C,XOXO.
Last week, I published an essay arguing that Camila Cabello's 2024 C,XOXO album "deserves a second chance." To my somewhat surprise, it immediately struck a chord online, leading to a surge of interest in listening to and re-appraising the record. Everyone from Tony nominees to comedian and actor Benito Skinner came out of the woodwork as passionate fans of the album. It turns out the hype had an actual, material effect on the streaming metrics of the record.
According to Spotify, C,XOXO saw a 475% increase in global streams on the platform on August 9, two days after my article came out, versus its 2026 June-July average. In terms of specific songs, streams “B.O.A.T” spiked 70% on Spotify in the U.S. on August 11, per the platform.
Read Next: Is C,XOXO summer finally here?
C,XOXO was an intense stylistic switch-up for the "Havana" singer, and saw her mixing Reggaeton with elements of hyperpop, folk, and hip-hop. It also featured many attention-grabbing, high-wire samples like Gucci Mane's "Lemonade" on "I LUV IT" and Pitbull's "Hotel Room Service" on "B.O.A.T." It was initially met with mixed reception from critics and struggled commercially.
Since the re-reckoning, everyone, from news aggregators Pop Base to Spotify itself, have seemingly jumped on the bandwagon to capitalize on the hype. Spotify added album "B.O.A.T." to their Lorem playlist (which has over 1 million followers) at the no. 2 spot, pairing it with a caption reading: "let it be known this is a RE ADD of C,XOXO to the list." Indeed, it seems C,XOXO summer is here.
Read our essay on C,XOXO here.
