christine and the queens - doesn't matter
this is the boppiest existential pop song i've heard in awhile! christine and the queens offer up their new single 'doesn't matter', also announcing that her new album 'chris' will be released sept 21st in both english and french.
as per usual the french version sounds better!
christine and the queens - doesn't matter (voleur de soleil)
sigrid - strangers
oh yeah! scandi pop gal sigrid gives us this insta-electro pop jam that just grabs you from the very first note onwards. throw in some bittersweet lyrics and you've got a very robyn-lite number on your hands. continually proving why she's been one of this years best new artists, press play on your pop obsession of the day!
lauv - paris in the rain
ari staprans leff (aka lauv) has been penning introspective love songs with an electronic/r&b/jazzy edge since he was 14. but this year has been a big turning point with songs he's written for other artists charting (charli xcx 'boys', cheat codes / demi lovato 'no promises), plus he's getting much love with his own work gaining popularity around the world. i'm highly obsessed with his latest quiet swagger filled single as it's been on repeat for a good week already! turn this up and fall in love yo!
muna - in my way
watching the lovely trio of katie gavin, josette maskin & naomi mcpherson (aka muna) celebrate their friendship in an honest loving way is the best visual accompaniment to their equally sweet gem of a song. there's always been something perfectly john hughes retro soundtrack to their sound but with a cool modern queer twist thrown in. love these ladies!
rae morris - do it
uk singer/songwriter rae morris has always been a slow burn fave with her chill attitude mixed with electro with a tinge of epic-ness thrown in. this time, rae brings us something so wonderfully catchy with an equally amazing video shot by noel paul making NYC/Brooklyn the most fun cool place to be at (i live here and i still want her version of this city!) if you're not familiar with rae, i'm gonna throw in another gem from her as yet untitled new album below. make her on your radar yo!!!
superfruit - worth it (perfect)
stemming from their popular vlog on youtube, pentatonix members mitch grassi & scott hoying have evolved their funny camaraderie into the musical offshoot superfruit that's now taking on a life of it's own with 2 ep's under their belt. the new release 'worth it (perfect)' brings young dancers kaycee rice and sage rosen switching gender roles and making it wonderfully normal. i couldn't stop smiling and hopefully it will bring you the same joy that this video brought me.
tigertown - warriors
i first discovered sydney based tigertown last year with their insanely insta-catchy anthem 'lonely cities'. with a kind of joyous musicality and singalong chorus, it was an exciting kick start for this husband/wife core / with perspective family members in tow band. now the gang offer up their latest single "warriors" and it's equally brilliant! these guys are gonna be big yo, so get in with the love program!
want more? check out the awesome song that started it all for me!
sigrid - plot twist
there's something wonderfully fierce about 20 year old norwegian singer/songwriter/pop gal sigrid. with just an EP to her name, there is already a solid 1/2 album of strong material that most newbies would kill to have under their belt. her latest single "plot twist" is all the more interesting with the mantra inducing shout-along "shots fired" as part of the chorus hook. easily one of my fave pop songs of the summer! want more? check out her glastonbury debut of her 1st single "don't kill my vibe" which is equally catchy and wonderful!
sigrid - don't kill my vibe (live @ glastonbury 2017)
mura masa feat christine and the queens - second 2 none
after getting it's world premiere on annie mac, mura masa officially released his secret collaboration with the amazing christine and the queens today! in a stroke of genius, the styles of both artists manages to merge seamlessly on this track, easily making it our song of the week! it's SOOOO good people!
fifth harmony feat gucci mane - down
i gotta say that the big brand new reboot of fifth harmony as a quintet is kind of underwhelming. releasing a 'work from home' lite when they should be coming out guns blazing in an en vogue 'free your mind' kind of anthem. hopefully the new material will be better than this perfectly find easily forgettable jam.
hurts - beautiful ones
just watch this brutal then beautiful video about an anti-lgbtq act of violence, yet full of pride, told in reverse. what's also interesting is that this video represents the return of hurts after a 2 year break and perhaps a peek into the kind of personal / political direction for their upcoming new album. oh and lead singer theo hutchcraft makes for a damn pretty woman!
