friday music guide
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco hoist up their love, Jack Harlow and Doja Cat have a blast collaborating, and J-Hope keeps pushing forward. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco, I Said I Love You First
I Said I Love You First is a creative collaboration between two halves of a shared heart, and Benny Blanco’s sonic influence exists in direct conversation with Selena Gomez’s lyrical delivery. There’s a reason why the album artwork is a glimpse of Gomez and Blanco through a keyhole — I Said I Love You First is presented as an intimate glimpse, not big-budget spectacle. Read the full review here.
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Jack Harlow feat. Doja Cat, “Just Us”
Part of the reason why Jack Harlow and Doja Cat were able to corral top talent like Matt Damon, John Mayer and PinkPantheress for the music video to “Just Us” is because they’re both top talent themselves; their new collaboration crackles with the energy of A-listers who can toss out hooks and sexual innuendos with ease, because they’ve done so plenty of times before.
J-Hope, “Mona Lisa”
J-Hope is getting more adept at finding the intersection between pop, hip-hop and R&B: new solo single “Mona Lisa” finds the BTS star melding genres with ease, dipping into his falsetto, tossing out some whoa-oa-oa’s to punctuate his passion and offering a breezy check-in that will fit right in on summer playlists.
Morgan Wallen, “I’m a Little Crazy” & “Just in Case”
To cap off the week in which he unveiled the May release date of his album I’m the Problem, Morgan Wallen released a pair of new songs that will make its 37-song (!) track list: “I’m a Little Crazy” allows the country superstar to waxing poetic about his place in the world, “Just in Case” grows into an earnest anthem, and both tracks feature Wallen’s voice dominating the mix.
Jonas Brothers, “Love Me to Heaven”
With the Jonas Brothers kicking off their 20th anniversary tour in North America, the boys decided to cook up something new to commemorate the occasion, and “Love Me to Heaven” sounds tailor-made for the stage, a zippy pop-rock sing-along complete with falsetto runs and backing vocals that will sound even better when sung by a crowd of thousands.
Editor’s Pick: Japanese Breakfast, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)
If 2021’s Jubilee turned Michelle Zauner into an indie-pop star, the long-awaited follow-up For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) is the sound of the singer-songwriter settling in to the spotlight without sacrificing any of her songwriting nuance. The new album explores moodier territory, but refracts the melancholy through Zauner’s ever-engaging lens, her voice more self-assured and trustworthy than ever.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Chappell Roan gets the job done, Playboi Carti finally drops the album, and Haim kick off the spring. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Chappell Roan, “The Giver”
2020s pop, meet 1990s country: “The Giver,” Chappell Roan’s long-awaited new single that was debuted on Saturday Night Live last November and has been teased for weeks, has arrived as a swirling, fiddle-filled gay anthem as well as an homage to the boot-stomping mainstream smashes of artists like The Chicks and Shania Twain, aware of the past but full of singular energy from a new superstar.
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Playboi Carti, Music
At long last, we have the follow-up to Playboi Carti’s towering 2020 album Whole Lotta Red: at 30 songs and 76 minutes, Music is a gargantuan undertaking that hides its A-list guests throughout the track list (Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Travis Scott and Future are among the attendees), but the project stands as a coronation of a relentless, rabble-rousing superstar, who iterates on his past flows and rage sound while also reveling in his improbable rise. Haim, “Relationships”
Him returning a few days after we push the clocks forward, and receive more sunlight on a daily basis, couldn’t be more perfect — “Relationships” sounds like an overdue embrace from an old friend, the cozy stylings of the trio typified by a buoyant bass line, rhetorical questions about relationship statuses and a breakdown that opens the song and then happily swings back around.
Sleep Token, “Emergence”
“Go ahead and wrap your arms around me,” goes the refrain of “Emergence,” the dazzling return of the mysterious British rock group Sleep Token: a six-minute epic that combines metalcore, hip-hop, electronic and pop, the lead single to Even in Arcadia is designed to command attention but pulls off its elaborate concept, and sets up Sleep Token for a huge year.
Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco, “Sunset Blvd”
We’ve gotten a few different shades of Selena Gomez and Benny Blanca’s collaborative album before its arrival next week, and “Sunset Blvd” is by far the dreamiest: over a warm bed of synths and unobtrusive drums, Gomez reflects on her first date with her fiancé, tossing out a few sexual innuendoes and big-hearted declarations.
Lil Nas X, “HOTBOX”
Concluding a full week of new singles from Lil Nas X, “HOTBOX” offers sing-rap opulence over a sample of Pharrell Williams’ “Frontin’,” with Nas calling everybody to the dance floor while the beat wordlessly does the same thing; the other new tracks were worthy, but he saved the best for last.
LE SSERAFIM, HOT
The fifth mini-album from the K-pop quintet finds LE SSERAFIM sharpening their aesthetic over five tracks, and while the title track to HOT is the group’s latest single, “Come Over,” which plays out like an extended flirtation over a Bossa nova-esque riff, is the easy standout here, and one of the strongest songs the group has ever made.
Lizzo, “Still Bad”
If “Love in Real Life,” Lizzo’s first new music in three years, arrived two weeks ago as the opening credits to her return, “Still Bad” sounds like the main event, as an unapologetic showcase of the Grammy winner’s vocals, sense of humor and party-ready rhythmic pop flair.
Peso Pluma, “RARI”
The latest single from Peso Pluma comes back to a successful blueprint for the superstar, but “RARI” might be the most instantly catchy track he’s released in years, with a vocal hook that is woven throughout every line and emphasizes the rougher textures in his delivery.
Editor’s Pick: Charley Crockett, Lonesome Drifter
On first blush, Charley Crockett’s new album Lonesome Drifter is a traditional country project, full of hard-scrabble storytelling, strummed hooks and the singer-songwriter’s rumbling twang — but multiple listens reveal an impressive synthesis of classic and modern styles from an emerging star, as Crockett folds well-worn country tropes into charming explorations of R&B, blues and modern rock.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Lady Gaga creates glorious chaos, JENNIE steps into the spotlight and Doechii revisits an old hit for a new single. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Lady Gaga, Mayhem
“I’ve seen Little Monsters be so amazing for almost 20 years. I haven’t seen us like this in a long time,” Lady Gaga told Billboard regarding recent fan enthusiasm online. Their excitement is understandable: Mayhem, Gaga’s long-awaited new album, centers big, brash hooks with the same propulsion of her Fame Monster days, while also mixing in industrial music, disco-funk and synth-rock to her pop approach. If you’ve been a longtime fan or simply want a handful of new bangers to add to your playlists, you’re going to put your paws up to Mayhem.
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JENNIE, RUBY
The extended rollout of BLACKPINK solo projects ends with a bang: RUBY, the debut album from JENNIE, is a pop tour de force, with the K-pop star pulling in an eclectic mix of guest artists and producers — Dua Lipa and Doechii for front-half anthems “Handlebars” and “ExtraL,” for instance, while Mike WiLL Made-It helms four crackling songs on the second half — and convincingly playing the role of the magnetic, effortlessly cool global star.
Doechii, “Anxiety”
The societal anxieties of 2012 might feel quaint compared to those of today, but Doechii has reworked one of that year’s biggest hits, Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” into “Anxiety,” which translates the nervous energy of its foundation into a perusal of the rap star’s claustrophobic thoughts (“Can’t shake it off of me / Somebody’s watching me, and my anxiety”).
J-Hope feat. Miguel, “Sweet Dreams”
Speaking of 2012, anyone who fondly remembers Miguel’s Kaleidoscope Dream era will latch onto “Sweet Dreams,” in which BTS star J-Hope brings in the R&B veteran to concoct something rhythmic, romantic and instantly likable, the gentle synths and dueling vocal tones creating a pillowy bedrock for the potential hit.
