Pop
Page: 442
Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.
These 10 tracks from artists including Leigh-Anne and Ayra Starr, Romy, Blondshell, Tirzah and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Leigh-Anne feat. Ayra Starr, “My Love”
[embedded content]
Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock has found an intriguing new lane for her solo career: “My Love,” co-starring rising Nigerian artist Ayra Starr and produced by Afropop connoisseur Magicsticks, values movement above all over the course of nearly three minutes, with both artists singing about relentlessly vibrating rhythms as the percussion follows their cue. “My Love” is designed to be bellowed among groups of friends on the dance floor, and succeeds in pushing Leigh-Anne’s sound into the future. Jason Lipshutz
Romy, “She’s On My Mind”
[embedded content]
“She’s On My Mind” is a joy, as both the album closer to Romy’s recently released Mid Air and what the song represents in that spot: after Romy Madley Croft murmured her subtle magic with The xx, her debut solo album lets her spread out into sensual, often smile-inducing dance music. With its euphoric key plinks and whooping vocal hooks, “She’s On My Mind” ends the full-length triumphantly — but of course, the track works just as well on its own, the softness of Romy’s voice highlighting any dance break. – J. Lipshutz
Baby Queen, “Quarter Life Crisis”
[embedded content]
Before the final five seconds of Baby Queen’s new single “Quarter Life Crisis” speeds up into a chaotic swirl and then crashes down, 25-year-old Bella Latham sings about living within that hurricane of post-teen uncertainty, asserting in the chorus, “I look at my face and I don’t recognize it.” A shakier writer might have trouble provoking empathy for mid-20’s ennui, but Latham understands how to make each line both biting and relatable — as well as deliver a hummable waltz of a hook. – J. Lipshutz
Morgan Saint, “It Hurts To Be Human”
[embedded content]
The title of Morgan Saint’s sparkling new dance-pop track refers to post-breakup agony: as the bass hits a groove and the cymbals get tapped, Saint bemoans putting an untrustworthy partner’s needs before her own and ignoring clear-cut warning signs during a doomed romance. The tension between Saint’s sorrow and her self-produced, happily chattering track helps “It Hurts To Be Human” levitate above other dance floor cuts of its ilk, particularly when the song arrives at its elastic breakdown. – J. Lipshutz
Jolie Laide, “Pacific Coast Highway”
[embedded content]
Jolie Laide is the new collaborative duo of Nina Nastasia and Jeff MacLeod, and after Nastasia unveiled Riderless Horse, her first album in 12 years, last year, “Pacific Coast Highway” suggests that we’ll be getting more moving songwriting from the beloved cult figure soon enough. “Pacific Coast Highway” possesses a stormy foundation, with a cracked guitar-and-drums arrangement that threatens to explode, although Nastasia also communicates a calmness while extolling the peace and freedom of her subject. – J. Lipshutz
iann dior, “You Don’t Even”
[embedded content]
iann dior topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks as the featured guest on 24kGoldn’s “mood,” and the Texas singer-rapper brings the same irresistibly melodic melancholy to his latest solo track, “You Don’t Even.” Dior melds sweetness and pain so breezily that it’s easy to overlook his knack for pop songcraft. – Joe Lynch
Tirzah, “Promises”
An album title like trip9love…??? doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but Tirzah isn’t the type of singer-songwriter to meet the audience halfway. Once again paired with producer Mica Levi, the English artist creates a strangely compelling mixture of minimalist piano, skittering 808s and gently haunted vocals on gems such as “Promises.” – J. Lynch
George Riley, Elixir
[embedded content]
The meaty beat and jangling metal that introduces “Elixir” are immediately grabbing. And once London singer-songwriter George Riley adds her vocals into the mix, it’s game over. Her syrupy sweet delivery paints the thumping dancefloor production with colors of R&B and pop, resulting in a track just as enticing as the elixir she sings of. – Lyndsey Havens
Blondshell, Street Rat
[embedded content]
After teasing the fondly titled “Street Rat” online and in her live show, alternative artist Blondshell finally unleashed the track as part of the forthcoming deluxe edition of her self titled album (out Oct. 6). “Wouldn’t feed that / To a street rat,” begins the artist, doubling down on her knack for scorching one-liners delivered as softly as possible — which, somehow, makes them all the more painful. And when the chorus hits, during which she confesses certain circumstances to be “awful … and needed,” Blondshell reminds listeners that her greatest strength of all is her unrelenting honesty. – L.H.
Slothrust, “Pony”
[embedded content]
Ginuwine’s “Pony,” a R&B classic and staple for the ’90s, is seen through a brand new lens in Slothrust’s latest cover of the track. The song goes grunge, trading the original winding bass instrumental for fuzzier and notably heavier guitar and drum work from duo Leah Wellbaum and Will Gorin. Wellbaum shines on the song, delivering the lyrics — which boasts of sexual prowess amid searching for a partner that can truly satisfy — with a knowing wink and the perfect hint of seduction. – Starr Bowenbank
Jennifer Lopez has inked a new recording and publishing partnership with BMG, Billboard can exclusively announce today (Sept. 11).
