We don’t know about you, but we were completely overwhelmed with last week’s New Music Friday.
Leading the pack were former boyband and girlband stars Liam Payne and Camila Cabello. Both artists released their debut singles, ‘Strip That Down’ and ‘Crying In The Club’ respectively, which have proven to be hugely popular with their fans and general music lovers. Selena Gomez also made her musical comeback this week, with the awesome ‘Bad Liar’. It’s so good to have our Selly G back on the music scene!
Additionally, last week’s New Music Friday delivered a few incredible collabs. Two of the fiercest females in the biz, Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj, teamed up to deliver the ultimate ‘Fxck You’ anthem, in the form of ‘Swish Swish’. Swedish DJ Mike Perry dropped his latest offering, ‘Hands’, which featured The Vamps and Sabrina Carpenter, whilst Bebe Rexha and Lil’ Wayne paid homage to the late Whitney Houston in ‘The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody)’.
Elsewhere, there were also single releases from former X Factor star Sam Lavery and anthem-rock band VISTA, without forgetting the incredible new album from Porcelain Black.
Phew! If you’ve still got room for some more new music, we’ve rounded up the best of the rest for your enjoyment below.
Iggy Azalea – ‘Switch’ featuring Anitta
Iggy Azalea is back with a new track called ‘Switch’, featuring Anitta. The song is taken from her forthcoming sophomore LP. ‘Switch’ has a dancefloor-ready vibe to it and acts as a battle cry for women. She told People: “I wanted to make a song that could be fun to dance to, but the lyrics when you really listen to them are very powerful. It’s not a ‘victimized sexualization’ but, on the contrary, more a matter of ‘a woman being in control of what I want to do and when I want to go and when I want to stop.'”
OneRepublic – ‘No Vacancy’ featuring Sebastian Yatra (Latin American Spanish language version)
OneRepublic have given their summer song ‘No Vacancy’ a bit of a makeover by teaming up with Sebastian Yatra. The new version intertwines the Spanish language among the original lyrics, something of which is growing in popularity recently. This new version is just giving us even more summer vibes – we love it!
RAYE – ‘The Line’
Having made a real impact on the charts with her features on Jonas Blue’s ‘By Your Side’ and Jax Jones’ ‘You Don’t Know Me’, RAYE will be hoping to further shake things up with her new single ‘The Line’. It’s catchy, sassy and relatable to anyone who’s ever wasted time queuing outside a club. Speaking to FADER, she said: “To get into a club you have to kill yourself in heels, drown in makeup with a tight dress, maybe a bit of cleavage will help you out too. Me going as ‘myself,’ wearing what I wanted, didn’t cut it. You have to fit within the boundaries and expectations put on you. Watching all these casually dressed men waltzing past me in the queue really pissed me off, so I wrote this tune.”
‘The Line’ is available here.
Plan B – ‘In The Name Of Man’
After taking some time out of the spotlight, Plan B is finally back with some new music. ‘In The Name Of Man’ is taken from his forthcoming album, which Plan B revealed would be rap-free this time. After becoming a father to his daughter, a lot of the songs have been written about the experience. Plan B told Radio 1 that it “didn’t feel natural to me to be rapping about this particular experience. For me, this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and it made me want to sing.’”
Finn Matthews – ‘Julia’
‘Julia’ is the latest single from rising pop star Finn Matthews. From the off, the track is completely infectious and is guaranteed to get you dancing. We’d be lying if we said we weren’t obsessed with this bop – it’s the perfect addition to any summer playlist. ‘Julia’ follows on from his previous two releases, ‘Half Hearted’ and ‘I Wrote A Love Song’ and shows yet another side to this versatile artist.
‘Julia’ is available here.
Leon Else – ‘What I Won’t Do’
Leon Else is a British singer, songwriter and musician who has already garnered the attention of numerous artists and critics, including Sir Elton John. ‘What I Won’t Do’ is his latest synth-driven offering, written by himself, Joshua ‘JT’ Thompson and Jasper Leaks. Produced by The Futuristics, ‘What I Won’t Do’ forms part of Leon’s forthcoming EP What Are We Doing, which is due this summer.
MONOGEM – ‘I Am’
‘I Am’ is the latest single from indie electronic pop artist MONOGEM. Describing ‘I Am’, she calls it “an eerie love song. An inspiring visual accompanied my writing process for this song; two lovers standing at the edge of a cliff contemplating the next step, diving into a deeper level together. No matter how deep the plunge, the only thing that matters is their togetherness. Even though the lyric “Two I am, You I am” was written a bit out of order, it continuously repeats as a play on words finding the ultimate meaning: I am two, I am you.” ‘I Am’ is taken from her EP 100% which is available now.
Rachel Fannan – ‘Don’t Worry Baby’
As part of the empowering Instant Love campaign, Rachel Fannan has shared her version of The Beach Boys’ classic song ‘Don’t Worry Baby’. Speaking about her song choice, Rachel said: “‘Don’t Worry Baby’ is definitely one of the most iconic love songs. With the outcome of the election and how tumultuous the campaign season was, I think it’s so important for people to show each other care right now. A delicate song or long hug can really pick someone up. We need compassion just as much as we need action and awareness.” Instant Love is a campaign which was launched on International Women’s Day and aims to empower and celebrate female artists. By covering love songs made famous by men, the campaign makes a statement about “the power of love between women, mothers, sisters, friends, lovers and everything in between.”
‘Don’t Worry Baby’ is available here.
Cici Jack – ‘Island Vibes’
Cici Jack’s debut single ‘Island Vibes’ couldn’t be any more appropriately named if it tried. Full of summery, tropical sounds, ‘Island Vibes’ is the perfect holiday song and channels the desire of breaking free from 9-to-5 living. Written and self-produced in Cici’s bedroom (production by David Behan) he track is minimalistic yet intriguing. We can’t wait to hear more from Cici in the near future!
https://soundcloud.com/user-891069178/island-vibes-1