Happy Monday & Happy New Year!! New year, new music. Kickstart your week (and 2018) ahead by checking out all of the new music that has just been released in this roundup of new songs, new albums, and new artists that you need to be listening to.
From new songs from Justin Timberlake and Charlie Puth, to new collaborations from Liam Payne & Rita Ora and Bruno Mars & Cardi B, to our expert picks, take a look at this week's New Music Report.
NEW RELEASES
Justin Timberlake - "Filthy"
In 2002, he was Justified. In 2006, he brought "Sexyback." And in 2013 he gave us all The 20/20 Experience (twice). Now, in 2018, Justin Timberlake is a Man of the Woods and is ready to kick off the next chapter of his career, and it all begins with the lead single from his upcoming new record, "Filthy." The electro-heavy song was co-written and co-produced by Justin, Timbaland, and Danja, along with additional writing credits from James Fauntleroy and Larrance Dopson.
Along with Justin's new single, also came the official music video, which was directed by award-winning filmmaker Mark Romanek (marking the second time the two have worked together). In the futuristic visual, it's the year 2028, and Justin is an inventor, dressed in a black turtle neck and jeans (very Steve Jobs-ish) who presents his latest creation -- a robot that follows his every move -- at a conference in Malaysia.
Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B - "Finesse"
Bruno Mars and Cardi B surprisingly announced that they joined forces for the "Finesse (Remix)" and the Twitterverse went into complete shock. But then, things really got turned up a notch when Mars said that he was going to drop the track's music video too. One very noticeable trait that the video has is its similarities to hit 1990s sketch comedy show In Living Color. Created by Keenen Ivory Wayans, the popular program is credited for being one of the most -- if not, THE most -- iconic comedy show of not only the 1990s, but all time.
So, being a huge fan of it, Mars decided to thank Keenen for the countless laughs he had while watching it, via his new "Finesse (Remix)" video. So, iHeartRadio reached out to the comedian and asked him how he felt about the homage the superstar paid to his show. Keenan exclusively told us: "I loved the video and feel honored that the show has found a place amongst a new generation. Thank you Bruno Mars and Cardi B for showing the love."
Liam Payne & Rita Ora - "For You"
Ahead of the February release of Fifty Shades Freed, Liam Payne and Rita Ora have unleashed "For You," their brand-new collaboration off the soundtrack to the highly-anticipated film, and it hears this pop duo entranced in unexpected love. Released on Friday (January 5), the four-minute track is an uptempo dance ode to surprising love with production from Peter Karlsson, Watt & Ali Payami. In a fitting progression, “For You” begins with Rita leading the way until a whirlwind hook from both of the pop stars. "Been waiting for a lifetime for you/ Been breaking for a lifetime for you/ Wasn't looking for love 'till I found you," the duo collectively sing during the second chorus. Sure, the cut isn’t entirely inventive, but it's cinematic and dance attributes fit perfectly into the current Top 40 landscape. Plus, considering that Ora has yet to experience commercial success in America with her string of singles like "I Will Never Let You Down," "Radioactive" and the Ed Sheeran-penned "Your Song," we're gunning for her to score gold with "For You."
Charlie Puth featuring Boyz II Men - "If You Leave Me Now"
The release date of Charlie Puth's new album Voicenotes may have been pushed back a bit, but the 26-year-old certainly isn't leaving fans hanging. On Twitter, Charlie revealed that he's producing Voicenotes himself and doesn't feel it's "perfect" yet. But to make it up, he released a new song from the record called "If You Leave Me Now," and it features Boyz II Men. The R&B a capella track showcases gorgeous harmonies between the legendary R&B group and Charlie. He said on Twitter of the song, "It’s probably one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written."
