It’s always a great week in pop music when it’s impossible to decipher the runaway headliner. Tate McRae referenced Britney Spears while showcasing her unique pop persona in “Its Ok I’m Ok.” The Weeknd proved he’s the best at leveraging persona to his conceptual advantage, and Suki Waterhouse went ahead and casually dropped her 18-track (!) double album, Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin. That’s before mentioning new offerings from reliable hitmakers like Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, and Finneas.
Check that out and more in Uproxx’s Best New Pop Music roundup below.
Tate McRae — “It’s Ok I’m Ok”
Tate McRae has skyrocketed since serving as an Uproxx cover star in May 2022, and she shows zero signs of letting up. McRae is still on her Think Later World Tour, but that doesn’t preclude her from getting a head start on her next era. Plus, “It’s Ok I’m Ok” encapsulates why thousands of people flock to see her perform. The Hannah Lux Davis-directed and Sean Bankhead-choreographed video showcases McRae’s dance pedigree, while the song’s chorus is just the latest in a string of ear worms. “It’s OK I’m Ok” was co-produced and co-written with Ryan Tedder, ILYA, and Savan Kotecha and, as per press release, “marks a new chapter” for McRae.
Suki Waterhouse — “Model, Actress, Whatever”
Suki Waterhouse recently spoke with Uproxx and explained how “Model, Actress, Whatever” allowed her to reclaim the trite public perception of her. “If there’s something I’m indulging in now, it’s almost being able to laugh at that and make fun of it and write a song like that that also feels like you’re owning all of that,” she said. “It feels kind of empowering. When you see the music video, it’s not like ‘woe is me.’ It’s very much hilarious, like, let’s enjoy this and laugh at ourselves.” The song is a standout from Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin, her newly released double album, but even with 18 tracks, the record is firmly in no-skips territory.
The Weeknd — “Dancing In The Flames”
The Weeknd is hurtling toward Hurry Up Tomorrow, the final installment of his After Hours and Dawn FM trilogy. “Dancing In The Flames” is the first substantial checkpoint, so to speak, and it finds The Weeknd firmly in his chart-topping bag.
Charli XCX Feat. Troye Sivan — “Talk Talk”
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan just kicked off their co-headlining Sweat tour. Charli’s Brat summer already hit apex and then some, but somehow, this “Talk Talk” remix (which also features Dua Lipa) created even more hysteria. Sivan’s voice is so smooth atop the synthy, pure dance beat, complementing Charli’s very melodic, punchy delivery. The lyrics are extremely direct — like dating app, but make it catchy — and I’m excited to hear more where that came from when Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat drops on October 11.
Demi Lovato — “You’ll Be OK, Kid”
Demi Lovato made her directorial debut with Child Star, her star-studded documentary available now to stream on Hulu. “As we were editing the film, I became very inspired to write a song,” Lovato said in a statement, as per press release. “The idea of connecting with my younger self through the pain and hardships that came along with child stardom was so important to me. I wrote the song as a letter to my inner child, and I hope that it can give others an opportunity to connect with their inner child as well.”
Finneas — “Cleats”
Finneas’ Isaac Ravishankara-directed “Cleats” video opens with a shot of an iPod, so I automatically bought in. Luckily, the rest of the video and song itself is worth sticking around for. A miniature Finneas spies on his teenage self hanging out with his crush in a bedroom and sings with hindsight, “Bad things always come in threes / When you broke your thumb, you lost your keys / She plays for a different team.” This is Finneas’ second single from For Cryin’ Out Loud!, his forthcoming sophomore LP, and showcases Finneas’ charisma as an instrumentalist and vocalist.
Dasha — “Bye Bye Bye”
A wrongdoing ex hates to see Dasha coming. The breakout pop-country star made it into the Billboard Hot 100 top 20 with “Austin,” and she successfully continued sorting her emotions from a past relationship with “Didn’t I.” What Happens Now? Deluxe adds to Dasha’s undeniable mystique, especially “Bye Bye Bye.” The acoustic-based single is satisfyingly conclusive (“Oh ’cause here we go you’re back again / We’re less than lovers, more than friends / And oh, I gotta go / So I said, ‘Bye, bye, bye,’ I might die / If I try and love you any harder”). As a bonus, it’s fun to watch Dasha gleefully drag her ex from the back of her tractor in the Emma Kate Golden-directed video.
Teddy Swims — “Bad Dreams”
Teddy Swims was nominated for four awards at last week’s 2024 MTV VMAs, and songs like “Bad Dreams” prove why he will be in the Grammy nominee conversation until further notice. Swims’ voice always demands a visceral stop-in-your-tracks reaction, and his runs are smooth as ever here. The funky, pop (and all-around genre-blending) song figures to join Swims’ hits “Lose Control” (No. 1 peak) and “The Door” (No. 36 peak) on the Billboard Hot 100.
JVKE & Nick Jonas — “This Is What Forever Feels Like”
Joe isn’t the only Jonas expanding beyond Jonas Brothers. Nick Jonas teamed with JVKE for the intriguing “This Is What Forever Feels Like.” The single is a traditional love ballad lyrically, but it’s eclectic sonically. JVKE and Jonas’ voices pleasantly blend while singing, “I wanna love you for the rest of my life / Until we’re seventy.” In other words, “This Is What Forever Feels Like” is an addictive love bomb — but not the toxic kind. If nothing else, the song Priyanka-approved.
Chelsea Cutler & Jeremy Zucker — “Black & White”
Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker made their fan bases’ year by announcing Brent III, their third Brent project but first full-length Brent album. It started with “Black & White,” an aching acoustic duet about small acts of love that make everyday mundanity feel heavenly: “Pull me closer when the night is over / Take this broken heart and make it feel alright / Whisper sweet words in my ear when it hurts / Help the time move slower, let me have tonight / ‘Cause you put color in my black and white.” Tears will flow throughout Cutler and Zucker’s Brent Forever: The Tour this November and December.
