Everyone loves music, and if you’re anything like me, you have your absolute favorites; your go-tos, the ones you keep on all of your playlists. While I could never be bored with my favorite songs, artists, and albums, sometimes they feel tired, and I just want something new, fun, and interesting to listen to. This is some of the fresh, new music I’ve been most excited about recently; all girls that have been kicking me out of my musical comfort zone and becoming new favorites.
After dropping teaser singles like “Tempo” and “Juice,” Lizzo finally released her new full-length album, titled Cuz I Love You, with R&B ballads like “Jerome,” pop anthems like “Soulmate,” some bluesy numbers like “Lingerie,” and hip-hop masterpieces like “Tempo” featuring the one and only Missy Elliot. Lizzo truly set out to check all the boxes with this album and that’s exactly what she did.
While Carly Rae Jepsen’s upcoming album, Dedicated, isn’t coming out until May 17th, she has released 4 songs (“Julien,” “No Drug Like Me,” “Now That I Found You,” and “Party for One”) to promote the album. All of these songs have the classic Carly Rae-sound, but with a new, almost disco feeling. These songs are undeniably infectious and have me waiting eagerly for the rest of the album to drop.
Ashe has one short album (The Rabbit Hole) and one EP (Moral of the Story: Chapter 1) under her belt, as well as several singles. Moral of the Story: Chapter 1 is her latest work, and on this EP, she asks listeners why everybody else has everything “figured out” and reminds listeners that it’s ok to make mistakes in “Moral of the Story,” and she does so over a dramatic pop background, muted enough to let her vocals shine.
Lolo Zouaï just released a full-length album, titled High Highs to Low Lows. Her music is identified as pop, but she also uses elements of classic rock in songs like “Here to Stay,” hip-hop in songs like “Chevy Impala,” and indie in songs like “Beaucoup,” which she sings entirely in French. Lolo Zouaï’s sound is so incredibly diverse and I want to hear more from her.
Jade Bird’s debut self-titled album came out on April 19th and it is something else. Labeled as alternative, this album has a little bit of everything. In songs like “Uh Huh,” there is a vocal power that reminds me of Elle King, and songs like “Lottery,” have a lyrical presence similar to that of Kacey Musgraves. Jade Bird is a presence in music that deserves to be cherished.
Julia Michaels’ most recent EP came out in January of this year, and in it she gave fans 6 beautiful, heartfelt tracks about love, heartbreak, nostalgia, and anxiety, featuring some big names like Selena Gomez and Niall Horan. In these songs, labeled as pop, I hear elements of rock music like in “Happy” and “Deep,” and elements of folk music in “What a Time,” which features Niall Horan.