GELO feat. GloRilla, “Can You Please”
GELO’s “Tweaker” was the sort of viral sensation that results in multiple remixes and a lucrative label deal; “Can You Please,” then, is the high-stakes follow-up, which relies on an always-great guest star, GloRilla, to help stick the landing and prolong momentum. Fortunately, “Can You Please” is as audacious as its predecessor, with GELO’s rumbling flow halting to elongate melodies and emphasize the best one-liners.
TobyMac, Heaven on My Mind
The snappy title track to Heaven on My Mind, which kicks off TobyMac’s ninth studio album, immediately establishes that the project will be a sunnier affair than the singer-songwriter’s last release, 2022’s Life After Death, which followed the tragic passing of his son; indeed, Heaven on My Mind finds the Christian Airplay mainstay uplifting over quicker tempos, while still taking space to process complex emotions.
Tiago PZK, Gotti B
The fact that Teddy Swims is featured on “Sometimes,” the waltzing focus track of Tiago PZK’s new EP, may help the Argentine superstar bring in some new fans from North America, but as a whole, Gotti B extends Tiago’s appeal, with his elastic delivery guiding the 7-song project through dance tempos and slower movements.
Editor’s Pick: SASAMI, Blood on the Silver Screen
After 2022’s Squeeze established SASAMI as an exciting indie-pop singer and producer, Blood on the Silver Screen turns up the volume on every aspect of her persona, and features the strongest songwriting of her career. “I’ll Be Gone,” “Slugger” and the Clairo team-up “In Love With a Memory” are early highlights, but SASAMI’s latest is a widescreen thrill, and deserves to be experienced in full.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, LISA presents the real her, Lizzo returns to the public eye and Benson Boone delivers another arena-ready single. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
LISA, Alter Ego
Although LISA employs different alter egos — Vixi, Kiki, Roxi, Sunni and Speedi — on her debut solo album as a means of embodying different styles and shades of her identity, nothing about Alter Ego feels disjointed; instead, the BLACKPINK star spends this impressive project exploring different aspects of her musical persona with curiosity and confidence, whether she’s spitting alongside Future on “Fxck Up the World,” throwing it back to ‘00s R&B with Tyla on “When I’m With You,” or putting her own spin on modern pop balladry on “Dream.”
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Lizzo, “Love in Real Life”
“I might make an appearance since I look this fine / Plus, it’s been a while,” Lizzo declares on her comeback single “Love in Real Life,” which follows a period of controversy (and a flirtation with retirement) with a song that centers Lizzo’s still-mighty voice, snarling guitar in the chorus, and a story about stepping back into public life and feeling more satisfied than expected.
Benson Boone, “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else”
Even as “Beautiful Things” logs another month as a streaming juggernaut, Benson Boone is moving on to more anthemic fare: “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” mines similar territory but with a tempo that remains racing throughout, as Boone’s booming voice keeps pushing forward this time instead of starting and stopping.
D4vd with Kali Uchis, “Crashing”
Both D4vd and Kali Chis are young, kinetic stars with classic pop sensibilities, so it’s not surprising that their new collaboration, “Crashing,” features a lilting hook and shimmering harmonies that could work on both top 40 radio and TikTok feeds; both artists have scored viral hits in the past, and they might have a traditional one here.
Dasha, “Not at This Party”
Part of the reason why Dasha broke through with “Austin” last year was due to the song’s combination of evocative lyrical detail and folk-informed country — and with new single “Not at This Party,” the singer-songwriter revisits a winning formula, as she checks her phone in a bathroom line and lets her mind wander to happier times while banjo and guitar strings get strummed around her voice.
Feid, “Nos Desconoximos”
Ascendant Colombian star Feid continues to blend reggaeton and electronic music on “Nos Desconoximos,” a new single which precedes a European tour that kicks off next week, but might as well be designed to rule club mixes this summer, with its collision of thumping percussion and Feid’s lower tone producing a rumbling dance hit.