Under the global alliance, the award-winning singer and actress, better known as J.Lo, will release her forthcoming ninth studio album, This Is Me…Now—home to 13 tracks, released via Nuyorican/BMG.
The set will mark Lopez’s first studio album as a solo artist in nine years, following the 2014 release of A.K.A. on Capitol Records. That album, produced by RedOne, peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2022, she and Maluma released the soundtrack to their film Marry Me under Universal Studios/ Sony Music US Latin.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with her and her team to release her first album in nearly a decade,” said Thomas Coesfeld, BMG’s CEO in a statement, calling Lopez a “global superstar artist, entertainer… a phenomenon.”
Thomas Scherer, BMG’s president, repertoire & marketing, Los Angeles and New York, added: “We are both excited and proud to partner with Jennifer Lopez on this long-awaited sequel to ‘This is Me… Then.’ Clearly written with love and through experience, ‘This Is Me..Now’ is uplifting and inspiring. ‘Jenny From The Block’ is back at a point in her career when her message is bigger than ever.”
Produced by J.Lo, Rogét Chahayed, Angel Lopez, and Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman, This Is Me…Now was created during 2022 and 2023 at Lopez’s home studio in Los Angeles. Other songwriter-producers who worked on the album include songwriter-producers include Hitboy, Ink, Tay Keith, Yeti Beats, Carter Lang, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk, with BMG’s Brandon Riester serving as the album’s A&R.
According to the press statement, the upcoming set “is an exciting musical trilogy showcasing the triple-threat’s extraordinary talents.”
See the full This Is Me…Now tracklist below:
“This Is Me…Now”
“To Be Yours”
“Mad in Love”
“Can’t Get Enough”
“Rebound”
“not.going.anywhere.”
“Dear Ben, Pt. II”
“Hummingbird”
“Hearts and Flowers”
“Broken Like Me”
“This Time Around”
“Midnight Trip to Vegas”
“Greatest Love Story Never Told”
BTS‘ V celebrated the release of his six-track debut solo album, Layover, last week by performing the latest single, “Love Me Again,” on Naver’s NPOP variety show. As part of a 12-minute mini-concert, V stood alone on a stage surrounded by a quartet of backup singers and large canvases with his image on them (a […]
The Masked Singer returned, and it all started with a mouse. Anonymouse, that is. The mystery singing competition show aired a special kick-off episode Sunday night (Sept. 10) ahead of season 10’s official premiere on Sept. 27. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The highlight of The Masked […]
V‘s Layover tops this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 8) on Billboard, choosing the BTS member’s new solo collection as their favorite music release of the past week. ARMY showed up: Layover brought in an impressive 96% of the vote. It beat out new music from Olivia […]
The premiere of the documentary Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero was delayed after a bomb threat was called in at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Saturday night (Sept. 9) premiere of the film at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall was delayed by about 20 minutes while authorities verified that the threat wasn’t credible. Lil Nas X was kept […]
Ed Sheeran postponed his concert at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium at the last minute on Saturday (Sept. 9), leaving thousands of fans waiting outside in the uncomfortable heat.
The British pop star took to social media at around 5:30 p.m. PT to break the news to concert-goers, many of whom traveled from other cities to attend the show and were lined up outside the venue.
“I can’t believe I’m typing this but there’s been some challenges encountered during the load in of our vegas show,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram. “It’s impossible to go forward with the show. I’m so sorry. I know everyone has travelled in for this and I wish I could change it. The gig will be postponed to Saturday October 28th and all purchased tickets will be valid for that date. I’m so, so sorry x.”
With temperatures reaching over 90 degrees, some fans required medical treatment for heat-related issues, the Clark County Fire Department reportedly told Las Vegas’ 8 News Now. One fan was even taken to a local hospital.
“We were just worried about safety and communication,” a ticket-buyer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Us having to be the ones who had to carry the people to medics, having to tell people it was canceled, it was unacceptable.”
Allegiant Stadium crew members told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that 65,000 tickets were sold to Sheeran’s show, which would’ve made it the biggest concert ever at the facility. The singer-songwriter’s complex stage setup — which includes 360-degree video screens and multiple sound towers — ultimately led to “production issues” that forced the postponement, the Review-Journal reports.
Allegiant Stadium officially cited “technical issues” as the reason for delaying the show, a rep for the venue told TMZ. Despite the problems, Sheeran reportedly stayed back for about an hour to sign autographs for fans who made it inside the stadium.
Sheeran is gearing up for the release of his upcoming album, Autumn Variations, which drops Sept. 29 through his Gingerbread Man Records. The set arrives one week after the North American leg of the his Mathematics World Tour wraps at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sept. 23.
Autumn Variations is Sheeran’s second album this year, following Subtract, which debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums in May. The album also launched at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart, with Sheeran’s largest sales week since 2017.
See Sheeran’s post about the Las Vegas postponement on Instagram below.