BØRNS featuring Lana Del Rey - "God Save Our Young Blood"
BØRNS' sophomore album, Blue Madonna, is out in less than two weeks and the alt pop singer is back with yet another taste of the forthcoming set called "God Save Our Young Blood" featuring Lana Del Rey. On the almost-four minute synth-heavy cut, the pair sing about late nights and young love over some dreamy production, courtesy of Tommy English, who also worked on the majority of BØRNS' debut album, Dopamine. While LDR doesn't have any solo verses, the soft allure of her voice appears through the track as prominent background vocals. '"We met virtually before we met face to face I guess that's how it is these days. the first time we met we FaceTimed and then I started doing a lot of collaborations with her sister Chuck who's an amazing photographer," Børns recalled of beginning of their collaboration. "Chuck shot all the photography for my album and we've been collaborating on some video projects and Lana was around and I showed her some stuff on the record. I really had her in mind when I was writing 'Young Blood' and I think subliminally I was trying to do background vocals that sounded like her I was trying to do my best Lana impression and she was like 'I feel like I'm already on this song' and I was like 'Yeah that's kind of what I was going for.'"
Kid Ink - "Tell Somebody"
Kid Ink isn’t slowing down in 2018 and the rapper let it be known almost immediately following the New Year. The recording artist released a new song called “Tell Somebody.” Produced by Dez Wright, the track is definitely a mood. "First off, know I ain't the type to go kiss and tell, late thing/And I'm so drunk that if I try it I misspell, late thing,” Ink rap/sings. “And you so drunk that you dance to like everything to come home/We been mixing up these feelings with Hennessy and Patron." “Tell Somebody” will be featured on Ink’s upcoming album, which is scheduled to be released later on this year. The project has yet to be named.
Trouble Trouble featuring Drake & Mike WiLL Made-IT - "Bring It Back"
After leaking back in early December, Trouble’s “Bring It Back” featuring Drake and Mike WiLL Made-It is officially here. Drizzy doesn’t hop on just anybody’s tracks, so you already know that Atlanta’s own Trouble must be to somebody to watch this year. The fact that famed hip hop producer Mike WiLL Made-It made the beat for “Bring It Back” is further proof of this. On the song, Drake spits: "Yeah, I don't play no games boy, I'm at your head/All about the family, n**gas took the pledge/Now you gotta own up to that s**t you said/You can't push us to the edge, Trouble from the edge/Hit the gas and we outta there/Do it for the six because we started there."
Lil Pump - "Designer"
Lil Pump dropped his latest single entitled "Designer" and of course, it's another smash for the artist. In the beginning of the song, listeners can hear an audio clip of a news report that criticized his "Gucci Gang" video being shot at a Catholic high school. After that, Pump's lyrics commence. "I got fast cars, bad b**ches and designer clothes/A couple thousand on my wrist and my neck is on froze," he raps. "Spanish b**ches butt naked and they twerkin' on the stove/Too much racks in my pocket that my wallet can't fold."
Devin Dawson - "Symptoms"
We are just a few weeks away from the release of Devin Dawson's debut album Dark Horse, and the country singer/songwriter has shared another new song from the record called "Symptoms." The sultry love song, talking about all the symptoms of love, is another testament to Devin's unique style, blending R&B with country. On Twitter, Devin said of the song, "I've been waiting to unleash this track since the day I wrote it. So stoked to finally have it in the universe! If I had to choose my favorite song on this record this would probably be the one."
Mila J – January 2018
Songstress Mila J is kicking off the New Year on the right musical note. The Cali recording artist surprisingly dropped an EP entitled January 2018 -- how fitting! The six-song project is short and sweet. The tracks on it are called “Happy New Year,” Coldest Shoulder in the West,” “Disclaimer,” “4 Pictures Away,” “By a Show of Hands,” and “Missing You.” It’s been a minute since we heard any new music from the amazing vocalist, so we’re happy she blessed us with this!
EMERGING ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Sofi Tukker
No doubt you've seen Sofi Tukker's name pop multiple times over the last year. The duo, comprised of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern, made waves with their 2016 debut single "Drinkee" (which received a Grammy nomination last year for Best Dance Recording).
Since then, Sofi Tukker has performed at major festivals including Coachella, Panorama, Firefly, and Outside Lands, and released several singles, including their latest -- "Best Friend" -- which features NERVO, The Knocks, and Alisa Ueno. And not only is "Best Friend" their latest single, the song was also used in a recent iPhone X commercial back in September, which even shows the popular animoji feature of the device, as various emojis sing along to the track.
