Billboard readers have spoken, and Madonna’s ‘Danceteria Afterhours’ featuring Charli xcx won the week. The poll closed Sunday, and the club-ready collaboration took 63% of the vote. That means Billboard readers “wanna talk about Madonna and Charli,” as the poll’s result put it.
The song is a remix of “Danceteria,” a track that dropped this week after Madonna’s Confessions II album arrived in July. The ‘afterhours’ mix adds verses from Charli xcx to Madonna’s original recording, weaving her club history in London and Los Angeles into the story of Madonna’s New York City roots.
Charli’s Club Kid Days
Charli xcx tells the story of her early years in the song. She recalls being 15 years old and wearing a strange outfit when she got invited to perform at a party through Myspace. It was her first time ever at a party in London.
“I’m sweet fifteen in a weird outfit / Got invited to perform at this party through Myspace / First time ever at a party in London / I’m kinda nervous, kinda scared / On a makeshift stage playing songs from my iPod,” she recounts of her club kid days circa 2007.
Later, she jumps ahead to 2015. That’s when she linked up with A. G. and SOPHIE, took a flight to Los Angeles, and found herself in the PC Music scene.
“Linked up with A. G. and SOPHIE / Took a flight to L.A. / Where PC Music did Pop City / This new place has a lot of new things / Different DJs, flavoured cocaine / Found myself through the songs I wrote / And the songs I wrote are how we start the party,” she continues.
Poll Results and Album Debut Numbers
The poll ran Friday (Sept. 25) on Billboard. Listeners voted among new releases from Taylor Swift, Tinashe, Maren Morris with Michelle Branch and more. The results were posted Sunday.
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore release came second with 27% of the vote. That version of the Showgirl album includes four bonus tracks, led by the single “Patient Zero.” Tinashe’s new Popstar album followed with almost 3% of the vote.
The results are posted on Billboard’s website.
Madonna’s Return to Number One
Confessions II launched at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in July. That marked Madonna’s first No. 1 LP of the 2020s. Charli xcx’s Music, Fashion, Film debuted at No. 3 on the chart in August.
The album’s success gave “Danceteria” its context.
The Vote Was Decisive
The vote was decisive: 63% to the combined total of everything else.
The song also carries a personal weight. Charli’s verses are not just performance; they are memory. She describes her first party in London, her nervousness, her makeshift stage, her songs from her iPod. Then she moves forward to Los Angeles, where she found herself through the songs she wrote.
That arc — from nervous teenager to confident artist — is the story of the song itself. It is a track about starting somewhere small and ending up somewhere bigger.
| Poll Result | Track | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | “Danceteria Afterhours” | 63% |
| Runner-up | Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore | 27% |
| Third | Tinashe’s Popstar | Almost 3% |
The poll is over. Madonna and Charli xcx took the top spot. The story of the song — the club kid, the DJ, the city — is the story that won.
What stands out is the contrast between the two voices. Madonna’s New York City lore frames the original recording. Charli’s verses add her own club history, circling around London and Los Angeles. The mix brings the two together, with Charli’s verses swirling through Madonna’s original.
The vote was not close. “Danceteria Afterhours” took 63% of the vote, and the margin over the runner-up shows how much the song resonated with listeners.
The song’s appeal comes from the personal storytelling. Charli xcx describes her first party in London, her nervousness, her makeshift stage, her songs from her iPod. She moves forward to Los Angeles, where she found herself through the songs she wrote. That arc — from nervous teenager to confident artist — is the story of the song itself.
The poll results are posted on Billboard’s website, and the full breakdown shows how far ahead “Danceteria Afterhours” ran.
Source material: “Fans Choose Madonna & Charli xcx’s ‘Danceteria Afterhours’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music,” Billboard.
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