With everything winding down for the holidays, it was a quieter week for new music. We got some killer new stuff this week, though — surprisingly, a lot of excellent remixes and re-recordings.
I’m not always the biggest fan of remixes, at least for pop. A lot of the time, a DJ remix will add too much noise to an already-great pop song (“Lost In Japan” and Zedd), or a big-name feature will be tacked on to a song that didn’t really need it (“Despacito” and Justin Bieber). But this week, R&B’s smoothest sweetheart Leon Bridges joined Shawn Mendes for a gorgeous remix of Mendes’ track “Why,” and 5 Seconds Of Summer brought on singer-songwriter Julia Michaels for an updated version of one of the band’s best songs. Becky G can do no wrong, and a killer feature on a Maluma remix is sure to bring in a couple hundred million streams. And it’s technically not a remix, but JoJo is back on streaming platforms with re-recorded versions of her first two albums.
Every week, Uproxx will round out the very best pop releases from the week. Settle in for some teen idols, some throwbacks, and some Becky G. It’s Pop Column (Holiday Remix).
5 Seconds Of Summer, Feat. Julia Michaels, “Lie To Me”
5SOS is really not letting us rest this holiday season. Last Friday, the Australian pop-punk boy band surprise-dropped a live album, Meet You There Tour Live, featuring recordings from their most recent tour. Along with the live album, 5SOS released a new remix of their song “Lie To Me,” featuring pop singer-songwriter Julia Michaels.
“Lie To Me” is one of the best songs off 5SOS’ newest album. It’s a song about an uneven relationship, where the depth of both people’s love doesn’t line up. It’s cool to see the relationship explored from both sides — Luke Hemmings (with backing vocals from Calum Hood) has one point of view, and Michaels represents the other. Their voices sound lovely together — it’s a rare remix where the feature offers a new way of hearing the song, complementing the original rather than overshadowing it.
Shawn Mendes, Feat. Leon Bridges, “Why”
This week, Shawn Mendes released a mini EP of remixes to his latest album, including a version of “Youth” that features Jessie Reyez and “Where Were You In The Morning” with DJ (and fellow Canadian) Kaytranada. But the EP’s highlight is a gorgeous remix of the soulful ballad “Why,” featuring the king of soulful ballads himself, Leon Bridges. “Why” is already a romantic, longing song when Mendes sings it solo, but Bridges takes it into the stratosphere. Mendes and Bridges trade verses about a love that is so obvious to everyone involved, if only the two people weren’t so stubborn: “Why do we put each other through hell? / Why can’t we just get over ourselves?” Mendes and Bridges sound like melted butter. This is a mistletoe anthem if I’ve ever heard one.
Loren Gray, “Queen”
Before she was a pop star, 16-year-old Loren Gray was a social media celebrity. Having gained a massive following on Musical.ly, Gray already has a built-in fanbase, and her pop bops will be earning her even more listeners soon enough. “Queen,” Gray’s third single, is irresistibly catchy and fun. Over an electro-pop beat, Gray demands that a guy start treating her like an equal: “You can call me a princess all you like / ‘Cause you love to keep me helpless by your side / But that ain’t what I want, I’ma show you,” Gray sings. Don’t call her a pop princess on the rise — Gray already told us she’s queen.
Maluma, Feat. Becky G and Anitta, “Mala Mía (Remix)
Colombian singer Maluma’s single “Mala Mía” is one of the biggest Latin pop hits of the year. Over an infectious reggaeton beat, Maluma sings about being a “bad boy” — a couple extra drinks lead him to a night with a girl who already has a boyfriend. Maluma is charming and unapologetic because he knows he can “give you what you want.” Brazilian singer-songwriter Anitta and Mexican-American pop singer Becky G join Maluma for the song’s new remix, finding empowerment in their own “bad” behavior. As Maluma sings his part, Becky G and Anitta drop in to sing about their own rebellion and doing what they want, behaving “badly” by some definitions, but by their own definitions just having a killer night.
JoJo, “Anything — 2018”
After a long battle with her former label, JoJo’s music is finally back on streaming platforms. The singer’s R&B-pop was everywhere in the mid-2000s — her singles “Leave (Get Out)” and “Too Little Too Late” were probably the biggest, but her first two albums are full of gems. JoJo was just 13 when she released her self-titled debut, but she was already a powerhouse on her way to becoming a massive star. Now 28, JoJo has revisited the songs that made her a star, rerecording them over a decade later.
Her big singles are classics for a reason, but the rest of the rerecorded albums are worth a listen, too. I owned JoJo’s The High Road back when it was released in 2006, but “Anything,” an excellent R&B-pop bop that samples Toto’s “Africa,” is a great re-discovery. Welcome back, JoJo! We’ve missed you.
