This weekend marked the conclusion of “brat summer,” as Charli XCX embarks on her North America arena tour with Troye Sivan, covering 21 cities. The financial success attributed to the “brat” phenomenon is noteworthy.
While it’s challenging to pinpoint Charli’s total earnings from the “brat” momentum—a concept embracing spontaneity and joyful living—estimates suggest she has generated about $9.62 million this year from several deals. These include her share of ticket sales from the co-headlined Sweat tour, earnings from her music catalog and songwriter royalties, along with a campaign deal with H&M.
Charli’s sixth album, “Brat,” launched at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart on June 7, marking her most commercially successful project to date. The album’s distinctive lime green cover art, along with Charli’s open and at times vulnerable lyrics, connected with audiences, positioning her at the heart of popular culture, influencing discussions from Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign to a vegan sausage brand promoting “brat” culture.
Jenna Adler, Charli’s agent at CAA, noted, “She has got the attention of anybody that she wants right now.” The album has exceeded 1 billion streams on Spotify as of late August, with her overall catalog amassing around 2 billion on-demand streams globally. Brand collaborations have blossomed with H&M and Skims, and her arena tour with Sivan has seen sold-out performances in major cities like Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco.
The momentum generated during “brat summer” enabled Charli and Sivan to sell 97% of their Sweat tour ticket inventory, totaling nearly 262,000 tickets. With an average ticket price of approximately $90, the tour’s gross is estimated at about $23.5 million. After deducting various touring expenses, it’s projected Charli would take home around $4 million from the tour, following a 50/50 split arrangement.
To build hype for the arena tour, Charli held smaller, sold-out shows branded as Charli XCX Presents: PARTYGIRL. Three such events, hosted in London, Los Angeles, and São Paulo in June, grossed $377,300, with 7,413 tickets sold.
The Sweat tour represents the first time either artist will headline arenas in major music markets, and ticket sales began on April 26. By the end of May, about 70% of tickets had sold, rising to over 90% by July.
In the streaming sector, Kamala Harris’s campaign aligned with “brat summer” on July 21, promoting Charli’s work as part of their strategy. Charli’s social media message, “kamala IS brat,” and the Harris campaign’s use of lime green across platforms garnered attention. During the Democratic National Convention week, Harris’s campaign sponsored Spotify’s “This is Charli XCX” playlist, significantly boosting its listener base.
By September 9, Charli’s music catalog generated approximately 722,000 album consumption units in the U.S., significantly higher than her average from previous years. This uptick translates to nearly $6 million in revenue for her U.S. label and approximately $13.4 million globally.
Estimates indicate that Charli’s take-home pay this year from recorded music could approach $4.1 million. Additionally, her songwriting contributions produced around $1.5 million in royalties for her collaborators, with her publishing royalties estimated at around $3.5 million.
Brand partnerships recently included campaigns with Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS and H&M. Both companies featured Charli in their promotional activities, with sources suggesting she received a mid-six-figure sum from H&M.
Insights from industry experts indicate that securing such brand collaborations entails more than just financial compensation. It’s about embedding oneself into cultural conversations, a phenomenon exemplified by Charli XCX’s “brat summer.”
This overview marks the launch of a new column focused on financial issues surrounding artists in the news.