Every Friday, pop critics for The New York Times weigh in on the week's most notable new songs and videos. Just want the music? Listen to the Playlist on Spotify here (or find our profile: nytimes). Like what you hear? Let us know at theplaylist@nytimes.com and sign up for our Louder newsletter , a once-a-week blast of our pop music coverage.
The first single from the forthcoming Doja Cat album "Planet Her" features SZA and mixes the breeze of lite 1980s funk with the bawdiness of 2020s hip-hop, a juggling act that Doja Cat has pioneered, if not trademarked, by now. JON CARAMANICA
Crisply ecstatic new-wave R&B from the Toronto duo Majid Jordan. What's most impressive about "Waves of Blue," besides its spot on texture, is its modesty — the singer Majid Al Maskati doesn't over-sing to emphasize his point, and the producer Jordan Ullman builds synths like pillars, unostentatiously building a whole world. CARAMANICA
"Shy Away," the first song from a May album called "Scaled and Icy" from the genre-agnostic Ohio duo Twenty One Pilots , starts off as jittery electro before expanding into the dreamy, arms-outstretched pop that keeps arenas and hearts full. There's a Strokesian energy to the track, but the lyrics don't bristle with angst; they (not so gently) nudge a loved one to start on a new path. CARYN GANZ
Over the last decade, Miguel has placed his darkest thoughts and most experimental music on his series of "Art Dealer Chic" EPs; he released "Art Dealer Chic Vol. 4" on Friday. In "So I Lie," he sings, in a soulful falsetto, about fear, pressure, and alienation from himself: "I can barely breathe, treading water/Smile on my face while I'm turning blue/Nobody cares, just work harder/I do what I can to avoid the truth." The chorus, repeating, "Lie, lie, lie," would almost be jaunty if it weren't surrounded in swampy rhythms, wordless voices and hollow echoes, like all the anxieties he can't evade. PARELES
A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hailing from St. Louis, Aaron Michael Frison has been making music as Coultrain for well over a decade, pulling together what sounds like a hybrid of the early 2000s Soulquarian scene , the spiritual jazz of Lonnie Liston Smith and the kind of dusty old Southern soul records that you'd find hiding in the dollar bin. On "The Essentials," from his new album, "Phantasmagoria," over a glutinous backing of synths, vocal overdubs, bass and drums, he professes his commitment ("'Cause there's no other for me/It ain't no coincidence that you reflect my eyes") before dipping into a wily rap verse and capping things with a mystical choral passage that sounds a note of uncertainty: "I wish I could promise forever/If I could promise forever/I would promise forever to you," he sings, the layers of his voice all in a conversation with each other. GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO
An earnest power country slow-burner from the new duo Kat & Alex, who competed on "American Idol" last year, and who sing in both Spanish and English (though not here), "Heartbreak Tour" is delivered with soul music conviction and just the right touch of melodrama. CARAMANICA
The Chilean singer Mon Laferte infuses vintage styles with up-to-date sentiments and fierce attitude. Her new album, "Seis," looks toward Mexican music, and she shares "La Mujer" ("The Woman") with one of her idols: the Mexican singer and songwriter Gloria Trevi. They trade verses and share choruses in a bolero with punchy organ chords and rowdy horns, escalating from sultry self-confidence to unbridled fury at a man who's getting decisively dumped: "Goodbye, sad coward," is Laferte's final sneer. PARELES
Over a slow-motion strut of a bass line and a glass of chardonnay in the lyrics, Queen Naija and Ari Lennox sweetly intertwine their voices, enjoying each other's explicit details about their latest hookups. Then they realize it's the same guy — and the conversation turns into a conspiracy to "Set Him Up." Female solidarity reigns. PARELES
One Eye Closed roasts dull pop music with ironic "All of Us" single
Despite “All of Us” being a relatively poppy piece, it offers way more than that. Bringing in additional flavors from funk and jazz, you will soon notice that the guitar and bass are more technical than what the average Joe can handle.
Olivia Rodrigo And Addison Rae: A Tale Of Two Popstars
Olivia Rodrigo and Addison Rae have taken their first steps into music - and their approaches couldn't be more different.
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Olivia Rodrigo's 'drivers license' isn't just the biggest song of 2021 so far — it's one of the biggest debut singles in history .