Banks, Off With Her Head
Banks recently told Billboard that new album Off With Her Head is “about shedding past identities that no longer resonate” — and while the veteran singer-songwriter’s latest project will please longtime listeners, she does indeed tinker with the edges of her alt-pop, particularly on collaborations with Doechii and Sampha that serve as highlights.
Editor’s Pick: Shygirl, Club Shy Room 2
It’s almost unfair that Club Shy Room 2, Shygirl’s latest luxurious dance project, is only 14 minutes long — these six songs of entrancing dance music, featuring guests like Saweetie, PinkPantheress and Jorja Smith, create a new world for the British singer-producer that ends too soon, and begs for expansion. Let’s hope this Room gets an addition sooner than later.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Tate McRae seizes her moment, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco find healing with Gracie Abrams, and JENNIE and Doechii run the world for the girls. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Tate McRae, So Close to What
Tate McRae’s success story is one of perseverance: the Canadian pop star has spent grinding out singles and projects, honing her sound and point of view, and collecting enough crossover hits to build palpable buzz around her latest full-length. So Close to What doesn’t deviate too much from McRae’s proven aesthetic — the 15 tracks rarely exceed the three-minute mark — but also features a more mature perspective, as McRae asserts her fears and desires within each slick hook.
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Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco with Gracie Abrams, “Call Me When You Break Up”
Longtime Selena Gomez fans understand the appeal of her stream-of-consciousness pop — verses blurted out, vulnerabilities on full display — and Gomez (alongside fiancee Benny Blanco and her pal Gracie Abrams) releases a winner in that template with “Call Me When You Break Up,” as she and Abrams play ride-or-die friends and emotional foils.
JENNIE feat. Doechii, “ExtraL”
While the latest preview of JENNIE’s forthcoming solo album Ruby features a delightfully aggressive performance from the BLACKPINK star and a bullet-time guest verse by Doechii, the female empowerment anthem is highlighted by a refrain peppered throughout the song, and sure to elicit shout-alongs at clubs in the coming months: “Do my ladies run this?”
Don Toliver & Speedy feat. J-Hope & Pharrell Willams, “LV Bag”
“LV Bag,” which premiered at Pharrell Williams’ menswear show during Paris Fashion Week, boasts a stacked lineup — Don Toliver headlines the affair, and he corrals J-Hope of BTS to navigate the opulent opening verse — but the melody that snakes throughout the track is a classic Williams earworm, as undeniably catchy as some of his early Neptunes smashes.
Coco Jones, “Taste”
Ahead of her newly announced debut album, Why Not More?, which is due out in April, Coco Jones has established herself as an effortlessly talented star in the R&B world — but new single “Taste,” which is built around an interpolation of Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” serves a nice reminder of her pop panache as well.
Sam Fender, People Watching
The title People Watching should be taken literally — for Sam Fender’s third studio album, the British rock star shifts his perspective toward his family and friends as well as strangers, perceiving the world (and himself) as they might — but the songwriting exercise yields some of Fender’s most accessible tracks yet, including standouts like “Little Bit Closer,” “Nostalgia’s Lie” and the title track.
Burna Boy, “Update”
A few months after Kendrick Lamar sampled the club classic “When I Hear Music” on “Squabble Up,” Burna Boy has returned, ahead of upcoming eighth studio album No Sign of Weakness, with a similar approach on “Update,” re-contextualizing Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)” as the foundation of a effervescent Afrobeats track.
