Happy Monday! Kickstart your week ahead by checking out all of the new music that has just been released that you need to be listening to. From new albums by Kesha and Lindsay Ell, to new songs from P!nk and Fifth Harmony, to new collaborations from Marshmello & Khalid and A$AP Ferg & Migos, to our expert picks, take a look at this week's New Releases.
Kesha - Rainbow
After years in musical purgatory, Kesha returns with her first album since going public with her claims against her longtime collaborator/alleged abuser Dr. Luke and it’s called Rainbow. As teased by "Praying" and "Woman," the comeback kid's new effort dabbles into country-tinged territory, but still makes sure the party is at a high. It also happens to be a measurement of growth for the star, who will be performing at our 2017 iHeartRadio Music Festival. On the 14th song collection, Kesha owns up to her past (for better or for worse) and creates a personal space for her to come out on the other side. See: "Learn To Let Go" and "Praying"
P!nk - "What About Us"
P!nk is finally back with new music in the form of her new single "What About Us" (and new album Beautiful Trauma on the way). "What About Us" is a fresh new sound for the pop icon, who is set to take the stage in Las Vegas this September at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Festival. Starting off with only a soft piano melody and P!nk's vocals, the song picks up with a subdued dance rhythm in the chorus as she sings lyrics, "What about us?/What about all the times you said you had the answers?/What about us?/What about all the broken happy ever afters/What about us?/What about all the plans that ended in disaster?/What about love? What about trust? What about us?"
"What About Us" is the first single from P!nk's upcoming 7th studio album Beautiful Trauma, and was written by the pop star herself, Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid, and Steve Mac (and produced by Steve Mac) -- who was also behind Ed Sheeran's hit "Shape of You."
Bebe Rexha - All Your Fault Pt. 2
Bebe Rexha returns with the second installment of her All Your Fault EP series. For this collection, Bebe rounds up the stars for collaborations alongside Gucci Mane, Lil Wayne, 2 Chains, Kranium and even Florida Georgia Line. It's Bebe's turn on to aim her bullet on her former record label, her haters and, of course some former romances. After plenty of songwriting credits under her belt, the project sees the multi-talent stepping her career up a level, finding a place that’s somewhere in between established and musically diverse. See: "The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody)" and "That's It"
Fifth Harmony - "Angel"
Two weeks before the release of their self-titled LP, Fifth Harmony dropped a new cut called "Angel," which hears the girl group trading in their sing-a-long pop sounds for something that skews more on the urban side. Produced by Skrillex and Poo Bear, "Angel" sounds as down and dirty as the lyrics to the mid-tempo cut appear to be. On the brooding track, Lauren Jauregui, Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane and Normani Kordei recall a not so serious relationship where they involved themselves in a romance that just wasn't good for them. "Should’ve never cross that line with ya/ Everything cool, just drinkin' with ya/ Way too young to be up in handcuffs/ Been tryna spend my life on the phone with ya," Lauren sings during the pre-hook.
Jessie J - "Real Deal"
Jessie J appears to have a tactic when it comes to to return to the pop spotlight and her new single, "Real Deal”is the warm up of sorts for the singer. Clocking in at four minutes, the new single is all about reuniting with a former lover. In efforts of potentially changing her formula, Jessie offers sassy and subtle vocals instead of the over-the-top notes that she typically belts on the mid-tempo song. Stay tuned because the star has plenty in store for her next era in her career!
Avicii - Avīci EP
Avicii is BACK! Over a year ago, the producer/DJ had announced that he was retiring from touring -- but that didn't mean that he would stop making music. Fast-forward to today, and the Swede has shared a brand new EP titled Avīci, featuring six new songs. The EP also features collaborations with Rita Ora, singer/songwriter Billy Raffoul, and AlunaGeorge, among others.
After releasing his Avīci EP, which follows his 2015 full-length album Stories, Avicii tweeted to fans, "I will however never let go of music – I will continue to speak to my fans through it. I will never stop making music."
Yes, Tim. Please, PLEASE, never stop! 🙏🏼
DJ Envy featuring Fetty Wap - "Text Ur Number"
DJ Envy has another smash on his hands! The Power 105.1 DJ dropped his brand new single “Text Ur Number” featuring Fetty Wap and we can’t stop bumping it. Loving “Text Ur Number” so much, iHeartRadio world premiered it.
When iHeartRadio asked Envy what his new single was about, he said: “Text Ur Number” is a song about pretty much a guy seeing a girl and really wants to date her. He sees her out and about, and really wants to see what's going on. So, he approaches her and says, ‘Hey ma, text your number.’”
