In this weekly column, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music you need to know about now.

Chart Champ: Dua Lipa – Houdini

Hot on the heels of Dance The Night from the Barbie (2023) movie soundtrack, British-Albanian singer Dua Lipa conjures up another single that proves she still has the magic touch.

Disco-pop banger Houdini was released last Friday and pundits are betting it could topple The Beatles’ much-hyped swansong Now And Then from the top spot on the British charts in the coming days.

On Spotify’s Top 50 Global charts, Houdini is climbing up the Top 10, while on YouTube, it attracted 25 million views in three days – reportedly her fastest music video to hit the mark.

Houdini has less pop sparkle and a moodier edge compared with Dance The Night, as well as a touch of neo-psychedelia – a hallmark of one of the song’s producers, Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker from alternative rock outfit Tame Impala.

It also represents “the most light and freeing parts of my singledom”, Dua Lipa says in a press statement. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Stream This Song: Elva Hsiao – Love Is Blameless

Fans have been eagerly awaiting new music from the Taiwanese pop diva since her last album Naked Truth (2020). But even after she promised a comeback in 2022, there was little development until now.

The heartrending power ballad Love Is Blameless is worth the wait. The track focuses on a love which did not lead to a desired result, and posits that one should continue to love bravely and fiercely. There seems to be real, lived experience behind Hsiao’s pain here.

After all, her return to the stage has reportedly been fraught with obstacles, such as suffering a hip fracture in 2022, which led to a number of operations. In 2021, she was also bitten by her dog and had to seek treatment for the scarring.

Thankfully, she recovered well enough to give her first live performance in six years on Nov 10, when she sung Love Is Blameless at a Tmall Double 11 Surprise Night event that was broadcast online. The passion conveyed was all the more moving, given her recent personal struggles. – Benson Ang

Must-see MV: Red Velvet – Chill Kill

Halloween may be over, but K-pop girl group Red Velvet are not done being spooky for their new album Chill Kill, which marks the quintet’s first full-length album in six years.

Consisting of 10 songs, it is led by the title track of the same name. While the song itself is a pop-dance number with an upbeat chorus, the music video is very different. In a press statement, member Joy explains that it is about five sisters trapped in a tragedy attempting to overcome their challenges.

The music video starts with the members in an antiquated house. While things seem light and fun at first, the scenes quickly get sinister as the sisters seemingly stumble upon what is implied to be a gruesome murder that one of them might be responsible for. Together, they scrub the floors clean of blood, but the crime continues to haunt them.

Eventually, while dressed in elaborate costumes which include fairy wings for Irene and a wedding veil for Yeri, they decide to burn down the house and run away. But they do not get far, as cops catch up with them in the final scene. – Jan Lee

Ace Album: PinkPantheress – Heaven Knows

In the past couple of years, British singer and producer PinkPantheress went from viral TikTok videos to mainstream pop success.

Needless to say, Heaven Knows, her first full-length album release, is one of the most anticipated album drops of the year.

The formula that led to her TikTok success – short ditties, rapid UK garage beats, honeyed vocals and sweet melodies – are still very much present in the new songs.

The album also includes Boy’s A Liar Pt 2, her collaboration with breakout American rapper Ice Spice that catapulted both into the Top 10 charts worldwide in early 2023.

But there is also a distinct sense that, creatively, PinkPantheress is going for something bigger.

The list of producers features top names including Greg Kurstin (Adele, Foo Fighters), and the 22-year-old Londoner expands on her sound by flirting with elements such as bossa nova on Mosquito.

The lyrics still grapple with the yearning and anxiety of young love, but there are enough twists and turns in the electronic pop brew to keep her repertoire ahead of your average modern pop fare. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Singapore Scene: Layyi – Homebody

Home-grown singer-songwriter Layyi, who first got noticed in electro pop trio HE1ST, is making her mark as a solo artiste.

In October, the artiste, whose first solo single ...Hey Love (2021) clocked more than one million streams on Spotify, released her debut EP, homebody.

A delectable blend of R&B, pop and occasionally hip-hop, the tunes radiate sunshiney charm.

The title track, a collaboration with fellow home-grown singer and producer Yao, is an introvert’s anthem, and she delves into some soul-searching on Procrastinating and Control.

The singer, whose real name is Esther Lo, says she did not give much thought to the lyrics when she first wrote them, dismissing them as “plain” and “mundane”.

She says in a press statement: “As time passes and life happens, they ironically come together like a tapestry of self-discovery, love and understanding. I think this is the first time in my life that I’ve felt compassion for myself.” – Eddino Abdul Hadi