"Party 4 U" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by the British singer Charli XCX from her fourth studio album, How I'm Feeling Now (2020). She wrote the song with its producer, A. G. Cook. It is a pop, hyperpop, and electropop track that incorporates echoing synths and crescendoing 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 (2024–2025), and was performed at several other events. The song was also featured in the black comedy film Bottoms (2023), and the comedy drama series Overcompensating (2025).
"Party 4 U" began to resurge in popularity and streaming in early 2025 after going viral on TikTok, leading Atlantic Records to release it as a single to US contemporary hit radio 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.[1] 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.[2] She recorded the album within five weeks during the COVID-19 lockdowns in a "do it yourself" collaborative process with her fans.[3][4]Atlantic Records released How I'm Feeling Now to critical acclaim;[3][5] "Party 4 U" is the album's ninth track.[6] It was featured in the last scene of the black comedy film Bottoms (2023). The Daily Beast's Fletcher Peters said that it was "the perfect way to wrap up a memorable soundtrack" due to its crescendoing composition.[7]
Production and composition
Charli XCX started recording "Party 4 U" in May 2017,[8] and completed recording the first part of the song in the same year.[9] It was intended to appear on her fourth mixtape, Pop 2 (2017), but it was excluded from the final track listing.[10][11] "Party 4 U" became a fan favorite track after Charli XCX performed it at a concert in Tokyo,[9] with snippets from the song appearing in her subsequent live shows and online videos.[10][12] "Party 4 U" was eventually completed during How I'm Feeling Now's recording sessions in 2020.[9] On 30 April 2020, Charli XCX announced that it would be included on the album.[13] She described the final version of the song as "euphoric and sad at the same time" compared to the previous unfinished versions.[8] Charli XCX wrote "Party 4 U" with its producer, A. G. Cook, who additionally played synthesisers 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.[14]
"Party 4 U" is four minutes and fifty-six seconds long.[9] It is a pop,[4][15]hyperpop,[7] and electropop song,[16] featuring echoing synths,[4] crescendoing beats,[7] a "dreamy" atmosphere,[17]Auto-Tuned vocals, and a "colorful sonic tapestry".[18] The track features an uptempo rhythm in the second verse.[11] Near the end of "Party 4 U", the song starts glitching as Charli XCX sings "party on-party on you, party on you" repeatedly over minimalistic beats[17] and rapidly pulsing synths.[19] The song's outro features crowd noises that were recorded at the end of Charli XCX's 2019 Brixton Academy concert in London. She revealed that "Party 4 U" was supposed to appear as How I'm Feeling Now's closing track, but thought it was "too traditional" due to the outro's crowd noises sounding "like an emotional goodbye".[9]
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".[9] The lyrics discuss the "up-and-down trajectory" of the narrator's on-and-off relationships,[4] and how she feels lonely even when she is surrounded by crowds.[20] 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".[20]
Resurgence, commercial performance and music video
"Party 4 U" began to resurge in popularity and streaming in February 2025 after going viral on TikTok, where users posted videos of themselves singing the song's uptempo second verse.[11][17] On 19 February, the track entered the US Spotify Viral 100 chart at number 80, marking the highest new entry.[10] In response, Charli XCX tweeted, "It's p[retty] crazy that this song is suddenly getting love in this kinda way. I know this song means so much to so many [fans]".[11] 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 based on Luminate's data.[21] 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.[17][22] Atlantic Records released "Party 4 U" as a single to US contemporary hit radio on 9 May 2025.[23]
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 crowd cheering 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's Robin Murray described it as a "deep cut",[10] and New Statesman's Elliot Hoste considered it "the emotional heart" of How I'm Feeling Now.[4]Business Insider's 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.[34][35] 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.[34]Consequence's editorial staff similarly considered it one of How I'm Feeling Now's essential tracks,[36] while Peters deemed it one of Charli XCX's best songs in 2023.[7]Paste's 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.[20]
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.[37][38] She included the track in the set list of her third solo concert tour, Crash: The Live Tour (2022–2023).[39][40] 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.[41][42] She played the song at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend music festival in Luton in May 2024.[43] The following month, she also performed it at the Primavera Sound 2024 music festival in Barcelona.[44] XCX added "Party 4 U" to the set list of her fourth solo concert tour, the Brat Tour (2024–2025),[45] which also included her shows at the Coachella 2025.[22][46]
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of How I'm Feeling Now.[14]
