From fan favourite leak to bonafide hit: A timeline of Charli xcx's 'party 4 u'
'party 4 u', a shimmering, slow-burn anthem drenched in yearning and euphoria, had one of the longest and most unexpected ascents of any song in her catalogue.
From its early cult status among Angels to its quarantine-era rebirth and viral 2025 chart peak, the track has lived many lives. Now, five years after its official release on how i'm feeling now , it's finally getting the flowers it's always deserved.
Here's how 'party 4 u' went from a club bootleg to a bonafide hit.
2017
The earliest known performance of 'party 4 u' takes place on May 26 in Tokyo, during Charli xcx's set with A. G. Cook at the Nylon Japan 13th Anniversary Party.
This rough early version quickly gained traction as a bootleg among fans (aka Angels), laying the groundwork for its cult status. In a 2020 interview with Beats by Dre , Cook revealed that the Logic Pro session file for the track was created that same month.
Snippets began to surface in Charli's later live shows and online clips, fuelling anticipation. Later that year, in September, Cook included the song in a DJ set in Queens, New York, further cementing its underground appeal.
2018
'party 4 u' was played at several Pop 2 Tour afterparties, cementing its status as a deep-cut fan favourite. These early versions featured a club-ready, trap-style beat drop and a more up tempo vibe — sounding worlds apart from the tender, emotional anthem that would eventually be officially released.
2019
On February 9, 2019, during an interview with iHeart Radio, Charli was asked if 'party 4 u' would ever be released. She said she wasn't sure and joked that she likes to "keep you guys on your toes", leaving Angels guessing about its future.
2020
In April 2020, as the world went into lockdown, Charli xcx began crafting her quarantine album how i'm feeling now – a project written, recorded, and released in just five weeks.
Embracing the chaos of the moment, Charli invited her fans into the creative process through Zoom calls, live streams, and real-time updates. Demos were shared, artwork was crowd-sourced and ideas were shaped collectively.
On April 20, a reworked snippet of 'party 4 u' mysteriously appeared on Reddit — leaked by none other than Charli herself, posting under the alias 'Jazzlike_Village'.
Just 10 days later, she made it official on Twitter: the long-awaited fan favourite would finally be featured on the album.
May 2020
After three years of teases, leaks, and live-only versions, 'party 4 u' was officially released on how i'm feeling now on May 15, 2020.
Speaking to Apple Music, Charli reflected on the track's long evolution:
'Every time we get together to make an album or a mixtape, it's always considered, but it had never felt right before now," she said.
"The song has literally grown – we recorded the first part in maybe 2017, there are crowd samples now from the end of my Brixton Academy show in 2019, and now there are recordings of me at home during this period. It's gone on a journey."
Though never released as a single, the song quietly resonated, peaking at 111 on the Billboard 200 and cementing its place as one of her most emotionally-layered deep cuts.
2023
Charli scores the high school satire Bottoms . 'party 4 u' soundtracks the gloriously unhinged, blood-soaked climax of the film — a fittingly chaotic moment in a film starring Charli's real-life bff Rachel Sennott alongside Ayo Edebiri.
2024
Brat summer. Ever heard of it?
2025
In February, 'party 4 u' experienced an unexpected viral resurgence when the song's up-tempo second verse took off on TikTok, propelling it onto the US Spotify Viral 100.
Two months — and two Coachella performances — later, a second wave hit: a trend emerged where fans paired the song's haunting, minimalist a capella breakdown with heartbreakingly iconic moments from film and TV, transforming the song into a soundtrack for collective emotional release.
Then, in May — on the eve of how i'm feeling now 's five-year anniversary – Charli announced the release of the song's first official music video, directed by Mitch Ryan. In a handwritten note shared on Instagram, she said:
"I will never forget it, and I really can't believe that 5 years later one of the angel favourites is having its own special moment. So obviously I wanted to do something to celebrate… This one's for you angels. Love, Charli."
Now, years after it first appeared on her DIY quarantine album — and despite never being released as a single — 'party 4 u' is sitting pretty at No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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