In pop music, there's no such thing as a guaranteed hit. But in hindsight, 'drivers license' is the kind of song we're always craving, that comes around once in a blue moon: like 'Rolling in the Deep' or 'Somebody That I Used to Know', it's a heart-stopping ballad with an attention-grabbing arrangement , sung by an original, yet comfortingly familiar voice. So how do you force lightning to strike twice in a row? The answer is: you don't.
Last week, with 'drivers license' still in the Billboard Hot 100's top five, Rodrigo released her follow-up single 'deja vu'. Like 'drivers license', it opens with twinkling synths and a car metaphor, but the destination feels very different. In the song, Rodrigo recalls her formative memories with her ex — "Car rides to Malibu/Strawberry ice cream, one spoon for two" , then imagines him repeating all of her moves on his new girl — "So when you gonna tell her that we did that, too?/She thinks it's special, but it's all reused!"
She sings the titular chorus several ways — first softly, as a question, then almost yelling it, hoping that her ex's memories of their relationship will sour like hers have: "Do you get déjà vu when she's with you?!" But ultimately, the song feels as playful as it is angry; like a hot-flush outburst that feels embarrassing in the moment, but leaves you feeling relieved.
'deja vu' isn't as immediate or dramatic as 'drivers license', but that arguably shows us more of who Olivia Rodrigo is as a songwriter. She's always feeling multiple emotions at once. "Watching reruns of Glee/Bein' annoying, singin' in harmony" — she sings, recalling a happy memory with a tinge of sadness. What makes Rodrigo unique, even two songs in, is that her self-conception isn't static. She writes lyrics about the past, sung as if in the present, on songs that are released with an eye to her future. As a student of the Taylor Swift school of songwriting, Rodrigo understands that whatever she's singing about — love, relationships, exes — the real subtext is her own personal and emotional growth.
'drivers license' could have served up a gossipy celebrity love triangle to the media on a silver platter — but it's a blessing that the drama never once threatened to outweigh the music; that neither Rodrigo nor the other parties have been typecast as, well, anything.
I wasn't sold on the "drivers license" craze but I love olivia rodrigo's new song, "deja vu." it sounds like if taylor swift and radiohead collabed https://t.co/DK1gAaNWkm
Cehryl's "time machine" is a reminder of the poetry of music | The Signal
Cheryl Chow, also known as cehryl, is a singer-songwriter from Hong Kong who creates lo-fi and R&B music, recording and producing her own tracks. Her EP "Wherever It May Be" was recorded entirely in her bedroom, giving her music an air of authenticity.
Lo-fi is a contemporary music genre that places a lot of focus on instrumentals and beats. The vocals tend to be softer, if existent at all, which is why it's popular as a genre for studying and relaxing. This creates a direct opposition to traditional pop music, which tends to be loud and distracting. The popularity of Lo-fi has skyrocketed in the past year in particular as remote learning has forced students to create their own learning environments.
In "time machine," Chow exemplifies the presence of poetic elements in music. One of the ways she does this is her commitment to themes.
A second example is my personal favorite "outside the party, inside the dream," which paints a dreamy wonderland with a special someone. The sleepy theme is emphasized by the dream-like harmonies in the instrumental, an advantage of the auditory experience of the EP.
The chorus' lyrics "Hurry up, we don’t have enough / Time befor? the real world interf?res / Over here, closer, dear / Minimize our distance until we disappear" that depict an urgency reflected by the faster paced instrumental that ironically slows down during the chorus also contribute to the theme.
Another poetic element of "time machine" is the amazing storytelling Chow incorporates into her music. The third track "laundry" is a good example of this as Chow tells the story of a summer memory with the acknowledgement that it could and will fade one day. The gentle yet vibrant sound of the song are fitting for the remnants of such a pleasant memory, and is sure to evoke the memory of the listener's own summer rendezvous. The story is made palpable by imagery in lyrics like "My favourite Saturday I’ve ever seen / Running below the blackish blue / Why was it still so cold in June?"
The evolution of what can be considered poetry to incorporate a wide range of written art is similar to the rise of newer music genres like Lo-fi, as artistic expression is shaped by culture and current events. Chow's unique sound could place her into the broad genre of alternative, in the same way that the first free verse poets were ostracized. By incorporating themes and storytelling into her music, Chow reminds the audience that music and poetry are not as different as people tend to think they are.
If you love lo-fi and poetry, "time machine" is perfect for you. For 21 minutes, Chow tackles loss in an aesthetically pleasing yet authentic way, whether that be the loss of a place associated with youth, or a beautiful summer afternoon long gone.
