The first New Music Friday of the penultimate month of the year has arrived!
JENNIE of BLACKPINK leads this week’s roundup of new singles with “Someone to Hold,” her disco-streaked soundtrack contribution for Netflix’s upcoming musical comedy Steps, which reimagines Cinderella from the perspective of her stepsisters. Japanese girl group XG shared a new electro-pop song called “Depends”; Slayyyter continued her Wor$t Man In America rollout with the raucous “Hey Boyyy,” and six-time Latin Grammy winner C. Tangana reunited with his early rap collective Agorazein for their nostalgic “Milko Freestyle.”
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On the albums side, Lil Baby dropped his fifth studio album, Fresh, which includes his recent Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit “Dead Fresh” (No. 18) and follows last year’s Billboard 200-topping WHAM LP. Fellow late 2010s breakthrough MC Jack Harlow also shared a new EP called Sweet Action II, the official sequel to the 2020 EP that gave the world “Whats Poppin.”
On the pop side, Emmy winner Dove Cameron finally released her long-awaited debut album, Final Girl, while Rex Orange County dropped his sixth full-length project, Dream Fatigue. Four-time Grammy-winning rock band Kings of Leon also unleashed O My Beloved, its first self-produced album and 10th overall. The Iraqi-German producer born Alex Ridha also shared his sixth studio album as Boys Noize, 7llvsion. And fast-rising, Texas-born country star Hudson Westbrook put out his highly anticipated sophomore studio album, Made You Look.
Notably, Starbucks also shared a seven-track holiday compilation, featuring contributions from Coco Jones, Leon Thomas, JYT, Brandi Carlile, Magnus Ferrell, The Womack Sisters and TRÍADA.
This New Music Friday also features new albums from P1Harmony (Blow Up), Alanis Morissette (Good Weather for Immaculate Conception), Skepta (The Fork and Knife), Shygirl (Swallow!), Sufjan Stevens (Worst Christmas Ever!), B2K (Eclipse), Snow Tha Product (Next Time, Believe Me), Kenny Mason (Bulldawg: Graveyard Shift), Florence + the Machine (Everybody Scream Tour – Live), Jessie Reyez (A Little Vengeance Is More Human Than No Vengeance At All), Britney Spears (Britney – 25th Anniversary Edition), Dylan Marlowe (Dylan Marlowe), James Blunt (Airplane Mode), Sam Barber (Outlier – EP), George Michael (The Faith Tour), Saya Gray (QWERTY III), Manuel Turizo (Apambichao, Vol. 2), Blu DeTiger (N.Y. Baby), Curren$y & Harry Fraud (Off to the Races) and Jesse Jo Stark (Muse).
In the latest development in the Drake-Kendrick Lamar beef, Drizzy and Future reunited for the surprise “Ya Hit,” which also brings along Travis Scott and Loe Shimmy. Also, two pop stars released original holiday tunes: Olivia Rodrigo’s “Take Me Home (4 Christmas)” and Chlöe’s “Mrs. Claus Don’t Have 2 Know.”
Music fans also scored new songs from Glorilla and Sexyy Red (“Jiggly Bow Bow”); Lizzy McAlpine (“The Weel” from The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping); Belly Gang Kushington (“OK”); The Neighbourhood (“Why’d You Have to Leave”); Dan + Shay (“It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas”); Carter Faith (“Still the Sparrow Sings” from Heartland); DC the Don (“D&F”); Autumn Paige (“Alone”); Alyssa Grace (“Washing Skin”); Thomas Rhett (“Be There In a Minute”), Cleo Reed (“American Dream”); Flo Milli (“Throw That Money”); Chxrry and Rema (“Big Shot”); Coi Leray (“Spin Back”); Irie Souljah and Kabaka Pyramid (“World Citizen”); Towa Bird (“Deep Blue”); Muscadine Bloodline (“Blue Bayou”) and Buffalo Traffic Jam (“Barely Holding On”).
Which of these songs, EPs and albums are you most excited about this week? Let Billboard know which new release will be in constant rotation this weekend by voting for your favorite in the poll below.