Editor’s Pick: Anxious, Bambi
If Anxious’ 2022 debut Little Green House sounded like a breath of fresh air from the punk-leaning emo scene, the Connecticut quintet’s follow-up represents an exciting artist achieving greatness: Bambi sharpens the band’s formula in every conceivable way, with songs like opener “Never Said” fine-tuning the band’s defiant cries, “Some Girls” and “Next Big Star” offering spectacular pop hooks, and the entirety of the project’s lyrics capturing the growing pains leading up to this moment.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Drake and PND flip the script, Sabrina Carpenter makes Short a little longer, and JISOO arrives as a solo star. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Drake & PARTYNEXTDOOR, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U
Drake wants you to forget about the Kendrick Lamar chatter, and remember that it’s Valentine’s Day. With $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, a new project with his pal PARTYNEXTDOOR that functions like the R&B version of Her Loss as a full-length collaboration, Drizzy focuses on personal opulence and romantic entanglements while occasionally nodding toward current events: “F–k a rap beef, I’m tryna get the party lit,” he sneers on “Gimme a Hug.”
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Sabrina Carpenter, Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe)
Although Sabrina Carpenter’s commercial breakthrough Short n’ Sweet was released less than six months ago, the pop star has been on such a hot streak that she added five new tracks to the short, sweet full-length: this deluxe edition not only boasts a Dolly Parton-assisted version of the No. 1 hit “Please Please Please,” but a new synth-pop confection, “Busy Woman,” that sounds like it could be Carpenter’s next innuendo-heavy smash.
JISOO, Amortgage
As her BLACKPINK group mates ROSÉ, LISA and JENNIE have all made their solo bids in recent months, JISOO has dropped a head-turning project of her own: Amortgage is miles beyond her 2023 double-single ME as far as sonic identity and vocal confidence, as tracks like the kinetic single “Earthquake” and snappy dance track “Hugs & Kisses” recall delicious turn-of-the-century bubblegum, streamlined for a new generation.
Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco, “Scared of Loving You”
The newly engaged Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco have also teamed up for a collaborative album, I Said I Love You First, that arrives in March, and while “Scared of Loving You” launches that project with muted vulnerability, the track also represents the welcome return of Gomez as one of our most thoughtful pop stars, five years removed from her last solo album.
Addison Rae, “High Fashion”
Fans of Addison Rae’s smoky delivery and sensual lyricism on last year’s “Diet Pepsi” have received a worthy sequel with “High Fashion,” as the former social media star and rising pop siren sounds increasingly confident while delivering lines like “I don’t need your drugs / I’d rather get, rather get high fashion.”
The Lumineers, Automatic
Rustic folk-rock has certainly made its way back into the mainstream thanks in part to troubadours like Noah Kahan and Hozier, although the Lumineers, who planted their flag in that area over a decade ago, aren’t interested in trend-chasing on new album Automatic, which finds the veteran band tossing out racing anthems rather than getting lost in banjo side quests.
Sam Smith, “Love is a Stillness”
A press release describes Sam Smith’s latest single as “a Valentine’s gift to their fans,” and if you’re a longtime supporter of Smith’s honey-voiced piano balladry, “Love is a Stillness” harkens back to their career beginnings, swerving away from pop experimentation to remind listeners how sturdy that classic vocal power remains.
Editor’s Pick: Bon Iver, “Everything is Peaceful Love”
“Everything is Peaceful Love,” the latest taste of Bon Iver’s long-awaited fifth album, has softer features than classics like “Skinny Love” and even “Holocene,” but has the same sort of immediate accessibility: Justin Vernon weaves his falsetto into multi-part harmonies and vibes out to the soft-rock synthesizers, creating another blissful anthem for patio listening in the summertime.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, LISA is reincarnated alongside Doja Cat and Raye, while Anitta sets forth on a new era. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
LISA feat. Doja Cat and Raye, “Born Again”
Opulence and religious imagery abound on LISA’s new team-up with Doja Cat and Raye, as the BLACKPINK star settles on disco elegance for the pop-star summit: “I would’ve made you a believer / Would’ve showed you what it’s like,” she sings as a kiss-off, while her guest stars flaunt biting rhymes and oversized vocals on the second verse and bridge, respectively. Anitta, “Romeo”
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The first Anitta release of 2025 kicks off a new era in style — moving on from Funk Generation, the Brazilian superstar continues exploring propulsive dance on “Romeo” but with more restrained production and emphasis on her vocal delivery, as if Anitta, not the beat beneath her, is the star of the show.
