This week’s best new pop music had some major comebacks. Ex-One Direction member Zayn dropped his first solo single of the year, Lana Del Rey lent her vocals on a folksy remix, and Joji released his highly-anticipated sophomore album.
Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop music. Listen up.
Zayn — “Better”
This week was an exciting one for Zayn. Not only did the singer signal the beginning of a new era of music with “Better,” but he also became a first-time dad after Gigi Hadid gave birth to their daughter. The song is a fitting edition to his new role of father, as he sings of aiming to be a better man to his significant other.
Matt Maeson — “Hallucinogenics” Feat. Lana Del Rey
Though Matt Maeson released his hit track “Hallucinogenics” two years ago, this week he tapped Lana Del Rey to color the song with her wistful vocals. Singing over a lulling guitar, Lana melts her dreamy voice over Maeson’s textured baritone, adding a moving element to the already poignant track.
Joji — “Your Man”
This week, Joji followed his breakout debut album Ballads 1 with the slow-burning effort Nectar. While many of the songs display Joji’s expert production, “Your Man” stands as a blissful summary of the record and showcases the singer’s atmospheric vocals paired with hip-shaking instrumentals.
Melanie Martinez — “The Bakery”
Melanie Martinez released her stunning record K-12 last year alongside a narrative film. After a successful tour behind the effort, which was cut short by the pandemic, the singer leans more into her twee-feminist-meets-victorian-era creative direction with “The Bakery.” Released as part of her sugary After Hours EP, the song boasts an earworm beat under Martinez’s buoyant lyrical delivery.
Jessie Reyez — “No One’s In The Room”
Though Jessie Reyez followed-up her stunning debut record Before Love Came To Kill Us with a deluxe version, the singer wasn’t finished sharing new music. This week, Reyez graced fans with two brand-new songs, including her soulful number “No One’s In The Room.” Like much of her music, Reyez is grapping with the bigger picture and sings of religions, morality, and identity over sizzling instrumentals.
Maisie Peters — “Maybe Don’t” Feat. JP Saxe
After teasing the collaboration for weeks, Maisie Peters and JP Saxe have shared their playful single “Maybe Don’t.” The song features both wide-eyed singers trading off verses about overcoming anxieties in the face of a new crush.
Kylie Minogue — “Magic”
Back in July, pop icon Kylie Minogue made her shimmering return with the club-ready tune “Say Something.” Now, the singer returns with “Magic,” an equally lush tune that points to a funky and synth-heavy LP from the veteran singer, which is only a little over a month away from being released.
Baby Queen — “Pretty Girl Lie”
UK singer Baby Queen shared “Pretty Girl Lie” to herald her upcoming six-track debut EP Medicine. About the effortlessly-catchy single, the singer said: “I wrote this song after becoming increasingly frustrated with the relationship between my real-life identity and the person I was pretending to be online,” Baby Queen aka Bella Latham explains. “I grew up with really bad body dysmorphia which I believe was partly caused by the image of the stereotypically ‘pretty girl’ I saw in the media all around me, and the fact that photoshop made this image completely unattainable.”
Max Leone — “5”
Up-and-coming artist Max Leone shared the mesmerizing track “5” this week, continuing to flesh out his dark-pop discography. Shying away from his previous, blissful tracks, Leone’s “5” sheds a light on his moodier side, urging himself to live life to the fullest over expertly-layered, simmering instrumentals.
Skyler Cocco — “The Drive”
NYC-based singer Skyler Cocco debuted the effervescent single “The Drive” after band MUNA gave it their stamp of approval during a livestream. In a statement, Cocco said she penned the song as a reflection on difficult aspects of a relationship: “It’s the cooldown period after a fight, where you take some space to really let your own words resonate and see where you were wrong in a situation, and realize what you’re putting at stake by not changing those behaviors.”
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