tinashe - flame
this has been on high repeat over on the wongie carmix mainly because of it's pop perfection from beginning to end. it's actually tinashe's most radio friendly song and will hopefully bring this talented singer/dancer a whole much deserved audience. love this song and so should you!
lady gaga - the cure
over the weekend lady gaga offered her fans a surprising new single in the form of the uber poppy 'the cure'. to be honest, the track sounds like a soundtrack demo that never got picked up, but hey, it's still catchy as heck and a lovely surprise! don't expect this to be part of a pop makeover for gaga, this feels like a one off.
want more? check out gaga world premiering this track at coachella over the weekend:
muna - i know a place
LA based indie pop group muna have come up with an insta-catchy anthem that you'll be bopping along to within seconds. this gem of a song takes on a more powerful meaning once you know that it was written with the LGBTQ community in mind. inclusive never sounded so good!
troye sivan feat alessia cara - wild
two of my fave acts of 2015 join together to re-record troye sivan's single 'wild' and it's lush!!! after spending much of the past year covering each others songs on various shows, the duo got together to rework this track with a new verse by alessia and adding some sweet harmonies into the mix. just when you thought it couldn't get more loverly, this duet defo does the job! love this!!
now check out the covers below:
betty who - i love you always forever
aussie pop gal betty who covers donna lewis' 1996 classic and reminds us how perfect this gentle song has been from day 1. throw in a pan cuddle party and you've got a something perfect for 2016. bring on the ahhhhs!
local natives - villainy
sometimes a song just finds you, upon pressing 'shuffle' on my carmix, this brilliant swirling electropop gem shows up and entrances me for it's whole play. the layered textures of this song is just magical making me SUPER excited to hear what else this LA based indie band have up their sleeve for their upcoming album. yeah this is good stuff!
kelly clarkson - piece by piece
easily one of my fave tracks from kelly's album of the same name, it's the lyrics of this number that always gets to me, spinning a positive from what was a pretty bad early relationship in her life. with the track remixed for radio, this is officially her latest single and it's just beautiful.
in her own words, kelly talks about the lyrics of the song:
"I like to think of "Piece By Piece" as the happy ending to "Because Of You." It's not the happiest story in the beginning, but it's a real one that I decided to write after a conversation with my sister. So many of us had to grow up without parents to model a healthy relationship for us, so we often get into dysfunctional relationships because it is what is familiar. We end up settling instead of being with someone who is worthy of our hearts and our time. We all deserve to feel worthy of love. We all deserve to be truly loved. This song is basically my past, present, and future. It's my love letter celebrating and thanking my husband for being a man that knows how to love me and our children without expecting anything in return. Also, this is a promise to my kids that I will never cease to love them, and be present in their lives always."
feel like you know the song by now? check out a very emotional kelly as she tries to perform this song live a few months back. it'll make you tear up for sure!
after slaying the charts back home in france for the past year with her debut album 'chaleur humaine', heloise letissier (aka christine and the queens) sets her sights for world domination with a re-edited version of her album filled with bi-lingual performances and new songs thrown in. part performance artist, part diva, part scruffy tom boy, the magic of this singer is the clear vision of her music, her visuals and her incredible live persona. after experiencing it last night, our love for christine and the queens is now in a fever pitch. check out some of our fave songs of hers at the moment:
christine and the queens - night 52
a reworking of her debut single 'nuit 17 a 52', i have to say that i'm surprised that this english version works better than the original (but that chorus! bliss!)
christine and the queens feat perfume genius - jonathan
a longtime fan of the canadian singer, heloise went straight to mike hadreas (aka perfume genius) to supply the male vocals to this heartbreaking track about hidden love. it's haunting and will stay with you long after the song is over. kind of brilliant.
christine and the queens - paradis perdus
i mean any woman that mashes up the classic 1973 song by christophe to kanye west's "heartless" is kind of worth your admiration don't you think?
christine and the queens - tilted
a pretty direct translation of her massive smash 'christine', this is the kind of self empowerment anthem that young people should be listening to. it gets better with this kind of music people!
justin bieber - i'll show you
out of nowhere, the bieber released this skrillex produced mid tempo gem off of the upcoming 'purpose' album. as part of the apology recordings, this is also 3 for 3 from the bieber that i'm actually digging. WHAT IS GOING ON?!