"Best Friend," as you would imagine, is all about friendship, and the duo has explained of the meaning behind the song:
"This song is a celebration of our favorite thing ever: friendship. It’s about the kind of friendship where you can talk forever without anything in particular to talk about. Old friends, new friends, all friends! In the spirit of friendship, we just wanted to have some of our friends hop on a verse! We’ve been lucky enough to travel the world this past year and the best part of the journey is the friendships we have made and the friendships we have been lucky enough to revisit along the way. We (Soph and Tuck) have also become each other’s best friend over the past few years, and we are so grateful to each other!"
EXPERT PICKS
Nicole's Picks:
Arlissa & Jonas Blue - "Hearts Ain't Gonna Lie"
Well, it's 2018, and we have our very first breakup anthem of the year ... and it's a bop. English singer/songwriter Arlissa and producer/DJ Jonas Blue have teamed up for their brand new collaboration "Hearts Ain't Gonna Lie," and if you started off your year with a breakup, this song is for you. The song is all about realizing that you're not right for each other, because, as the song says, "Hearts ain't gonna lie." Arlissa sings in the chorus, "We're half of the same/Don't take that the wrong way/You know what I mean/Hearts ain't gonna, hearts ain't gonna lie/Won't do this again/Don't take that the wrong way/You know what I mean/Hearts ain't gonna, hearts ain't gonna lie."
Youngr - "Ooh Lordy"
Youngr is kicking off the year with some brand new music, and a special present for fans. The Manchester singer released a new song called "Ooh Lordy," part of a 10-track collection of music he's released over the past year, and a few of his first-ever releases, appropriately called This Is Not An Album. "Ooh Lordy" is a carefree dance jam perfect for your weekend activities ... whatever they may be. He sings, "Oh, I didn't come for love/I came here for the freedom/Making love in the summer sun/Just like two criminals on the run, yeah."
Follow Nicole on Twitter: @NicoleMastr0
James' Picks:
Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA - "All The Stars"
Kendrick Lamar and SZA are a defiant duo on their new song called "All the Stars," a collab set to appear on the Lamar-produced and curated soundtrack for Marvel's upcoming movie, Black Panther. Clocking in at almost-four minutes, "All the Stars" finds the TDE acts offering the attitude atop sleek production from Al Shux & Sounwave. While K. Dot keeps the energy strong with confrontational bars about perseverance, it's SZA's pop-charged chorus that really brings the track full circle. "This may be the night that my dreams might let me know/ All the stars are closer, all the stars are closer, all the stars are closer," she croons during the pulsating hook.
Britney Spears - "(You Drive Me) Crazy" (Trace Adam '89 Remix)
If you were randomly inkling for an '80s makeover remix of Britney Spears’ beloved smash, “(You Drive Me) Crazy,” you’re in luck. Thanks to the talented mixer Trace Adams, the pop smash from almost 20 years ago has received a facelift with even a few new harmonies thrown into the mix. "I wanted to make a mix of this song that sounded like it came out ten years earlier than the original," Adam told BreatheHeavy.com. "I was going for a Paula Abdul kind of vibe that sounded completely like it was from that time, with nothing modern added. Kind of like it wouldn't be strange to hear it in the background of a Full House episode.” It’s literally the definition of the remix that you never knew you needed. Click here for more of Adam's remixes!
Follow James on Twitter: @newyorkinstinct
Isha's Picks:
Nino Man featuring Jadakiss "I Hate You"
This song touched us deeply. When you sit back and listen to the lyrics, all you hear are straight facts. From the beginning of Nino Man and Jadakiss’ "I Hate You," the two rap about the challenges they face because of the fame and fortune that they have such as losing friends, being seen as different, being misunderstood, etc. Nevertheless, none of that is making them stop or lose sight of continuing to reach for as many blessings as possible. Kiss raps: “I was taught to knock off the work then buy more/ I know I gotta hurt to die poor/ They say life is what you make of it/ But squares in your circle will always fuck up the shape of it.”
Raekwon – "The Sky"
Don’t sleep on Raekwon. The Wu Tang veteran is still armed for days with bars. The rapper showed us this when he dropped not one, but two new songs when 2018 hit. The tracks are entitled “The Sky” and “The Biz.” "The Sky" is produced by RoadsArt, and this cut is a soulful one that you won’t be able to listen to just once. It’s that type of song that you bump in order to vibe out from your everyday worries. Rock out with Raekwon with this heat, for sure.
Follow Isha on Twitter: @IshaThorpe