Shawn Mendes is on fire! With the release of his third, eponymous, studio album he is simply at the top of his game with a slew of cleverly written tunes to catch everybody's ear. One of my favorite songs off the new album is one that I liked at first listen, and you will to (if you haven't heard it already!). Along with his now infamous Carpool Karaoke appearance on the Late Late Show with James Corden comes this performance of the catchy and toe-tappingly sweet Nervous...
Other than the release of Shawn Mendes' new album. this week's crop of new music is mostly from artists not usually found on this posting. I only chose four songs to share, but there are lots of honorable mentions below, so check it out...
Nervous - Shawn Mendes
The big story of the week is the release of Shawn Mendes' eponymous third studio album, and I would think that anyone who pays attention to pop music would say that the young impresario is firing on all cylinders. Yes, Mr. Mendes has the keenest of sensibilities when it comes to creating songs with universal appeal, and the album will not disappoint. One of my favorites from the new set is this catchy and cute song about, well, being nervous at meeting somebody new. Check out Nervous...
Bracelet - Lauv
Now I've had my eye, and ear, on American singer Lauv ever since he provided guest vocals on DJ Snake's A Different Way. He's been releasing a few songs lately, all of which I've sadly neglected to share, and his newest, Bracelet, shows exactly why you should check him out. Have a listen...
Rise - Jonas Blue, Jack & Jack
British deejay/producer Jonas Blue has always made pleasant, pop-oriented dance tunes and his latest, with pop duo Jack & Jack, is more of the same. Check out Rise...
Toast to our Differences - Rudimental, Shungudzo, Protoje, Hak Baker
British music makers Rudimental have released a song with Shungudzo, Protoje, and Hak Baker that celebrates diversity in a world music jam that's simply awesome. Check out Toast to our Differences...
Okay, so here are four nice new music tunes for you to check out this week. If you'd like to hear some more, check out these honorable mentions and stay tuned for next week's New Music Fridays in the meantime...
I'll Be Your Reason - Illenium
No Place - Rufus Du Sol
Fallingwater - Maggie Rogers
Only Can Get Better - Silk City, Diplo, Mark Ronson, Daniel Merriweather
Better For It - Riley Clemmons
Graffiti - CHVRCHES
Entertainer - Zayn
Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way - U2, Cheat Codes
Where last week's New Music Fridays was jam packed with great new stuff from relatively new artists, we find new gems from tried and true artists this week, including the return of Christina Aguilera, some youthful infusion from Shawn Mendes, Khalid and Troye Sivan, and much much more. Check it out...
Youth - Shawn Mendes, Khalid
Shawn Mendes has an eponymous album, his third, coming out later this month and the songs he's been putting out thus far have shown a natural progression towards pop music perfection. Such is the case with his newest, a collaboration with fellow crooner Khalid. The song features dueling vocals blended perfectly together in what just may become one of the hottest hits of the year. Check out Youth...
The Way I Am - Charlie Puth
Charlie Puth keeps his string of hot releases going with this pleasingly upbeat, yet introspective tune. Check out The Way I Am...
I'll Be There - Jess Glynne
I am loving Jess Glynne. Who would have thought that she'd come back from her guest vocal on Clean Bandit's monumental Rather Be right to her own solo debut and the great success of Hold My Hand? Well, with a spot on Rudimental's These Days, the British singer has surely established herself as a force in the music world. Now Glynne is back with yet another inspirational gem that's sure to be on my playlist for some time to come. Check out I'll Be There...
Accelerate - Christina Aguilera, with Ty Dolla $ign, 2 Chainz
One of the most talked-about songs of the week is Christina Aguilera's first new song in five years. Earlier in the week, Ms. X-Tina announced the release of her sixth studio album, Liberation, coming out in June, and the buzz among her fans, including me, is well, we're excited. The new song features rappers Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz and is a quick-moving, rap-infused song that I'm thinking I need to listen to more to get into. By the way, the tune is also reportedly produced by Kanye West, in case you might be wondering. Check out Variety for more on the album and check out Accelerate right here...
