Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan: Inside Primavera's pop takeover
As nostalgia-fuelled reunions lure dads back to Wembley in weathered bucket hats, a new kind of crowd is taking over the summer circuit. Forget guitars and glory days, Hot Pop Summer is here, and it exploded into life at Primavera Sound 2025.
This year's Barcelona edition was headlined by three of pop's biggest forces: Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Fans quickly crowned them the 'Primavera Powerpuff Girls' — and from surprise cameos to screaming crowds, they more than lived up to the name.
Charli XCX's inclusion brought with it the one and only European stop of the Sweat Tour. 'We didn't announce the Sweat Tour because we had Charli,' said Marta Pallarès Olivares, Head of Press & Corporate Relations at Primavera Sound. 'Then it was from her side they said, 'Hey, the guys are so excited. They would like to bring the Sweat Tour exclusively to you for Europe.' And then we said, 'Yeah, of course.''
Chappell Roan's booking was a saga of its own. 'Chappell wasn't touring and it was the director of the festival — he had been saying, 'We need her. I want her,'' Marta recalled. 'And at one point he said, speaking to the booking department, 'I don't care if you have to get on a boat with fishermen in Norway and get to an island where she's staying and get her out of retirement. I want her.'
'It wasn't Norway, it was London. Two members of the booking department went there and spoke to her. And she said, 'You're telling me you have Sabrina and you have Charli?'' The result? A sell-out event before Christmas.
Charli kicked off the festival in full Brat mode: glitchy, sweaty, unfiltered electro-pop chaos alongside Sivan. Midway through her set, she handed the spotlight to a surprise guest for her now-iconic 'Apple dance girl' moment — and the crowd erupted when Chappell Roan appeared. Wearing sunglasses and a mischievous grin, Roan nailed the choreography to cheers from the crowd, just two days before she's set to headline her own night of the festival on Saturday.
'Seeing Chappell just come on that screen — what female comradery!' said Mich Mayer, Head of Production and Creative at Amazon Music, who helped bring the moment to fans worldwide via livestream.
Sabrina Carpenter's set offered a polished contrast — complete with slick choreography, playful video intros, crowd-pleasing pop covers and a Pony-inspired dance break, all fine-tuned for the Barcelona crowd. On Saturday, Chappell Roan delivered a headline set that felt like a full-blown pop baptism — glitter-soaked, theatrical, and totally commanding. Closing with Pink Pony Club felt less like a song and more like a spiritual experience.
'It's amazing,' Mayer said. 'When I saw the headliners after they announced it, I was like 'OMG'. I'm such a fan of all three headliners. The bookings here are incredible, and to be back for a third year livestreaming — fourth year as a festival partner — is just absolutely incredible and feels like a real privilege.'
While the stars lit up the main stage, the story behind the scenes was just as significant. Primavera made headlines in 2019 for being the first major festival to book a gender-balanced line-up — and this year, it went even further with three solo female headliners under 35.
'When we announced the first gender-balanced line-up ever, not just for the festival but for any festival our size, we called it the new normal,' Pallarès Olivares said. 'It was normal to us. We couldn't understand why this wasn't happening — because this is the music we're passionate about, it's the music we listen to, it's the music that's getting all the awards, all the Grammys. Why is this music not on stage?'
'We are a little bit naughty,' she added. 'So we thought, 'Now what?' Three female headliners under 35, no less. And we proved that this can also be done. It is very true that we were very lucky because they were up there, absolutely undeniable — three of the best records out there right now.'
Backing up Pallarès Olivares' remarks, Kirdis Postelle, Global Head of Content & Artist Marketing at Amazon Music, said: 'It's really an honour to have three female headliners and for this particular team to be able to deliver this livestream. It's an honour to be part of this, this year.'
And Hot Pop Summer isn't just stopping in Barcelona. Charli headlines London's Lido Festival on June 14. Olivia Rodrigo tops the BST Hyde Park bill. Carpenter follows suit with two shows at the London festival. Billie Eilish plays six nights at the O2. Lana Del Rey and Beyoncé take over Wembley and Tottenham Stadiums.
But it was Primavera that set the tone.
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