When Arts & Crafts signed Charlie Houston, she had never released a single piece of music and was not very active on social media (she didn’t even have profiles on certain socials). This provided Arts & Crafts the opportunity to start from scratch and build from virtually nothing.

Ahead of Charlie Houston’s debut EP, I Hate Spring (released 30th April 2021), Arts & Crafts did significant groundwork to establish her platform and image.

Weeks prior to her first single, ‘Calls’, in January 2021, Arts & Crafts developed a social media strategy for Charlie, placing a strong focus on TikTok. Within one week the single amassed significant coverage, perhaps representing the most immediate and impactful debut in which Arts & Crafts has ever participated. The campaign launched with a Zane Lowe Apple 1 premiere and a SPIN Magazine feature and Instagram live interview.

The I Hate Spring EP also saw a top 10 charting on CBC radio and a new artist feature on CBC Music, as well as international coverage from Spin magazine, Under The Radar, NPR Music, and more. Arts & Crafts, along with management set up a website with custom drop-merch using Printful. Merch items included a unisex hoodie and bucket hat.

On TikTok, her native videos have amassed millions of views and her officially-delivered music to the platform has received a million views across 10 posts from influencers.

Post-release, Arts & Crafts launched a campaign with Shoplifter, placing ‘Calls’ and ‘Things’ in major global retailers, airports, radio stations. The campaign resulted in a confirmed placement of 37 channels/playlists and reaching over 30k locations with a total of 375k daily impressions.

In October, Houston followed her EP with the single/video ‘Bitches In The Bathroom’. Her continued growth and awareness has led to support from Spotify, as they confirmed a Times Square Billboard as part of Spotify’s Radar x Rolling Stone campaign, set to run mid-November 2021.