Fast-Rising Music Artist Ryan Hagan Unveils New Single – Don't Let Me Stop - Odessa American:
Fast-Rising Music Artist Ryan Hagan Unveils New Single – Don't Let Me Stop Associated Press |
NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 9, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Pop music artist, Ryan Hagan, is a voice that's crashed into the music scene, and he's quickly turning heads. His first two singles charted on the radio within one year and he's just released his third, "Don't Let Me Stop." And, it's looking like it won't be his last.
Produced by Grammy®-nominated, multi-platinum producer, Bryan Todd, and co-written by Hagan, "Don't Let Me Stop," speaks to people who have been burned in love and need to learn to trust again.
Hagan and Todd's previous two collaborations, "You Deserve Better" and "Reset" charted on the radio in the U.K. on Music Week's Commercial Pop, Upfront Club and Black Music (formerly "Urban") charts. It went as high as number seven.
Hagan has not always been an aspiring singer/songwriter. His background is steeped in athletics and he's a five-time national wrestling champion. He was also a powerful football and track-and-field athlete during high school. He became a top recruit in his class with the certainty of enrolling in a Division 1 college, but some significant, damaging injuries twisted that path. Always having a passion for music, he decided to give it a serious shot.
So, how did Hagan get here? It all started when a friend connected him with Kim Wood Sandusky, former vocal coach for Beyonce and Destiny's Child.
"I got an audition with her and she asked me to sing something. After 15 seconds, she said, 'We're going to work together.' The rest is pretty much history," Hagan says.
Hagan is an American singer-songwriter named to the "Top 20 Artists of 2020" by Music Observer, "Best Artist of 2020" by Nashville Music Reviews and "Top 20 People to Follow on Instagram" by US Reporter. He's teetering on the edge of international esteem and planning a European tour, post-pandemic. He ultimately plans to expand his reach in the U.S. to become a critically-acclaimed musical artist.
This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Ryan Hagan) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire . Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: 70618 APDF-R8.2
100 Greatest Songs of 2001: Staff Picks | Billboard
After a frenetic, bursting-at-the-seams couple of years at the turn of the century, pop music started to settle into a calmer groove in 2001. Boy bands and teen pop stars were still enormous, but not necessarily the world-swallowing force that they had been. Some of the biggest hard rock bands sanded down their edges a little and invaded top 40 in the process. And some of the defining rappers and R&B stars of the early decade found common ground in massive pop jams, setting the precedent of crossover-courting collaboration that would last throughout the decade.
But even if the musical year was defined more by its stability, it certainly wasn't without its excitement. Super-producers Timbaland and The Neptunes continued to expand hip-hop in all directions, with signature sounds that were nonetheless constantly shape-shifting, and increasingly fruitful artistic partnerships with some of the most open-minded and limber-tongued MCs of the new century. The underground rock scenes of New York and Detroit produced breakout bands whose back-to-basics approach and casual swagger electrified fans (and over-excited critics). And a pair of robots made the trip over from France to provide pop fans with a tantalizing glimpse of electronic dance music's future .
This week, Billboard pays tribute to the music of the alternately smooth and tumultuous 2001, with a series of stories about and interviews with the makers of some of the year's most memorable music -- and first, with a list of our staff's 100 favorite songs from the year. Aside from songs that were released in 2001, songs were counted as being from '01 if they debuted on the Billboard charts (or if they hit No. 1 for the first time) that year. But if they first debuted on or topped the charts in 2002 -- like Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head," Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" or Ja Rule and Ashanti's "Always on Time" -- we'll wait till next year to celebrate their turning 20.
Check out our list below -- with a Spotify playlist of all 100 songs at the bottom -- and get your damn hands up for some of the best anthems of a formative year for 21st century pop music.
