This week in pop music saw some exciting collaborations and anticipated singles. Jesy Nelson and Nicki Minaj linked up for a fiery track, James Blake tapped SZA for a song off his brand new album, and former Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui kicked off a new era of music.
Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop releases. Listen up.
Jesy Nelson, Nicki Minaj — “Boyz”
After leaving the UK girl group Little Mix, Jesy Nelson is officially kicking off her solo career with a major cosign. Nicki Minaj assisted the singer for her debut single “Boyz,” a playful and rhythmic tune that shows a new side of Nelson’s artistry and draws influences from early ’00s R&B.
James Blake — “Coming Back” Feat. SZA
This week, James Blake returned with his anticipated album Friends That Break Your Heart, which includes the tenderhearted SZA collaboration “Coming Back.” The tune opens with a wistful piano and Blake’s gentle lyrical delivery, before reverberating synths and a snapping beat offers an atmospheric backdrop for SZA’s dulcet voice.
Lauren Jauregui — “Colors”
Jesy Nelson wasn’t the only former girl group member to release new music this week. Fifth Harmony disbanded a few years ago and Lauren Jauregui has since dropped a handful of singles. But now that she’s announced her upcoming debut project Prelude, Jauregui offers a preview of her new sound with the moving piano ballad “Colors.” The new track marks a departure from Jauregui’s previous hip-swinging releases, drumming up excitement to see what she has in store next.
Julia Wolf — “Nikes”
After firing off a handful of catchy releases, pop’s latest disrupter Julia Wolf returned to drop her latest EP, Girls In Purgatory. The snappy release gets honest about her toxic traits as she leans on her resonating vocals to sing of how she can often be flighty when it comes to a new relationship.
Gia Woods — “Fame Kills”
Rising LA pop star Gia Woods warns against the dark side of stardom with her track “Fame Kills,” which arrives on her brand new EP Heartbreak County. The maximalist pop tune details a sizzling new romance over a synth-heavy beat.
Magdalena Bay — “Hysterical Us”
LA-based electro pop duo Magdalena Bay released their anticipated debut LP Mercurial World this week, an album filled with disco-twinged beats and reflections on the emotional impacts of being chronically online. Their last single “Hysterical Us” sums up the album’s theme pretty well, as it dissects the band’s “anxieties, paranoias, and existential musings” over a shimmering beat.
Arca — “Born Yesterday” Feat. Sia
Boundary-pushing producer Arca recently dropped the inventive and at time jarring 2020 album Kick I. This week, Arca tapped the infamously wigged singer Sia to add some vocals to the track “Born Yesterday.” The result is a soaring and pulsating tune that officially announces her upcoming LP, Kick II.
Fletcher — “Girls Girls Girls”
Taking inspiration from Katy Perry’s iconic smash hit “I Kissed A Girl,” Fletcher brings the song into the new decade with her fluttering tune “Girls Girls Girls.” Quoting Perry’s chorus in her own, Fletcher leans on her far-reaching vocals to sing about how her empowering sexual expression is not just a phase. “In a lot of ways [‘I Kissed A Girl’] really marked the beginning of a lifelong journey of self-exploration and coming into my queerness and learning how to express my truth in a bold and unapologetic way,” Fletcher said in a statement. “‘Girls Girls Girls’ is the freedom and the celebration I’ve been craving my whole life, and a way for me to share my own perspective and journey while honoring a song that empowered me to embark on it in the first place.
Marc E. Bassy — “Future Love” Feat. Syd
Marc E. Bassy unveiled his new album, Little Men, which featured the lush Syd collaboration “Future Love.” With lavish production and Bassy’s tender lyrical delivery, the song is the perfect late-night anthem.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.