Pardison Fontaine & Cardi B, “Toot It Up”
Over a masterful sample of Nas’ “Made You Look,” Pardison Fontaine and Cardi B aim for a chest-thumping anthem for a new generation on “Toot It Up,” with both artists trading rhymes on the hook and finally delivering a long-in-the-works collaboration to official streaming services.
GELO feat. Lil Wayne, “Tweaker (Remix)”
GELO’s “Tweaker” has been one of the first surprise smashes of 2025, a viral hit that has earned LiAngelo Ball a label deal and lots of raised eyebrows; that quick rise continues with this Lil Wayne-assisted remix, as Weezy (who just announced an album of his own) gets in on the basketball metaphors: “I cross your ass up like Jesus, baby.”
Dom Dolla feat. Daya, “Dreamin’”
Australian DJ Dom Dolla has been linking up with various pop stars for a while now, and Daya, the Pittsburgh native of “Don’t Let Me Down”/“Hide Away” fame, makes for a perfect muse on “Dreamin’,” a hypnotic club track in which Daya deploys the smokiness of her voice and repeats the refrain until it gets lost in the rhythms.
Editor’s Pick: Rema, “Baby (Is It a Crime)”
Revamping Sade’s 1985 classic “Is It a Crime,” Rema returns with an immediately memorable piece of rhythmic pop: the Nigerian star has demonstrated crossover potential in the past, most notably with “Calm Down,” but the contours of “Baby (Is It a Crime)” are more subtle, his flow bridging the 40-year gap in styles.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, The Weeknd closes out a trilogy, JENNIE continues shining solo and Morgan Wallen declares that it’s him, hi, “I’m the Problem.” Check out all of this week’s picks below:
The Weeknd, Hurry Up Tomorrow
Concluding the trilogy that began with the 2020 blockbuster After Hours and continued with the daring 2022 follow-up Dawn FM, The Weeknd splits the difference between commercial potency and devil-may-care pop experimentation on Hurry Up Tomorrow: an 84-minute opus that includes guests ranging from Lana Del Rey to Giorgio Moroder to Anitta to Travis Scott, the new album brushes off modern conventions, mixes soul-baring introspection with immaculate dance grooves, and goes for the gusto.
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JENNIE feat. Dominic Fike, “Love Hangover”
Ahead of new album Ruby, which arrives on March 7, JENNIE showcases a fresh side of herself on “Love Hangover,” which nudges her pop aesthetic towards the breezy rhythms and blurted-out realizations of her collaborator on the track, Dominic Fike; the final product is fun, funky and the perfect excuse to drop the sure-to-go-viral line “I swear, I’ll never do it again! / Ah, s–t, I did it again.”
Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”
As the title track of his upcoming fourth studio album, “I’m the Problem” functions as a platform for Morgan Wallen to examine his own flaws while accusing his partner of not being perfect, either: “You hate that when you look at me, you halfway see yourself,” the country superstar sings, the hurt in his voice betraying the song’s more confrontational lyrics.
Latto feat. Playboi Carti, “Blick Sum (Remix)”
Months after first surfacing online, the version of Latto’s “Blick Sum” featuring Playboi Carti has finally arrived on streaming services, with the Atlanta rappers now trading verses that mix firearms metaphors — “That .22′ ain’t gon’ do, that 90 get me out my thong,” Latto declares — while keeping up with the bleary beat.
Zach Bryan, “Blue Jean Baby”
So many Zach Bryan songs have lore attached to their creation and release, factoids that make every hit and deep cut all the more compelling — and with “Blue Jean Baby,” a rollicking demo that fans have been hoping would some day be finished, Bryan stays prolific as a storyteller while providing listeners with another page in the history books.