Though John's longtime songwriter partner Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics, "I Want Love" felt brutally autobiographical for John as a man "dead in places," plaintively longing for an impossible love. The gorgeous first single from Songs From the West Coast, produced by Madonna collaborator Patrick Leonard, evoked the warmth of John's classic early work -- but while sonically inviting, the lyrics offers no resolution, just a palpable emptiness. -- MELINDA NEWMAN
One of the 20th century's most consistent bands at writing punchy, smart pop-rock blasts, nothing from Spoon's last two decades have been quite as much of a fist to the gut as Girls Can Tell lead single "Everything Hits at Once." Over a sticky, steady groove of smooth bass and staccato electric piano, lead singer Britt Daniel embraces his inner Elvis Costello for a testimony of post-up breakup devastation that's wrenching from its unforgettable opening: "Don't say a word/ The last one's still stinging." -- ANDREW UNTERBERGER
In the late '90s, Carlos Vives single-handedly revolutionized the tropical scene with his modern take on traditional vallenato and cumbia music. By 2001, he was a household name, dropping the slow-tempo, vallenato "Dejame Entrar" with an alternative twist. The timeless gem endures 20 years later not only because of its rhythmic melodies but also because of its romantic lyrics, about entering someone's heart and never leaving. Produced by Emilio Estefan, Jr. and Sebastián Krys, "Dejame Entrar" nabbed Vives his second No. 1 hit on Billboard 's Hot Latin Songs chart. -- JESSICA ROIZ
A song with such a sneeringly narcissistic title from such a heel-ish country star as Toby Keith should simply not be anywhere near this likeable. But the frenzied frustration of "I Wanna Talk About Me" wins you over by the end of the first chorus -- mostly because of Keith's sheer commitment to the vocal, whether interrupting the chorus melody to yelp " but occasionally!! " or stretching the final "me" to a three-syllable yodel. -- A.U.
Snarking on O-Town was an effortless task in 2000: the boy band, formed on the reality TV series Making the Band and boasting a debut single titled "Liquid Dreams," confirmed the manufactured nature and slapped-together songwriting for those who loathed the turn-of-the-century teenybopper craze. Then "All Or Nothing" came along in 2001 and changed O-Town 's fate: A pristine pop ballad, with a chorus ripe for friend-group sing-alongs and a late key change designed for dramatic arena performances, the group's second single has endured long after the bubblegum moment in which it was created. -- J. Lipshutz
Where Are the Douyin Generation's Pop Stars?
Last month, I was scrolling through my feed on Douyin, the version of TikTok accessible on the Chinese mainland, when I came across a "Top 10 Douyin Songs of 2021" compilation. Produced by a music company I had never heard of, I was skeptical that it was just a marketing ploy. Nevertheless, I let the video play.
To my surprise, I recognized every song on the list. Also to my surprise, most of the comments on the video were highly critical: "Catchy songs never last," read one. "Douyin updates trendy songs so fast, they're gone before I can even learn how to sing them," another user added.
The idea that Douyin has deprived China's Generation Z of truly classic songs is not a new one . In online discussions , music fans born in the 1980s and 1990s frequently reminisce over the so-called golden age of Chinese pop music. Lasting from the late 1980s to roughly the emergence of the fresh-faced boy band TFBoys in the early 2010s, it was a time when pop idols produced stone-cold classics in an endless battle for chart position. Admittedly, everything looks better when viewed through nostalgia's rose-tinted glasses, but these wistful fans are onto something. China's music industry is in the midst of a dramatic decoupling from traditional distribution channels, one that's reshaping how we experience new music.
In contrast with music-streaming platforms like QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music, where full songs are still the primary product, music is never more than part of Douyin's backdrop. Good music is still indispensable to the app, even if the platform has rendered it more disposable and anonymous than ever. A song's adaptability — its ability to work with a wide variety of videos and their associated visual effects — is just far more important than what it aims to express.
Take "Give You Four Seasons," for example. One of the titles listed by the above-mentioned "Top 10 Douyin Songs of 2021" video, it started as a gentle love ballad. Its Douyin version, however, added concentrated drums, making it more likely creators would choreograph a dance to it. And choreograph a dance they did: A number of influencers have set the song to a dance that shows off their rippling ab muscles.
These drumbeats and seemingly unrelated thirst traps work to shift viewers' focus away from the song itself and on to video creators. The app's famous algorithm also pushes users in this direction. Search the names of top songs on Douyin, and the app will often auto-fill suggestions like "dance" or " finger dance ." Dance tutorials also tend to rank near the top of search results. In this way, Douyin engineers condition creators to produce the imitative, competitive content they want to see.
In response to Douyin's growing influence over the music market, music labels have started turning to data analytics in the hopes of finding the secret formula for producing a viral hit. Their findings suggest that Douyin's algorithm favors songs with simple, memorable lyrics and repetitive tunes, which all have a "brainwashing" effect on users. Armed with hard data, small- and medium-sized music labels now produce music according to user preferences, as opposed to what artists want to express — a practice that crystalizes the contradiction between music as "art for art's sake" and as a programmed means of entertaining the masses.
