Where there's smoke (or Instagram comments), there's fire. Stan Twitter deduced that Selena Gomez was cooking up hits with Benny Blanco when the producer left a couple of emojis on her page. The collaboration was all but confirmed when the pop star posed for pics in the "Eastside" hitmaker's merch and was snapped on the set of a mysterious video shoot. Now, we finally have the title and prospective...

Avril Lavigne stages a triumphant return with Head Above Water. It's been six years since the pop/punk princess released her last album - 2013's self-titled. A lot has gone down in the interim, including a lengthy battle with Lyme Disease that the 34-year-old said left her fighting for her life. She opened up about the experience in a heartfelt letter to her fans. “Those were the worst years of my...

It has been a wild week for Cardi B. The Rap Empress kicked things off on an incredible high after making history at the Grammys. During the show, she delivered a suitably eye-popping rendition of current single "Money" and served a look on the red carpet. However, her night got even better when she picked up the Grammy for Best Rap Album. The accomplishment makes her the first female rapper to win...

It's no longer up for debate. Bebe Rexha has the Midas Touch when it comes to writing perfect pop songs with real emotion and relatable lyrics. Take "Last Hurrah." The Grammy-robbed diva ("Meant To Be" deserved) returns to New Music Friday with an instantly catchy banger about making better choices. "Farewell tequila, so long margarita," she sings in an early verse. "And lady sativa, I hate to leave...

Valentine's Day is all well and good when you're loved-up, but it's less fun if you're chronically single or stuck in a shitty relationship. Annabel Jones finds herself in the latter situation on "Excuses," her first new single (features not included) since 2016's "Not Today." The Brit has always had a knack for getting to the heart of the matter, lyrically speaking, and "Excuses" positively oozes...

Well, that sure was quick. Less than six months after dropping sweetener, Ariana Grande returns with her fifth album - Thank U, Next. Despite what seems like a rapid turnaround, there has been no shortage of events to inspire a new batch of material. Heartbreak - over the death of ex Mac Miller and a failed engagement to Pete Davidson - and the resulting emotions appear to have inspired a good part...

YUNGBLUD has been making waves for a while now thanks to a well-received debut album (21st Century Liability is worth hunting down) and a string of increasingly viral rock anthems. The 20-year-old Brit is due for a major commercial breakthrough and he just might get it with "11 Minutes." A collaboration with Halsey and Travis Barker, the instantly-catchy track has a Valentine's Day-friendly message....

MNEK has been breaking the rules all of his life. After being championed by the first wave of music blogs in the mid-'00s, the artist/producer signed a songwriting deal in 2009 at the ripe old age of 16. It didn't take long for his name to grace the credits of major UK hits and he tested the waters as a pop star with a well-received debut EP. The Brit finally broke big when "Never Forget You," an infectious...

K-Pop Queens Red Velvet have their eyes set on global domination this year. The group has been extending their reign with some serious bangers since launching in 2014. Last year, they unleashed a slew of content including their most recent mini-album RBB. The project contained their second all-English track "RBB (Really Bad Boy)" and hit the number 2 spot on Billboard's World Albums chart. In 2019,...

2018 was a curious year for pop music. Other genres (most notably hip-hop and country) took over the charts, while the age of the all-conquering era seems to be well and truly behind us. With heavy-hitters like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Adele technically off-cycle, no one dominated the scene. Instead, Ex-Acts battled Fifth Harmony alumni and the usual DJs for pop supremacy....

After penning hits for the likes of Camila Cabello, Kygo and Charli XCX, Sasha Sloan launched her own artist project in 2018. The path from songwriter to pop star is increasingly well-travelled, but few make the journey with such a fully-fledged sense of identity and purpose. Take the titles of her two excellent EPs, Sad Girl and Loser. The 23-year-old's music is unashamedly emo, grappling with issues...

Great pop albums are on the brink of extinction as we plunge ever deeper into the singles-dominated streaming age. The once-powerful LP doesn’t sell anymore, so why bother creating a cohesive body of work when you can drop the occasional bop and make the same amount of money? Happily, a handful of artists bucked the trend and delivered a listening experience in 2018. Mariah Carey escorted us down...