Music Scene
Fresh tunes from global pop royalty
Lizzo, The Weeknd gear up for comebacks; Asian singers delve into past trauma and 1980s hits
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The latest songs by pop music trailblazers Lizzo, The Weeknd and Silk Sonic are all previews of their upcoming albums, giving fans a taste of what is to come.
Meanwhile, more Asian singers are also making a global impact. Filipino-American TikTok star Bella Poarch's new track is based on a traumatic past experience, while K-pop band Got7's Hong Kong member Jackson Wang revives the 1980s pop hit Drive.
Check these out on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.
1. POP/HIP-HOP
RUMORS
Lizzo featuring Cardi B
Rumors is the first new song in more than two years from American singer-rapper Lizzo and is a collaboration with American rap queen Cardi B.
Featuring an over-the-top music video inspired by ancient Greece, Lizzo describes the song as a "new era". It is said to be the first single from her upcoming fourth album, a follow-up to 2019's Cuz I Love You, which picked up three prizes at the Grammy Awards last year.
2. ROCK
BEGGIN'
Maneskin
Italian rock band Maneskin found global stardom after winning the recent Eurovision Song Contest. They had released the song Beggin' back in 2017 as one of the tracks on their debut EP, Chosen.
But their cover of the 1966 hit by soul-pop veterans The Four Seasons is seeing a resurgence after blowing up on TikTok and other social media platforms.
Maneskin are currently riding high on I Wanna Be Your Slave, the latest single from their recent second album Teatro d'ira: Vol. I (Theatre Of Wrath: Vol. I).
3. R&B/FUNK
SKATE
Silk Sonic
Silk Sonic, the duo made up of American singer-songwriters Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, return with the single Skate.
Like their successful debut single, Leave The Door Open, the roller skating-inspired number is a faithful homage to 1970s soul music.
Both tracks will be included in their upcoming debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic.
4. POP
DRIVE YOU HOME
Jackson Wang & Internet Money
Jackson Wang - the Hong Kong singer, rapper, dancer and member of K-pop boy band Got7 - teams up with American producer collective Internet Money on the single Drive You Home.
The song draws on the hit 1984 single Drive by American new wave band The Cars.
Wang - who scripted, directed and produced the song's music video together with director Mamesjao - says: "I've always explained my music videos, the backstory and the plot, to my audiences.
"But with this visual, 10 people can watch it and have 10 different feelings. I can't wait for the fans to interpret it."
5. EXPERIMENTAL ROCK/ELECTRONIC
THE APPLE DROP
Liars
The Apple Drop is the 10th album by Liars, the band fronted by Australian singer-musician Angus Andrew.
Unlike previous albums TFCF (2017) and Titles With The Word Fountain (2018), which he worked on alone, Andrew collaborated with jazz drummer Laurence Pike, multi-instrumentalist Cameron Deyell and lyricist Mary Pearson Andrew here.
"Throughout Liars' history, I have consistently tried to develop new methods of creating music," he says.
"Where once I perceived this journey as a straight line, I'm increasingly realising my trajectory is more akin to a spiral. As new ideas are generated, older ones take on new meaning and evolve."
6. SYNTHWAVE/DISCO
TAKE MY BREATH
The Weeknd
This is the first single from Canadian singing star The Weeknd's upcoming fifth album, which follows last year's massively successful After Hours.
In an interview with Apple Music, the singer says: "Songs that tell stories and create worlds have always been why people get lost in music. I always try to immerse myself in that tradition and foster that escapism."
7. COUNTRY SOUL/R&B/ROCK
STAND FOR MYSELF
Yola
English singer and songwriter Yola earned four Grammy nominations for her debut album Walk Through Fire (2019). Stand For Myself is her sophomore album and was recorded in Nashville, the United States, where she is now based.
She says: "The album is like a window into my mind, my life experiences, my politics, my hopeful and sentimental sides, and my hope for humanity at large."
8. INDIE POP
TAKE THE SADNESS OUT OF SATURDAY NIGHT
Bleachers
This is the third album by American band Bleachers, who are fronted by famed producer Jack Antonoff (Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent). It includes the song Chinatown, which features acclaimed American singer Bruce Springsteen, and Secret Life, with fellow American singer Lana Del Rey on vocals.
Antonoff says in an Instagram post: "Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night is an album about banging on the door of the next phase of your life, all the hope that comes with that and the horror when it doesn't swing open. You realise how much you have to find peace with to be able to break through."
9. ALTERNATIVE ROCK
THIRSTIER
Torres
American singer-songwriter Mackenzie Scott follows last year's acclaimed album Silver Tongue with Thirstier, her fifth album.
Recorded in Devon, Britain, it is described as having songs for a "post-plague celebration".
It includes the single Hug From A Dinosaur, which Scott says was inspired by a dream.
"The song's theme is that truth is eternal and it's about never stopping... (and) about being ready to drop everything to do something essential for someone you love. In this instance, it's bringing my girlfriend lunch so she can keep painting."
10. DARK POP
INFERNO
Sub Urban & Bella Poarch
Inferno is Filipino-American TikTok star Bella Poarch's second single and a collaboration with American singer-producer Sub Urban, whose real name is Daniel Maisonneuve.
The music video sees Poarch unleashing superhero-like powers on two men who spiked her drink.
"As a victim of sexual assault, this song and video means a lot to me," she says in a statement.
"It's very hard for me to talk about... I decided to express myself by creating a song and video with Sub Urban based on how I wished my experience went. It's a fantasy I wish was true."