When asked how he got together with Fetty Wap to create the track, Envy added: “I hooked up with my boy DJ Sliink, and DJ Sliink and I had the perfect idea for a huge summer smash. We hooked up with Fetty Wap and the rest is history. Fetty Wap is somebody I've known from the beginning of his career when he first created 'Trap Queen.' So, it was a dope project. Fetty Wap, DJ Sliink, DJ Envy; it was just magic.”
Marshmello featuring Khalid - "Silence"
Talk about breaking the "Silence." The mysterious EDM produer behind the smiling marshmallow mask and one of music's most buzzed about artists of 2017 have finally revealed their collaboration, after teasing the tune on social media last week. Marshmello and Khalid have teamed up for their new single "Silence," an addictive track that sees the American Teen, who will be performing during the Daytime Village at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in September, singing about a relationship -- or lack thereof. He sings in the first verse, "Yeah, I'd rather be a lover than a fighter/'Cause all my life, I've been fighting/Never felt a feeling of comfort/All this time, I've been hiding."
Vindata + Skrillex + NSTASIA - "Favor"
Skrillex is continuing is streak of releasing new music each week. Following his collabs with Poo Bear ("Would You Ever") and DJ Sliink ("Saint Laurent"), not to mention the newly released song he produced for Fifth Harmony ("Angel) for their album, Skrillex has now teamed up with electronic duo Vindata for their new single "Favor" featuring singer/songwriter NSTASIA, and is yet another example of Skrillex's versatility as a producer. Vindata says of their new song:
“This song is really special to us. We’ve admired and respected Skrillex since the first time we heard 'Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.' He became our homie over these last few years and helped us realize our full potential and endless possibilities. This collab along with NSTASIA was just meant to be. We’re truly grateful to be able to share this with you.”
Lindsay Ell - The Project
Country sweetheart Lindsay Ell has dropped her debut studio album The Project. Produced by Sugarland's Kristian Bush, the record features 12 new songs, including singles like "Waiting on You" and "Champagne," in addition to previously released promo singles like "Good," "Criminal," "Space," and "Worth the Wait."
Lindsay Ell told iHeartRadio of her new album, "I decided to call this record The Project because I felt like, from the beginning of when Kristian Bush (my producer) and I started planning and talking about this record, to now the fact that it's out, it's felt like a science project. It's felt like I'm discovering, finally, who I am as an artist; what I want to say, how I want to sound. He's had me do all these little experiments along the way that I just felt like it needed to be called The Project because that's what it was."
Thomas Rhett - "Sixteen"
What a week for Thomas Rhett. The country singer and his wife welcomed their new daughter Ada into the world, and he dropped a new single called "Sixteen" from his upcoming 2017 album Life Changes. "Sixteen" is all about nostalgia with lyrics like "What I wouldn't give to be sixteen, wild and free" and "Lookin' old enough to pull off this fake ID." Thomas told Huffington Post about his new single, "As a kid, you can’t wait to grow up and reach that next milestone, but when you’re older, you look back and wish you could just be 16, or 18 or 21 again." Ditto, Thomas.
Kelsea Ballerini - "Unapologetically"
Kelsea Ballerini fans may have to wait until November 3rd to hear her second studio album Unapologetically, but the country star is sharing the record's title track with fans as it has now become available for pre-order. "Unapologetically" follows the album's first single, "Legends," and is about being in love and following your heart, despite what others may have to say about it.
On Instagram, Kelsea called "Unapologetically," "the first real love song [she's] ever written," and on Twitter, she called the track out as one of her "fav songs."
Wiz Khalifa featuring Ty Dolla $ign - "Something New"
Fans of Wiz Khalifa’s have been waiting for his very much-delayed Rolling Papers 2 album for quite some time now. But, don’t worry because the rapper hasn’t gotten about his supporters’ wishes. Khalifa has been dropping music in the meantime. That brings us to his latest song called “Something New” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. It’s a slow, love song that has the rapper expressing how much he wants a special woman who already belongs to someone else, to be his.
“Girl, you look just like something out a magazine,” raps Khalifa. “You smell great, know your body clean / Them ni**as been on you since you was a teen / Now you grown up, and I’m a boss, I’m just showing love / Smell like kush when I’m rollin’ up / So much bank, I can’t fold it up.”
