Declan McKenna was still a teenager when he wrote the song that defined him. "Brazil", which he first put on YouTube in 2014 and released properly the following year, is a protest track aimed at FIFA for awarding the 2014 World Cup to Brazil while so many of the country's people lived in poverty. It was an unusually sharp piece of writing for someone barely into his mid-teens, and it helped him win the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition in 2015.
The acclaim launched a genuine career. McKenna has released well-reviewed albums and built a devoted following as one of British indie's brighter songwriters. But none of his other songs has come close to "Brazil" on streaming.
"Brazil" sits near 938 million plays, while his next most-streamed track, "Why Do You Feel So Down", trails at around 130 million. That puts the ratio near 7.2, past our 5.0 line, so by our measure Declan McKenna is a certified one-hit wonder.
It is one of those cases where the label sits awkwardly next to the artist. McKenna is young, prolific, and still building, and a second breakout could easily close the gap. For now, though, an angry, clever song written in his mid-teens remains the one the world keeps returning to.