan mixed "Party 4 U" with assistance from Niko Battistini. "Party 4 U" is four minutes and fifty-six seconds long. It is a

, and

song, featuring echoing synths, crescendoing beats, a "dreamy" atmosphere,

Auto-Tune Auto-Tune is audio processor software released on September 19, 1997, by the American company Antares Audio Technologies. It uses a proprietary device to measure and Pitch correction, correct pitch in music. It operates on different principles ...

d vocals, and a "colorful sonic tapestry". The track features an

uptempo A variety of musical terms is encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings ...

rhythm in the second verse. Near the end of "Party 4 U", the song starts

glitch A glitch is a short-lived technical fault, such as a transient one that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among pl ...

ing as Charli XCX sings "party on-party on you, party on you" repeatedly over minimalistic beats and rapidly pulsing synths. The song's outro features crowd noises that were recorded at the end of Charli XCX's 2019

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Lon ...

concert in London. She revealed that "Party 4 U" was supposed to appear as ''How I'm Feeling Now'' closing track, but thought it was "too traditional" due to the outro's crowd noises sounding "like an emotional goodbye". Lyrically, Charli XCX said "Party 4 U" is about "throwing a party for someone who doesn't come—the yearning to see someone but they're not there". The lyrics discuss the "up-and-down trajectory" of the narrator's on-and-off relationships, and how she feels lonely even when she is surrounded by crowds. The track features party–inspired lyrical imagery: pink balloons, purple pills, a pool, and a "DJ with your favorite tunes". Charli XCX sings in the final verse, "I wish you'd get here, kiss my face/ Instead you're somewhere far away/ My nervous energy will stay/ I hope you realize one day".

Resurgence, commercial performance and music video

"Party 4 U" began to resurge in popularity and

in February 2025 after

, where users posted videos of themselves singing the song's uptempo second verse. On 19 February, the track entered the US

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Viral 100 chart at number 80, marking the highest new entry. In response, Charli XCX tweeted, "It's p ettycrazy that this song is suddenly getting love in this kinda way. I know this song means so much to so many

ans Ans or ANS or ''variation'', may refer to: Places * Ans, Belgium, a municipality in Belgium * Ans, Denmark, a village in Denmark * Angus, Scotland, UK; a council area by its Chapman code * Ainsdale railway station, England, UK (by station cod ...

. As a result of the resurgence, US on-demand streams for "Party 4 U" more than doubled from January to February 2025, as reported by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' based on Luminate's data. A new TikTok trend began in April 2025, where users shared their feelings and interpretations on the repeated "party on you" part of the track. Atlantic Records released "Party 4 U" as a single to US

on 9 May 2025. "Party 4 U" peaked at number 42 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200 chart dated 31 May 2025. It reached the national charts of Ireland (11), Singapore (12), the United Kingdom (28), Australia (25), Canada (53), and the United States (55). "Party 4 U" also peaked at number 7 on the Sweden Heatseeker chart, number 14 on

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's Official Philippines Chart, and number 15 on ''Billboard''

Philippines Hot 100 The Philippines Hot 100 is a record chart in the Philippines, published weekly by ''Billboard Philippines''. First issued on June 12, 2017, it ranks the top songs by local and foreign artists and reflects the music consumption in the country. ...

chart. The video begins with a depressed Charli getting ready and walking through an empty road as she sings the first verse. The video alternates between footage of her walking, running, emptying her bag and smoking, as well as shots of Charli performing various moves in a room filled with confetti. At the climax, Charli removes her dress (symbolizing her realization and depression of no one coming to her party) before running to a billboard of herself. The video once again alternates between Charli destroying the billboard, as well as her striking different poses in a room with flying confetti and flashing lights. The video ends with Charli lighting the billboard on fire, before she sits down on a couch and smokes another cigarette, with a croud cherring her on.

Critical reception

Music critics praised "Party 4 U" for its composition and Charli XCX's vocal performance, considering it one of the best tracks in her discography. '' Clash'' Robin Murray described it as a "

deep cut Deepcut is a military village in England. Deepcut or Deep Cut may also refer to: * Deepcut Barracks, the Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut * ''Deep Cut'' (play), 2008 play by Philip Ralph * Deep Cut (band), a British rock band * Operation Dee ...

", and ''

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'' Elliot Hoste considered it "the emotional heart" of ''How I'm Feeling Now''. ''

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'' Callie Ahlgrim believed Charli XCX showcased her "impressive understanding of her vocal control and tone" in the track by letting "her voice melt into the larger soundscape without getting lost in it", considering it one of her best songs in 2020. Courtney Larocca from the same publication praised Charli XCX's "soft" vocals and the song's "warm and fuzzy" atmosphere. They both considered it one of the album's best tracks. '' Consequence'' editorial staff similarly considered it one of ''How I'm Feeling Now'' essential tracks, while Peters deemed it one of Charli XCX's best songs in 2023. ''

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'' Andy Steiner described "Party 4 U" as "tender, vulnerable, simultaneously lonely and in love", adding that it features some of Charli XCX's "most specific and detailed writing". He considered it the fourth best track in her discography in 2023.

Live performances

In 2021, Charli XCX performed "Party 4 U" at three 2021 live shows in support of ''How I'm Feeling Now'' in Los Angeles, New York City, and London. She included the track in the set list of her third solo concert tour, Crash: The Live Tour (2022–2023). Charli XCX performed "Party 4 U" at Boiler Room in New York City in February 2024. The official footage of the performance was released the following month. She played the song at

BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend (R1BW) (previously known as One Big Weekend, for 2012 as Radio 1's Hackney Weekend, and for 2018 as BBC Music's Biggest Weekend) is a British music festival run by BBC Radio 1. It is held once a year, in a different l ...

music festival in

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in May 2024. The following month, she also performed it at the

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music festival in

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. XCX added "Party 4 U" to the set list of her fourth solo concert tour, the

(2024–2025), which also included her shows at the

Coachella 2025 Coachella 2025 was a music and arts festival that took place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California on April 11–13 and April 18–20, 2025. It is the 24th edition of the festival. The headlining performers were Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post ...

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

of ''How I'm Feeling Now''. *

– songwriter, recording engineer, engineer, vocals, background vocals *

– songwriter, producer, engineer, drum programmer, synthesisers, background vocals * Stuart Hawkes –

mastering engineer Mastering is a form of audio post production which is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the Audio mixing (recorded music), final mix to a data storage device called a master recording, the source ...

* Geoff Swan –

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

* Niko Battistini – assistant mixing engineer

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Charli XCX 2020 songs 2025 singles Charli XCX songs Songs written by Charli XCX Songs written by A. G. Cook Hyperpop songs