EST Gee, I Ain’t Feeling You
“I really got it all right now, one of the very few,” EST Gee drawls at the top of “Houstonatlantaville,” a team-up with Lil Baby and Travis Scott; indeed, the Louisville native sounds reinvigorated on I Ain’t Feeling You, honing his bruising delivery and understanding how to operate over booming percussion more effectively than ever.
L.S. Dunes, Violet
Rock supergroups typically harken back to their members’ primary collectives, but L.S. Dunes — which features members of My Chemical Romance, Thursday, Coheed and Cambria and Circa Survive — is creating something new on sophomore album Violet: helmed by Will Yip, the new full-length takes the coiled energy of 2022’s Past Lives and stretches it out, and the sprawl results in towering anthems like “I Can See It Now…” and “Forgiveness.”
Editor’s Pick: Jamie xx feat. Erykah Badu, “F.U.”
The genesis of Jamie xx’s scorching new house track involves a Primavera festival after-party with faulty equipment that forced Erykah Badu to ad-lib through a set with just a microphone, which Jamie recorded on his phone and later rearranged into a song, with Badu’s help; it’s a fascinating backstory that also isn’t necessary to feel enthralled by the communal excitement of “F.U.,” Badu’s voice beckoning an unseen crowd as the beat slingshots around.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Bruno Mars gets sexy with Sexyy, Travis Scott delivers his stadium-sized new single and Central Cee proves that patience pays off. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Sexyy Red & Bruno Mars, “Fat Juicy & Wet”
Bruno Mars has scored a pair of recent smashes, “Die With a Smile” and “APT.,” by finding a midpoint between his pop sensibility and that of his respective collaborators, Lady Gaga and ROSÉ; with the audacious “Fat Juicy & Wet,” however, Mars fully enters the world of Sexyy Red, dropping a gleefully explicit anthem built around the rising pop star’s sexual innuendos and a club-pulverizing beat.
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Travis Scott, “4×4”
For his first solo track since 2023, Travis Scott builds on his maximalist aesthetic with “4×4,” which pairs orchestral heft with a pitch-shifted flow. Scott debuted “4×4,” which will help support California fire relief funds through CD single sales, at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game earlier this week, and the studio track earns its stadium debut.
Central Cee, Can’t Rush Greatness
The title Can’t Rush Greatness nods to how long UK rapper Central Cee has been waiting for this crossover moment: after years of building hype, collecting collaborations and scoring increasingly bigger hits (culminating in “Band4Band,” last year’s team-up with Lil Baby), he now has a guest-packed, generally riveting debut full-length to call his own.
FKA Twigs, Eusexua
A decade’s worth of FKA Twigs albums have been leading to Eusexua, the culmination of her experimental amalgamation of pop, R&B, electronic and club music that finds Twigs carving out accessible pathways for new listeners while remaining as daring as ever for longtime fans. The opening run of the title track, “Girl Feels Good” and “Perfect Stranger” is perhaps the most entrancing 10-minute stretch of music we’ve gotten so far in 2025.
Tate McRae, “Sports Car”
Tate McRae has grown increasingly confident in her dance-pop formula since “Greedy” became the biggest hit of her career a little over a year ago, and while “Sports Car” crackles like her recent single releases, the whispered chorus elevates her latest, drawing the listener in before shoving them back out to dance.
Teddy Swims, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2)
“Lose Control” is a hard commercial bar to reach — the single did top Billboard’s year-end Hot 100, after all — so on his latest release, Teddy Swims wisely tries not to re-create his breakthrough smash, and instead flesh out some husky sing-alongs like “Guilty” and “Funeral,” as well as corral some new famous friends like Coco Jones, GloRilla and Giveon.
Kane Brown, The High Road
As Kane Brown keeps cranking out crossover country hits — “Miles on It” with Marshmello was another top 20 smash last year — he concurrently continues telling stories that reach a wide listenership, and on new album The High Road, that includes heart-wrenched fare like the Jelly Roll duet “Haunted” as well as a pair of new collaborations with his wife, Katelyn Brown.