A$AP Ferg featuring Migos - "Nasty (Who Dat)"
A$AP Ferg recruited the hottest rap trio in the game right now to assist with his new “Nasty (Who Dat)” smash, the one and only Migos. This hit was released in anticipation of Ferg’s upcoming mixtape, Still Striving, which is being dropped on Friday (Aug. 18). According to A$AP Mob, August means big things. The crew has already named the month Awgest: Month Of The Mob. So, if that doesn’t help you understand that the time for dopest Mob music is now, we don’t know what will. We’re ready for it.
Will Sparks featuring Priryanka Chopra - "Young & Free"
You may know Priyanka Chopra from the red carpet and as her character Alex Parrish on TV series Quantico, but she can also sing. She's previously teamed up with will.i.am and Pitbull, but her latest collaboration is with Australian producer/DJ Will Sparks for his latest single "Young and Free." The new collab features a prominent bassline throughout the electronic nature of the track, complimented by Chopra's vocals. In a statement to Billboard, Priyanka says of "Young & Free":
"I wrote this song at a very precarious time in my life. These lyrics were born from a need for freedom, whatever that freedom may mean to each one of us. Being young and free is a state of mind that we all need to find in this crazy world to survive. What I love most about this track is the spontaneity from which it was born. While I was writing, Will was mixing the track into a roar of emotions and rebelliousness. It all came together in a true creative way. Will has taken the lyrics and given them life. This song reminded me of how much I love making music."
Sparks added, "I wanted 'Young and Free' to feel like a track ahead of its time. Collaborating with Priyanka has taken it to a whole new level. Her message and incredible voice combined with my production style has created something unique."
Timeflies - "Nobody Has to Know"
On Valentine's Day this year, Timeflies shared a song called "Nobody Has To Know" on their YouTube, but now, the song has been officially released! Unlike some of their previous releases, which have been more dance-focused, "Nobody Has To Know" is a much slower song about a secret summer fling (and seeing how summer is almost over, this is the perfect song right now). Cal sings in the chorus, "I said, nobody has to know/But I wish they’d see/Oh, I wish they’d see/But nobody has to know."
Lights - "Savage"
Canadian singer/songwriter Lights is back with another offering from her upcoming concept album Skin & Earth (which is due out Sept. 22) in the form of a new song called "Savage." "Savage" follows the album's lead single "Giants," which she shared back in June. "Savage," which features twenty one pilots' Josh Dun on drums, is about unrequited love and a bad breakup. She sings in the pre-chorus, "But when you hung up the phone and you blocked my number/I was alone in the rain and thunder."
Also, with this latest song from Skin & Earth is the second volume of the comic to go along with it. As Lights releases new music from her new album, a new comic will be released along with it.
Grace VanderWaal - "Sick of Being Told"
Grace VanderWaal, 13-year-old singer/songwriter/ukulele player extraordinaire, has released her second single of 2017, following "Moonlight." If you're sick of being told what to do in life, in any capacity, then this song is for you. She sings in the chorus, "I'm sick of being told/Of what I should know/I just wanna let go/I wanna run away just to live my life my way."
Grace said on YouTube of her new song, "Describing that moment when you’re ready to stand up for yourself. It’s a song of self empowerment."
Tritonal featuring Laurell - "Good Thing"
Tritonal is aiming for all those positive vibes, particularly with producer/DJs Chad Cisneros and David Reed collaborating with Laurell on "Good Thing." Over some lush production, which includes a simple acoustic guitar backing, the team-up hears Laurell offer positive lyrics. And, yes, even though it's a departure for the two and their progressive house and hard-hitting electro territories, the duo's airy number is a welcoming revamp for the pair. “Good Thing” is also a celebration of sorts as it marks the 300th release on Tritonal's label Enhanced Recordings.
Desiigner - "Arms"
In anticipation of his upcoming debut album, Life of Desiigner, the Brooklyn rapper released a brand new track called “Arms.” This new song was produced by 16YRSOLD. Throughout it, Desiigner has his usual smooth, yet hype-energy flow. If you’re a fan of Desiigner’s previous music, you’ll also love this one. He also doesn’t forget to shout out Kanye West, JAY-Z and Beyonce on it. "I got want you want, yeah/40 in my arms, yeah/ And they sound like bombs, yeah/ And they going dumb, yeah," the 20-year-old artist raps.
Trina – "Get Money"
Trina isn’t letting these jealous haters get to her. She’s too busy getting money. Just a few days ago, the Miami rapper went off on some women in her hometown city who were throwing shade at her on social media. At the end of the day, the MC knows that hating come with the territory and it means that she’s doing something right. Jealous people can never hold her back from securing the bag. She’s going to keep ignoring them and continue to win regardless. Peep the realness Trina is spitting on “Get Money” below.