The lack of enthusiasm for actual songs, even ones that are generally well-liked and reviewed, puzzled even Douyin's music team, according to interviews I conducted with employees at ByteDance, Douyin's parent company. The only reason they could give is that users' musical tastes are fickle. Absent any answers, the platform's music team has since abandoned its efforts to inject their musical preferences into the algorithm and has gone back to recommending music solely based on data or as part of commercial deals with labels.
Meanwhile, the competition to make the next trending hit is only escalating. According to domestic media reports and interviews with music industry insiders, if a song does not go viral within three days, the label immediately stops promoting it. It's a cruel rule, but it has nonetheless become the norm for music companies. Over time, repetitive tunes and simple lyrics — or even no lyrics at all — have become increasingly common, and songwriters and recording artists work as if on an assembly line.
From Queen of Pop to Prince of Darkness: The honorific royalty of the music world |
For as long as pop music has been a thing, we've been granting grand titles on some of the titans of the industry. While they'll never have the influence of real royal figures like Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, these artists' influence on popular culture has been nothing short of supreme.
Let's start with pop. The undisputed Queen of Pop is, of course, Madonna . With more than 300 million record sales under her belt, she's the highest selling female recording artist of all time and continues to innovate and challenge the pop status quo in her career . Meanwhile, the King of Pop is Michael Jackson , who had the most awards of any recording artist, while his album Thriller remains the top selling album ever released.
For such monarchical titles, it would take someone particularly special to supplant Madonna and Michael Jackson, but when it comes to the Prince and Princess of Pop, that's a little more debated. The latter is sometimes considered between former rivals Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera , who have some of the most recognisable voices in the world of pop, while Prince of Pop is occasionally used to describe Justin Bieber . That leads us to consider some newer Princesses of Pop; namely Lady Gaga and Rihanna . But do they really have the clout to replace the likes of Britney and Xtina?
There's no question why Eminem is considered the King of Rap with sales of more than 220 million records and being the best-selling artist of the 2000s. However, the Queen of Rap is currently a much fought over title between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B . On the one hand Nicki Minaj was the second female rapper to debut at the top of the charts after Lauryn Hill, and on the other Cardi B is the only female to win Grammy Award for Best Rap Album as a soloist following debut album Invasion of Privacy .
While King of Soul is a title often attributed to either Sam Cooke or Otis Redding (both of them being pioneers in their own way), the Queen of Soul can only be Aretha Franklin and it likely always will be. She earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to music, and was also the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Prince of Soul (as well as the Prince of Motown) is 60s artist Marvin Gaye , while the Princess of Soul is often considered the much later artist Jennifer Hudson who rose to success with her Academy Award-winning appearance in Dreamgirls .
When we think of music royalty, one of the first artists that pops into one's head is Elvis Presley , who's often simply known as "The King". He remains the best-selling solo artist of all time and is certainly one of the most iconic and recognisable faces in American history. His Queen of Rock 'n' Roll counterpart is usually thought of as Tina Turner , though in more recent times Joan Jett has been recognised as such; she certainly represents a more modern era of rock music.
Of course, there are endless unofficial titles for a variety of genres from the Queen of Country Pop Shania Twain to the Goddess of Pop Cher and it's up to fans and media alike to bestow such titles on artists. But one thing's for sure, official or not, there's definitely a regal hierarchy when it comes to the music industry.
Waco musician Aaron Konzelman talks about "The Voice" | Music | wacotrib.com
Above: Aaron Konzelman (left) faces off against Connor Christian in "The Voice's" Battle Rounds. Below: Aaron Konzelman performs during "The Voice's" Battle Rounds.
Waco musician Aaron Konzelman said weeks of waiting and preparation went into minutes of airtime during his appearances on the NBC competition series "The Voice."
His recent run on NBC's national musical reality show "The Voice," however, introduced him to it in a new form: television.
As a camera crew filmed him waiting offstage for his time to perform, a show producer asked if he was nervous.
"I wasn't prepared for the acting part of it, the TV part of it," he said. "I had to think how it looked for someone looking in. I had to tell the story through my body language, my appearance.
"Storytelling is what I love to do and for me, the music part was the natural part. … It's a TV show, not really a competition. They need characters to play."
Konzelman, 39, bested scores of other singers in the show's Blind Auditions round and worked with country star Blake Shelton on his team of contestants before losing in the Battle Rounds to singer Connor Christian on March 29.
Connor Christian and Aaron Konzelman compete singing Waylon Jennings' "Ain't Livin' Long Like This" during The Battles on The Voice.
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