Wink Wink

"Wink Wink"
A tan background with "Wink Wink" in large text with the songwriters listed below in smaller text
Single by Charli XCX
from the album Music, Fashion, Film
Released26 June 2026 (2026-06-26)
Genre
Length2:03
LabelAtlantic
Songwriters
Producers
Charli XCX singles chronology
"SS26"
(2026)		 "Wink Wink"
(2026)		 "Camera"
(2026)
Music video
"Wink Wink" on YouTube

"Wink Wink" is a song by British singer and songwriter Charli XCX. It was released on 26 June 2026, under exclusive license to Atlantic Records, as the third single from her eighth studio album, Music, Fashion, Film. A pop rock, electropop, alternative rock, hyperpop, and pop song, Charli wrote the track along with Finn Keane, who produced it with A. G. Cook. It reached number 57 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background and promotion

Following the releases of "Rock Music" and "SS26",[1] "Wink Wink" was released on 26 June 2026,[2] serving as the third single from Charli XCX's seventh studio album, Music, Fashion, Film. She described the track as "final piece in the Music, Fashion, Film rollout".[3] A week earlier of the song's release, Charli posted a caption "Something horny is coming" on her social media.[4]

Composition

"Wink Wink" was co-written by Finn Keane, who produced the song along with A. G. Cook; both also mixed it, executively producing the song with Charli. "Wink Wink" was mastered by Ruairi O'Flaherty.[2] An electropop,[5] hyperpop,[6] pop,[7] and pop-rock song, it is driven by a mid-tempo beat, clangy guitar riffs and searing synthesiser lines.[4] Although Charli denied that her Music, Fashion, Film was a rock album, "Wink Wink" draws on influences beyond dance music,[8] featuring its alt-rock sound.[9]

Opening with a spoken-word catalogue of provocative behaviour, "Wink Wink" adopts a tongue-in-cheek tone. Its chorus has Charli claiming she is "not a bad girl anymore", a statement immediately undermined by the closing "wink, wink".[4] The song adopts a lighter, more ironic tone than "SS26" and "Rock Music".[9]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Wink Wink" was directed by Aidan Zamiri, whose previous collaboration with Charli included an A24 mockumentary, The Moment (2026).[10] Opening with Charli lying in a field and eating berries beneath a cloudy sky, the video shows her writing in a diary while singing about having changed before she performs a series of household chores, including washing windows, doing laundry, and washing dishes. As the chorus begins, the scenes become increasingly suggestive by singing "Here's the truth, and I gotta be honest / I'm not a bad girl anymore, I promise."[3][11]

Critical reception

Stereogum's Chris DeVille and Tom Breihan described "Wink Wink" as a tongue-in-cheek song with sexually suggestive lyrics, interpreting its repeated insistence that Charli is "not a bad girl anymore" as contradicting the message that "people can change".[12] Bill Pearis of BrooklynVegan highlighted the song's "catchy chorus" and compared its structure and style to the French band the Teenagers's 2008 song "Homecoming".[13] Melodic Magazine author Georgia Knowlden described "Wink Wink" as a "playful detour" that builds anticipation for the album and compared it to Charli's "Guess" (2024) while calling them more "provocative".[6] Nina Corcoran of Pitchfork called the song a contender for 2026 song of the summer.[14]

Personnel

Credits were adapted from Tidal.[2]

Charts

Chart performance
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Estonia Airplay (TopHit)[15]85
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 67
Lithuania Airplay (TopHit)[17] 159
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[18] 6
UK Singles (Official Charts)[19]57
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[20]23
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[21]38

Release history

Release dates and formats
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 26 June 2026 Atlantic [2]
Italy 10 July 2026 Radio airplay Warner [22]

References

  1. ↑ Rigotti, Alex (25 June 2026). "Charli XCX teases collaboration on upcoming album; says you 'won't be able to guess' who it is". NME. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Wink Wink". Tidal. 26 June 2026. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 Pinder, Jaeden (26 June 2026). "Charli XCX Unveils Tintilating New 'Wink Wink' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Cinquemani, Sal (26 June 2026). "Charli XCX Drops 'Wink Wink', Latest Single from New Album Music, Fashion, Film". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  5. ↑ Stickler, Jon (26 June 2026). "Charli XCX Shares Video for New Song Wink Wink". Stereoboard. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 Knowlden, Georgia (26 June 2026). "'Wink Wink' is Charli xcx's raunchiest release from Music, Fashion, Film so far". Melodic Magazine. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  7. ↑ Carter, Daisy (26 June 2026). "Charli XCX Drops New Music, Fashion, Film Preview 'Wink Wink'". DIY. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Corcoran, Nina (26 June 2026). "Watch Charli XCX Let Loose in Video for New Song 'Wink Wink'". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 Ragusa, Paolo (26 June 2026). "Charli XCX Unveils Cheeky New Song 'Wink Wink': Stream". Consequence. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Jett, Clarissa (26 June 2026). "Charli XCX releases 'Wink Wink' ahead of her new album Music, Fashion, Film, Tour". Hot Press. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Jones, Damian (26 June 2026). "Watch Charli XCX's raunchy video for cheeky new single 'Wink Wink'". NME. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  12. ↑ DeVille, Chris; Breihan, Tom (26 June 2026). "Charli XCX Shares 'Wink Wink', Smokes With Madonna, Teases Unexpected Album Feature". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  13. ↑ Pearis, Bill (26 June 2026). "Charli XCX shares cheeky new single & video, 'Wink Wink'". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "20 Contenders for 2026 Song of the Summer". Pitchfork. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Top Radio Hits Estonia Weekly Chart". TopHit. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  16. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts (Week 27, 2026)". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Charli xcx — Wink Wink — Chart History". TopHit. 3 July 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 3 July 2026. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 3/7/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "Charli XCX Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "Charli XCX Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  22. ↑ Lapresa, Cristiana (7 July 2026). "Wink Wink - Charli XCX". EarOne (in Italian). Retrieved 8 July 2026.
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