Joe Jonas seemingly opened up to fans about his divorce from Sophie Turner during the Jonas Brothers‘ recent Los Angeles tour stop. The 34-year-old musician took a moment during the sibling trio’s concert at Dodger Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 9) to address his “tough week” amid filing for divorce from the Game of Thrones actress […]
Guts bonus songs “Obsessed,” “Scared of My Guitar,” “Stranger” and “Girl I’ve Always Been” can be found on Olivia Rodrigo‘s vinyl variations of her new album, fans are reporting.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Four limited-edition versions of Guts on vinyl are available on Rodrigo’s webstore — red, white, blue and purple — and each color has a different hidden song that plays after the final track of the standard album.
Rodrigo hinted at the four bonus tracks in a promo video released on the pop star’s YouTube channel a couple days before Guts dropped on Sept. 8. In the clip, which is a parody of an infomercial for Guts, the album’s tracklist is shown — but it glitches for the quickest blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, when you can spot the four titles that fans discovered scattered across the multi-colored vinyl variations of the set.
So far, getting one’s hands on Guts on vinyl is the only way to officially own any of the extra songs. They have not been released via streaming services. Some have heard snippets of the four tracks on social media platforms like TikTok, where some vinyl owners have posted short video clips of Guts playing on their record players, but videos like these are short-lived due to copyright strikes.
In a release-week interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Rodrigo said she’d recorded about 25 songs during the Guts sessions. “Some of them will definitely see the light of day,” she hinted, likely thinking of these four surprise tracks.
“Obsessed” is a rock song about an unhealthy fascination with a romantic partner’s previous relationship: “I’m so obsessed with your ex/ I know she’s been asleep on my side of your bed and I can feel it/ I’m starin’ at her like I wanna get hurt,” she admits in the chorus, before warning: “And I remember every detail you would ever tell me, so be careful, baby.”
“Scared of My Guitar” is a confessional from Rodrigo, who strums as she sings, “I’m so scared of my guitar/ ‘Cause it cuts right through to the heart/ Yeah, it knows me too well so I got no excuse/ I can’t lie to it the same way that I lie to you.”
“Stranger” is an acoustic track that has Rodrigo reflecting on an ex, who is now “just some guy.” “You are the best thing that I’ll ever keep so far out of my life,” she says on her way to a chorus that has her finding self-reliance: “I was half myself without you and now I feel so complete/ I can’t even remember what made me lose all my sleep/ I cried a million rivers for you, but that’s over now/ You’re just a stranger I know everything about.”
“Girl I’ve Always Been” is a song leaning country, with Rodrigo asserting: “Well, I have captors I call friends/ I got panic rooms inside my head/ And I get down with crooked men/ But I am the girl I’ve always been.”
The standard version of Guts features 12 tracks, including lead singles “Vampire” and “Bad Idea Right?“; “Vampire” launched at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
Guts is Rodrigo’s follow-up to 2021’s Sour, her 2021 debut that topped the Billboard 200 albums chart and saw breakthrough hit “Drivers License” and second single “Good 4 U” reaching No. 1 on the Hot 100.
The limited-edition vinyl variations of Rodrigo’s Guts album, on which a 13th track is hidden, can be purchased on her website.
In mid-August, rising pop star Reneé Rapp released her debut album Snow Angel. The 12-track project includes “Talk Too Much” and the stellar pop-rock title track, among other gems.
Leading up to its arrival, Rapp dropped by Today for a performance on the plaza and the Grammy Museum for an intimate Q&A with fans. She also stopped by Billboard News to discuss her start in music — and even teased her dream Snow Angel deluxe edition (hint: her collaborator wish list is no joke).
Rapp’s rise has been quick; she released her debut single last summer, the emotive “Tattoos.” She says she had no idea whether it was the right song to introduce herself as an artist but knew she just had to go for it. “That was a time in my life where I was so hungry and so desperate to be seen and I really wanted to get signed — so bad,” she said. “It was such a big dream of mine ever since I was a kid.”
She called the song “a huge catalyst” for her career — crediting the Internet for helping create visibility and opportunity — and, ultimately, what helped her get signed to Interscope and score a manager in Adam Mersel. Within a few months, by last November, she released her debut EP Everything to Everyone. “I’ve made it abundantly clear to everyone I work with that this is my endgame,” said Rapp. “And I want to do this to the best of my ability.”
Elsewhere, Rapp revealed her dream guests for a potential deluxe edition, saying she can envision Kacey Musgraves featuring on “I Hate Boston,” Jazmine Sullivan on “Tummy Hurts” and Frank Ocean on “Willow.”
Prior to doubling down on music, Rapp starred as Regina George in Mean Girls on Broadway. She recalled watching the film “so many times,” calling it a “staple” in her household and sharing what she believes to be Regina’s most iconic lines. More recently, Rapp has starred in the Max series The Sex Lives of College Girls (she will not return as a series regular in the upcoming third season).
“I’ve always idolized multi-hyphenates,” she said, going on to praise the well-rounded and global career Beyoncé has built for herself.
Up next, Rapp will kick off her Snow Hard Feelings Tour on Sept. 15 in Houston with her close friend and collaborator Alexander 23 and rising rocker Towa Bird as support.
Watch Rapp’s full interview above.