Bloom - Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan adds to three the number of pre-released songs ahead of his next studio album. Whereas the somber reflection of The Good Side hearkens to reflections from a past life, Bloom continues where My My My left off, finding Sivan in a blissful place in his life, singing about life and love and well, just being happy. Check out the cool lyric video for Bloom here...
Well I could seriously go on and on and on. Lots of honorable mentions here, even the return of Guns n Roses, which I actually thought about highlighting. Check out some more really good stuff...
Hello and welcome again to my weekly New Music Fridays post, where I put the spotlight on my picks for the best new music of the week. There were a lot of songs I bookmarked this week and it was hard to narrow it down to just five, but here goes...
In My Blood/Lost In Japan - Shawn Mendes
Shawn Mendes fans were certainly happy this Friday with the release of two brand new songs, In My Blood and Lost In Japan. Both songs continue to show that this young talent is just that...a talent. The first one's got that raw, emotional feel and is instantly likable, while the second is a little more upbeat and sweet! Check out both songs right here...
Flames - David Guetta and Sia
It's been awhile since David Guetta and Sia have gotten together to make some music, and boy did they make a winner this time. Like their previous big hit, Titanium, this one's inspirational and though not as clubby as the former, it's got a really nice groove. Check out Flames...
Say Amen (Saturday Night) - Panic at the Disco
I never thought I would spotlight a Panic at the Disco song on this blog. They're really just not my thing, but this song is just powerfully fun, and so is the video. Check out Say Amen (Saturday Night)...
Nirvana - INNA
I've been a big fan of Romanian singer INNA since her 2010 tropical house tune Sun Is Up. Well, she's got a new album and the title cut has just been released as a single. It is hot! Check out Nirvana...
As I mentioned earlier, there were lots of nice new tunes this week. Here are my honorable mentions, most of whom almost made the cut above. Check them out below and I will see you in a couple of weeks as I will be on vacay...
Psychopath - Charlotte Lawrence, Nina Nesbitt, Sasha Sloan
Since we're working on the Best of 2017, I figured I'd post a flashback from a song that did well earlier in the year. It's from the immensely talented Shawn Mendes, who had probably his best year ever as a recording artist. Check out Treat You Better...
I really have no idea why I haven't posted this song before now. It's been in my rotation for a long, long time now and I absolutely love it! I got to watch a clip of his performance from the VMA's the other night and judging from the crowd's reaction, this very talented young man is now a big, huge, bona fide star. Check out the very catchy There's Nothing Holding Me Back...
Shawn Mendes has been flying high ever since the latter part of 2016 with his stellar sophomore album, Illuminate. Here's the debut single off that record, a song I woke up with in my head this morning. Check out Treat You Better...
The latest single from Shawn Mendes' new sophomore album is a big and powerful ballad that's full of soul. Watching this young man perform and listening to his lyrics makes it hard to believe he's just a teenager at 18, because even though his talent is incredible, he carries himself like a seasoned performer and the themes of his tunes are very much adult. That being said, Mercy, both the song and the video, shows all of the above. Note: Be wary of this video if you have any kind of fear of water or claustrophobia or both...
There's a fresh new crop of young musical artists that have been putting out quality stuff of late. With a pretty abysmal new music scene over the past few months, Alessia Cara, Troye Sivan and Shawn Mendes have been three bright spots, putting out some really good stuff. Here we have Mendes' lead single of his second album, Illuminate, and both the 17 year-old singer tackles the very adult topic of abusive relationships in a meaningful way. Check out Treat You Better...
I'm actually surprised I've never posted a Shawn Mendes tune before on here. I caught him doing Stitches, his biggest hit to date, on the Billboard Music Awards a couple of weeks ago, and I will say the boy is talented. Here's another tune of his, the predecessor to Stitches. It's more of on the slower side, but it really allows him to show off his gifted pipes. Check out Aftertaste...
