Melanie Martinez's After School EP arrived today (September 25) and it's another thoroughly demented collection of pop songs from the genre's most original voice. Apart from being exceptionally good, the 7-song set is also notable because it finds the 25-year-old side-stepping Cry Baby — the usual lens through which she creates. Instead, this is 100 percent undiluted Melanie Martinez. Everything...

Jennifer Lopez and Maluma's two collaborations, "Pa' Ti" and "Lonely," arrived this afternoon and they are flip sides of the same story. The former is a loved-up bop about being head over heals. "Got ocean views from ceiling to the floor, keep a milli by the bed — a hundred more offshore," J.Lo begins the Spanglish version of "Pa' Ti" (there is also one solely in Spanish). "Every day and night...

Kylie Minogue rolls out a loved-up banger called "Magic" as the second single from DISCO — and it absolutely lives up to the time. Produced by Danish duo PhD (AKA Peter Wallevik and Daniel Heloy Davidsen), who previously worked with the pop star on "Get Out Of My Way," "Million Miles" and "Love," this is three and a half minutes of pure happiness. "I feel like anything could happen, the stars look...

Madonna loves to troll her fans. While we all wait patiently for Madame X Tour DVD or a crumb of new music, the Queen of Pop fired up her iconic social media platforms to announce Madame X perfume. (I'm imagining a cross between eyepatch sweat and any flower that is not a hydrangea). The entrepreneur got in a little promo by gifting a box to screenwriter Diablo Cody on Instagram. Amusingly, Madonna...

Justin Bieber returns to New Music Friday with a new single called "Holy" featuring Chance The Rapper. A gospel-flavored love song (there is a choir) isn't the first thing that springs to mind when it comes to the pop star, but he does like to keep us guessing. "I hear a lot about sinners, don't think that I'll be a saint," the 26-year-old begins the song, before finding something approaching divinity...

Over the last 9 years, David Guetta and Sia have recorded four collaborations — "Titanium," "She Wolf (Falling to Pieces)," "Bang My Head" and "Flames" — and amassed two billion streams in the process. Their fifth joint-venture, "Let's Love," arrives today (September 11) and it's a mood-elevating banger of the highest caliber. I recently Zoomed with the French producer in a bid to discover the...

Mariah Carey, that most generous of queens, has blessed us again. The living legend releases a cover of "Out Here On My Own" as the latest treat from The Rarities (due October 2). Of course, the soaring ballad was originally performed by Irene Cara in the 1980 movie musical Fame. Mimi was immediately drawn to the song. In her upcoming memoir, The Meaning Of Mariah Carey, Mariah reveals that she performed...

Daisy Dove Bloom might have taken 9 months to arrive, but Katy Perry's fifth album gestated for a lot longer. With songs dating back in 2017, Smile has evolved — seemingly in real time — with the superstar. From the tear-soaked bangers that begin the album to sunny serenity that ends it, Smile is a diary-like account of Katy's early 30s. One that she has been kind enough to share with the world....

Perhaps the only positive side-effect of the Hollywood machine shutting down in 2020 is the space it created for international productions to shine. Particularly when it comes to genre films. Aussie fright-fest Relic unexpectedly became a summer hit due to its popularity at drive-ins, while UK bone-chiller Amulet made waves on VOD. Joining the mix is Russia's Sputnik. Egor Abramenko's feature film...

By conjuring a multi-layered pop album for grownups, Katy Perry pulls off an increasingly rare feat with Smile. This is pop with purpose that uplifts and inspires. Over the course of 12 bouncy bops and catchy toe-tappers, Katy takes us along on her journey of self-discovery — exploring themes like perseverance, acceptance and healing. If Witness represented the eye of a very public storm, Smile is...

If you're looking for clumsy jump scares and buckets of gore, Relic is not the film for you. Natalie Erika James, in one of 2020's most auspicious directorial debuts, focuses on atmosphere, tension and emotional nuance. This is the kind of fright fest that slowly seeps under your skin, and then lingers long after the final credits roll. Which is no small feat for a body horror that — on the face...

Taylor Swift has already won Album Of The Year Grammys for both country and pop offerings. (Fearless and 1989, respectively). She could feasibly take home a third with folklore. Which is excitingly difficult to horn into any particular genre. There are country and pop elements in the mix, but also folk, indie and Americana. The result is a heady, rustic brew that evokes fog-smeared forests and log...

Over the course of three, exquisitely-crafted EPs, Sasha Sloan has carved out a niche as music's saddest songsmith. But there is another side to her. When she's not writing songs about trauma, loss and dysfunction, the 25-year-old is penning bangers for artists like Camila Cabello, Charli XCX and LANY. Those worlds finally collide on "Lie," the lead single from Sasha's much-anticipated debut album....