Editor’s Pick: Djo, “Basic Being Basic”
“End of Beginning” became a well-deserved viral breakthrough for actor Joe Keery’s musical project Djo last year, and in 2025, things sound like they’re about to get stranger: “Basic Being Basic” is a lovably off-kilter new single, a callback to ‘80s synth-pop with a hook that highlights Keery’s upper register and lyrics that should launch a million TikTok lip synchs.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Mac Miller’s beautiful mind shines once again, Central Cee debates currency with 21 Savage, and Lucy Dacus might break with “Ankles.” Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Mac Miller, Balloonerism
If 2020’s Circles, the first posthumous Mac Miller release, provided fans a sense of closure following his tragic 2018 passing at the age of 26, Balloonerism — a long-sought-after collection of songs that date back over a decade — serves as a reminder of his wonderfully unruly creativity, with songs ranging from the shimmering piano-rap anthem “Funny Papers” to the nearly 12-minute closing exploration “Tomorrow Will Never Know.”
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Central Cee feat. 21 Savage, “GBP”
Considering the success of “BAND4BAND,” Central Cee’s team-up with Lil Baby, it’s no surprise that the UK rapper has previewed his imminent album Can’t Rush Greatness with another high-wattage collaboration — but “GBP,” featuring 21 Savage, iterates on the formula of Cench’s biggest hit, with similarly eerie production but a more spacious flow, which nicely counterbalances 21 Savage’s twitchy delivery.
Lucy Dacus, “Ankles”
Boygenius has become a supergroup that has elevated all three of its members’ profile, and Lucy Dacus’ next album, Forever is a Feeling, will arrive in March with much more fanfare than any of the singer-songwriter’s previous projects; it also helps that “Ankles,” a driving love song with beautiful harmonics on the hook, may be Dacus’ most accessible single to date, and bring in even more fans ahead of the new full-length.
Marshmello & Jonas Brothers, “Slow Motion”
Four years after scoring a hit together with “Leave Before You Love Me,” Marshmello and Jonas Brothers have reunited for “Slow Motion,” which veers toward country-pop territory more than its predecessor: after the JoBros croon the wide-reaching chorus together, their masked producer swoops in a sparkly beat drop, making for a charming bit of pop interplay.
John Summit feat. CLOVES, “Focus”
John Summit’s upward trajectory continues with “Focus,” a hypnotic new dance track with Melbourne singer-songwriter CLOVES, in which the producer tosses out a collection of pulsating rhythms and lets his collaborator weave them into a yearning cry; “Focus” runs for nearly four minutes, but begs for repeat listens (or, fingers crossed, an extended mix).
Mumford & Sons, “Rushmere”
Mumford & Sons have gone back to basics with “Rushmere,” which previews the band’s first album in seven years and finds Marcus Mumford, fresh off a recent debut solo album, leading his group (now a trio, following the departure of banjoist Winston Marshall) toward the stomping, crowd-pleasing folk-rock that made them mega-sellers at the turn of the 2010s.
Hailey Whitters, “Casseroles”
On her first new single in two years, country star Hailey Whitters offers a nuanced reflection on grief and recovery with “Casseroles,” with the Iowa native wondering how people move on from loss once loved ones stop checking in and the comfort food stops arriving. Whitters, who lost a brother over a decade ago, imbues the song with an unsettled sense of hurt, her voice prodding at an uneasy questions for herself and others.
Editor’s Pick: Rose Gray, Louder, Please
The cover of Rose Gray’s debut album depicts the British pop singer on a beach, listening to a Walkman and seemingly screaming along to her favorite song while the strangers around her ignore her cries; Louder, Please will inspire similar fits of passion from pop listeners, with songs like “Everything Changes (But I Won’t),” “Free” and “Tectonic” providing sophisticated beats and top-notch sing-along fodder.