Life Listens: New music from Jennie, Drake, Sufjan Stevens, Yeule and Cyndi Wang

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

Chart Champ: Jennie – You & Me

After much anticipation, Blackpink’s Jennie has finally released her song You & Me on streaming services.

The 27-year-old first unveiled it in October 2022 on the first stop of the K-pop girl group’s Born Pink world tour, which concluded this September after 66 shows. 

You & Me was performed regularly – including at their two shows in Singapore in May – but was officially released only on Oct 6 after the year-long tour ended, as a gift to fans.

This marks Jennie’s second solo release after 2018’s chart-topping Solo.

Within a day of its release, You & Me hit No. 1 on the iTunes Top Songs chart in 53 regions worldwide. The song is also in the Top 20 of Spotify’s daily global song list.

Described as a sultry dance-pop number, the chorus features the refrain: “I love you and me/Dancing in the moonlight.”

The moonlight reference is reflected in the single’s artwork. Its cover was drawn by Japanese manga Sailor Moon’s (1991 to 1997) creator Naoko Takeuchi. – Jan Lee

Ace Album: Sufjan Stevens – Javelin

American singer, songwriter and musician Sufjan Stevens’ new album Javelin is heartbreaking as the songs are dedicated to his late partner Evans Richardson IV, who died in April.

The cause of death was not revealed. Richardson was chief of staff at New York art museum The Studio Museum In Harlem.

“But everything heaven sent/Must burn out in the end,” Stevens sings forlornly on opening track Goodbye Evergreen.

Musically and thematically, Javelin, his 10th album, feels both intimate and grandiose at the same time.

It features the pensive, soul-baring folk sound with which the cult artiste made his name.

But there are also grand, baroque productions that feature choral singing and orchestral instrumentations, as well as the experimental electronic bits that adorned his recent albums.

Ever the dexterous artiste, Stevens did most of the work on Javelin, from playing most of the instruments to production duties to creating the artwork on the cover and in the 48-page book that accompanies the album. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Must-see MV: Drake – 8AM In Charlotte

Canadian hip-hop star Drake’s son plays a prominent role in his eighth album, For All The Dogs, which was released on Oct 6.

Five-year-old Adonis Graham – whose mother is French artist Sophie Brussaux – not only drew its cover artwork, but also appears in the music video for one of the tracks, 8AM In Charlotte.

While Drake has posted photos and clips of Adonis on social media, this MV is significant because it is the first time the rapper-singer has included his son in his official release.

The video starts with an off-camera Drake listening to Adonis explain a drawing – which the boy has “sold” to his father – that also depicts the animal on the cover of For All The Dogs.

Adonis then dances with Drake as the artiste performs the song, which floats along on a soulful gospel sample. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Singapore Scene: Yeule – Softscars

Singaporean avant-pop musician Yeule’s new album Softscars is making waves in the international music press, earning rave reviews in online publications ranging from America’s Pitchfork to Britain’s The Observer.

The music is a lot more organic, and less experimental and electronic-driven, than previous releases.

Tapping genres such as noise rock, punk and shoegaze, discordant guitars battle it out with off-kilter synths.

At the core of it all is the singer’s voice, ethereal and sugary, carried along on syrupy melodies and catchy hooks. Stripped of their harshness, these are almost pop tunes, albeit ones designed for a sci-fi dystopia.

London-based Yeule, who identifies as non-binary, says in a statement that the songs in Softscars are inspired by generational trauma.

“I have a deep feeling that the things my ancestors went through got passed down. There’s some trauma that just sticks,” the artiste says of the album, released by British electronic-experimental record label Ninja Tune.

“There was always decay and distortion in my life. There’s always been something wrong or ugly. So the scar reminds me that I’m being protected, and I should protect myself.” – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Stream This Song: Cyndi Wang – Sugar High

When it comes to light, frothy sweetness, nobody does it quite as well as Cyndi Wang.

The Taiwanese singer, known for her cutesy schoolgirl outfits and girlish demeanour, kicked off her Sugar High world tour in September with two concerts at the Taipei Arena.

And her new single shares the name of the tour.

It is co-written by London-based songwriter-producer Jacob Attwooll, who has composed hit songs for K-pop groups Twice, NCT U and Tomorrow X Together.

Attwooll’s experience in crafting catchy dance numbers shows in the track’s light electronic touch and simple harmonies.

Also noteworthy are the enamoured sighs after the first chorus, contributing to the song’s swoony vibe.

The lyrics, which tell of the “sugar high” of being with a lover, are nothing to shout about, but the peppy melody is enough to get one grooving along. – Benson Ang